Lasagna

Making Homemade Lasagna

I haven't yet tried making lasagna noodles from scratch, so these tips apply to purchased, dry noodles.

No-boil lasagna noodles are regular lasagna noodles pre-boiled a bit before they are dried. They are a little more expensive but save time. They absorb more sauce than pre-boiled noodles so they work best in recipes with thin sauces.

If you use regular dry lasagna noodles, boil according to package directions, drain, then lay them out on clean dishtowels which will absorb any excess water. Do this just before assembling the lasagna so the noodles don't dry out too much.

Use regular dry lasagna noodles and skip the boiling step in a favorite lasagna recipe by making double the amount of sauce specified in the recipe and adding 1 cup of water. A deeper lasagna dish may be required to accommodate the extra liquid needed to cook the noodles, and a longer cooking time might be needed. The noodles release some starch as they are cooked, so the finished product might taste starchier than if the noodles were pre-boiled.

Regardless of the type of noodle used, they should be kept moist while baking. Coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil and/or some of the tomato sauce before putting the noodles in the pan. Spread sauce and filling evenly over the noodles and try to cover the edges so they don't get crunchy.

If the recipe says to bake uncovered but the cheese on top of your lasagna seems to be browning too quickly, brush oil on a piece of foil or use non-stick cooking spray on foil, and tent over the lasagna. The oil will keep the lasagna topping from sticking to the foil.

Alternatively, before baking, cover your lasagna with oiled parchment paper and then cover that with foil to keep the heat and moisture in. Uncover the lasagna after 30 minutes of baking time.

I usually make lasagna in a Pyrex (glass) baking dish. If making more than one lasagna and for ease of clean-up when entertaining, consider buying disposable foil baking containers. Place these on top of a baking sheet in the oven.

No-Boil Lasagna Using Regular Noodles

This recipe uses regular lasagna noodles that you don't have to pre-boil, because the noodles soften in the extra liquid added to this recipe. It's a no-meat dish but I've added a layer of cooked, drained ground beef and a can of drained mushrooms and it worked well.

Serves six.

• 1-1/2 cups water
• 4 cups spaghetti sauce (2 15-1/2 oz. cans)
• 1 box (454 grams or 16 oz) lasagna noodles
• 1 container ricotta cheese
• 1 ball mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• aluminum foil

In a bowl, combine the water and spaghetti sauce.

Cover the bottom of a 9x13x 2 inch dish with 1-1/2 cups of this liquid.

On top of the sauce, place a layer of uncooked noodles, slightly overlapping.

Spread half the ricotta cheese and half the mozzarella cheese (thinly sliced or shredded) on top.

Then, another layer of noodles, the rest of the ricotta and mozarella.

Sprinkle with half the parmesan.

Top a third layer of noodles.

Pour on remaining sauce so that it reaches the edges of the noodles.

Sprinkle with the rest of the parmesan.

Cover tightly with foil.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Put a baking sheet in the oven.

Set the lasagna dish on top of it in case of spill-over.

Bake for 1 hour or until pasta is soft when you insert a knife in the middle.

Let stand 8-10 minutes after you take it out of the oven, before serving.

Lasagna with Ground Beef (Bolognese)

With this recipe, use regular dry lasagna noodles and boil them before assembling the lasagna.

• 9 dry lasagna noodles
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1 750g container No-Name 1% cottage cheese OR 1 pkg dry cottage cheese
• 2 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion
• 1 lb lean ground beef OR 1 lb sausage meat
• 1 650 mL jar Classico pasta sauce (Italian sausage, peppers & onions)
• seasonings (oregano, basil) if you have them
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese or parmesan flakes

Meat Sauce:

Heat olive oil in large saucepan (I use a big iron pan).

Saute minced garlic and onion till transparent, a couple minutes.

Add ground beef, crumble with fork, cook till no longer pink.

Add sauce from the jar, stir.

Pour about 1/2 cup or so water in the jar, put lid back on and shake to remove rest of sauce from jar.

Empty water into the pan of meat sauce.

Turn heat up till mixture bubbles, then reduce heat to low.

