Monthly Archives: June 2014

Lasagna

The recent demise of mylasagnarecipe.com has prompted me to come out of hibernation and post my transcript of their recipe here. Caveat emptor: it is not an entirely faithful rendering. And I’ve never followed this recipe exactly as written. I’ve subbed mushed firm tofu for ricotta and Yves’ tofu ground beef for the meat, and really, it was almost as good (as long as you eat it hot, coldish tofu lasagne tastes like — tofu).

Ingredients

  • 1 lb (450 g) of sweet Italian sausage
  • 1 lb (450 g) of ground beef
  • 1/2 cup (120 mL) of chopped onions
  • 2 cloves of garlic chopped
  • 28 oz (796 mL) crushed tomatoes
  • 16 oz (455 mL)  tomato sauce
  • 12 oz (340 mL) tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup (120 mL) of water
  • 2 Tbsp (30 mL) white sugar
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) fennel seed
  • 2 tsp (10 mL) fresh Basil leaves chopped
  • 4 Tbsp (60 mL) fresh Italian parsley chopped
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) salt
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) Italian Seasoning [Ed. note: I don’t use this. I usually put some combination of dried oregano, basil, thyme, and rosemary.]
  • 1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) ground pepper
  • 23 oz (680 mL) of ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) fresh grated nutmeg
  • 1 egg
  • 1 lb (450 g) shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup (240 mL)  grated Parmesan cheese
  • 12 lasagna noodles

Directions

    1. Start with the following in a pot:
        • 1 pound (450 g) of sweet Italian sausage (The flavor of the Italian sausage varies from brand to brand. You may need to try a different brand the first couple of times you cook this dish. Find the flavor you like the best.)
        • 1 pound (450 g) of ground beef
        • 1/2 cup (120 mL) of chopped onions
        • 2 cloves of garlic chopped
  2. Brown the ground beef, Italian sausage, onions and garlic in a pot until they start to cook. It takes about 6 to 9 minutes to brown the meat. I like to use a Dutch oven to cook this portion of the recipe. I use a medium low temperature to brown the meat. It is optional to remove the grease from the meat once it is finished browning, your choice.
  3. Add the following:
    • 1 (28 ounce) (784 g) can of crushed tomatoes
    • 2 (8 ounce) (230 g) cans of tomato sauce
    • 2 (6 ounce) (168 g) cans of tomato paste
    • 1/2 (120 mL) cup of water
  4. Gently stir this into the cooking meat.
  5. Add the following:
    • 2 tablespoons (30 mL) white sugar
    • 1 teaspoon (5 mL) fennel seed
    • 2 teaspoons (10 mL) fresh Basil leaves chopped
    • 2 tablespoons (30 mL) fresh Italian parsley chopped
    • 1 teaspoon (5 mL) salt
    • 1 teaspoon (5 mL) Italian Seasoning
    • 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) ground pepper
  6. Gently stir these seasoning into the sauce.
  7. Cover the pot and let the meat sauce simmer. Simmer on low heat for 1 hour and 30 minutes. This is the ideal simmer time but not mandatory. If you don’t have time it will still be great after one hour of simmering.
  8. I will sometimes make this sauce and refrigerate it after it finishes simmering. I will use the meat sauce the next day to put the rest of this recipe together. For some reason Italian meat sauce taste even better the next day. But that’s up to you.
  9. Soak 12 lasagna noodles. The lasagna noodles need to be soaked in hot tap water for 15 minutes.
  10. While the noodles are soaking you can make the cheese filling. Put the following in a mixing bowl:
    • 23 ounces (644 g) of ricotta cheese.
    • 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) fresh grated nutmeg
  11. Add the following:
    • 1 egg
    • 2 tablespoons (30 mL) fresh Italian parsley chopped
  12. Mix these ingredients together with a spoon.
  13. Now we start building the lasagna layers. Use a 9×13 inch baking pan. Spread 2 Cups (480 mL) of meat sauce on the bottom of the pan.
  14. Remove your lasagna noodles out of the water bath. Shake water off wet noodles.
  15. Lay 6 noodles across the layer of sauce.
  16. Spread half of the ricotta cheese mixture over the layer of noodles.
  17. Spread 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese over the ricotta layer.
  18. Sprinkle half of the Parmesan cheese over the mozzarella layer
  19. Spread 2 cups (480 mL) of meat sauce over the cheese layer
  20. Lay down the next layer of noodles
  21. Spread the remaining ricotta mixture over noodles
  22. Spread the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses saving some cheese for the top of the lasagna
  23. Put the last layer of meat sauce on the cheeses
  24. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
  25. Cover with foil. Bake in preheated oven at 350 F (177 C) for 25 minutes
  26. Remove foil and bake uncovered for another 25 minutes.
  27. Remove from oven and allow to cool for approximately 15 minutes.

Lasagna Layer Quick Reference

      10) mozarella/parmesan
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      9) meat sauce
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      8) mozarella/parmesan
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      7) ricotta
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      6) noodles
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      5) meat sauce
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      4) mozarella/parmesan
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      3) ricotta
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      2) noodles
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      1) meat sauce