Add extra seasonings to taste (salt, pepper, dried herbs or chopped fresh oregano and basil from the garden)

Reduce heat to low, simmer till sauce is thickened.

Cook Pasta while the meet sauce is simmering:

Basically the cooking instructions on a 500g package of  Griss Pasta's Giardino Lasagne noodles, made in Quebec. If you don't have a large stock pot, use a smaller pot and cook 3-4 noodles at a time, just till flexible, and fish them out with a fork into a strainer to drain. Then drop a few more dry noodles into the same boiling water to cook.

1. Bring 5 L water to a rolling boil in a large pot.
2. Add 1 Tbsp salt.
3. Add noodles to the boiling water.
4. Stir gently till water returns to a boil then keep water boiling, stirring frequently during cooking.
5. Cook 12-14 minutes.
6. Drain, rinse with cold water, drain again.

Cheese:

1. Put cottage cheese in a bowl and mix with 2 beaten eggs.
2. Put shredded cheeses in bowls.

Assemble lasagna in 9x13" pan (I use a pyrex glass dish):

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spread 1/2 to 1 cup of meat sauce in base of dish till covered.
3. Lay 3 noodles side by side in dish.
4. Cover with half of the cottage cheese.
5. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the mozzarella.
6. Dot with meat sauce.
7. Lay down 3 more noodles, cottage cheese,1/3 mozzarella, meat sauce.
8. Top with last 3 noodles, meat sauce if any left over, rest of mozzarella, parmesan.
9. Bake in preheated oven about 45 minutes until heated through (see it bubbling through a glass pan) and top is browned.
10. Remove from oven and wait 10-20 minutes for layers to set before cutting between noodles.
11. Cut about 9 rectangles of lasagna.

Lasagna Bolognese Using No-Boil Noodles

Serves 8.

Requires 12 noodles so you may have to buy more than 1 package.

This is a good recipe to make in the summer when fresh herbs are ready to pick in the garden. The sauce can be made a couple days ahead and refrigerated.

You can still use this recipe with regular noodles; boil them while the sauce is simmering then drain, rinse with cold water, and lay cooked noodles flat on dishtowels to absorb excess water before assembling the lasagna.

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 2/3 cup finely chopped onion
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 14-1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 15-oz. can plain tomato sauce
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 12 dried lasagna noodles (no-boil)
• 1 15-oz. container whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano

Sauce:

1. In a large pot, cook beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until beef is browned.
2. Drain fat.
3. Stir in undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, 3/4 tsp salt, crushed red pepper.
4. Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat and simmer, covered, 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Uncover pot, cook 15 minutes more.
6. Let cool and store in container and refrigerate if not using right away.

Filling:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese, egg, 1/4 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano, milk, parsley, basil, oregano, 1/4 tsp. salt. 
2. When well-combined, set aside.

Assembly:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Brush bottom of a 3 quart rectangular baking dish with olive oil.
• Arrange 3 noodles in a single layer on top of oil.
• Evenly spread one-fourth of the filling over the noodles, to the edges.
• Top filling with one-fourth of the sauce.
• Repeat layers.
• Sprinkle top of lasagna with the rest of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
• Cut a piece of parchment paper the size of the dish and brush one side with olive oil.
• Place olive-oil coated side on top of the lasagna.
• Seal the lasagna pan tightly with foil.
• Bake in preheated 375 degree F. oven for 30 minutes.
• Carefully remove from oven, remove foil and parchment paper, return to oven to bake 15 minutes more or until cheese is golden brown and mixture is bubbly.
• Let stand 20 minutes before serving so layers will set and lasagna will cut cleanly.

Marilyn's Cheese Sauce Lasagna

My mom clipped  the recipe from the Toronto Star newspaper years ago and we really like it. It uses less tomato sauce than the other recipes.

The original recipe was brought from Italy years before it was printed in the Star and included several tablespoons of fresh, chopped Italian parsley, sauteed with the onions in the meat sauce. My mom never added the parsley but sometimes added a sprinkling of dried oregano.

• 1 lb. dry lasagna noodles, boiled in salted water and drained
• 1/2 cup grated mozzarella for topping

Meat Sauce:

• 1 large chopped onion
• 1 minced clove of garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2-1/2 cups canned crushed tomatoes with juice
• 5-1/2 oz. can tomato paste
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 lb. lean ground beef or pork

Cheese sauce:

• 1 small chopped onion
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 tbsp. flour
• 2 cups hot milk
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• pinch of salt
• 2 beaten egg yolks

Make Meat Sauce:

1. Saute onion and garlic in oil.
2. Stir in  tomatoes in their juice, tomato paste and bay leaves.
3. Stir in 1/2 cup water.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add ground beef, breaking it up with a fork.
6. Cover and cook over low heat 1 hour.
7. Remove bay leaves and set meat sauce aside.

Make Cheese Sauce:

1. Saute onion in butter.
2. Whisk in flour.
3. Add hot milk, stir till thickened.
4. Add parmesan cheese.
5. Take off heat, quickly stir in beaten egg yolks

Assemble Lasagna:

1. In 9x13" pan, place:
2. thin layer of meat sauce to cover pan bottom, 3 noodles, 1/3 of cheese sauce.
3. Repeat two more times.
4. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven about 45 minutes.
5. If desired, when lasagna is heated through add 1/2 cup grated mozzarella to top and turn oven to broil until mozzarella is bubbly.

No-Boil Spinach Lasagna with Ground Pork or Veal for Four

Lasagna to serve 4, made in an 8-inch square baking dish.

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 lb. ground pork or veal
• kosher salt and pepper
• 1/3 cup tomato paste
• 3/4 cup dry white wine OR water
• 3/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped and divided
• 1 15-oz container part-skim ricotta cheese OR 1 package dry cottage cheese mixed with 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp grated pecorino cheese OR parmesan
• 4 cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 4 oz. mozzarella cheese, coarsely grated and divided
• 6 no-boil lasagna noodles

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. In bowl, combine ricotta OR dry cottage cheese and egg, 1/4 cup pecorino OR parmesan, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper.
3. Fold in spinach, all but 1/2 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup parsley.
4. Set aside.
5. Heat oil and garlic in large skillet on medium heat.
6. Add ground pork, season with 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper.
7. Cook, breaking up with spoon, until beginning to brown, 5-6 minutes.
8. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, 2 minutes.
9. Add wine or water and simmer 2 minutes, uncovered.
10. Fold in 1/4 cup parsley.
11. Spread 1/2 cup meat sauce on bottom of 8-inch square baking dish.
12. Top with 2 noodles.
13. Spread 1/4 cup sauce over top.
14. Dollop 1/3 of cheese mixture over top (about 1 cup.)
15. Repeat.
16. Place 2 remaining noodles on top.
17. Spread with remaining sauce and then cheese mixture.
18. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella and 2 Tbsp pecorino (or parmesan).
19. Cover tightly with oiled piece of foil (to prevent sticking).
20. Bake 15 minutes.
21. Uncover and bake until noodles are tender and top is golden brown, about 8-10 minutes.

Basic Lasagna using 3 Cans Tomato Sauce

Use a 9 x 13 x 2 " pan, serves 8.

• 1 box regular lasagna noodles
• 1 lb. ground beef or pork or combination
• 8 oz mozarella, shredded
• 3 large cans or jars tomato sauce
• 1 small can tomato puree
• 1 large onion, diced
• olive oil
• oregano
• salt and pepper
• garlic powder
• crushed red pepper
• parmesan cheese

1. Boil lasagna noodles and set aside.
2. In a large skillet, brown onion in olive oil and add ground meat, stir with fork and cook till browned.
3. Add salt and garlic powder to taste.
4. Add tomato sauce, and puree.
5. Add salt, oregano, red pepper, garlic powder and pepper to taste.
6. Turn down heat and simmer covered, 1 hour.
7. Oil bottom of 9 x 13" oblong pan.
8. Alternate noodles, sauce, mozzarella cheese. 
9. Sprinkle top with grated parmesan cheese.
10. Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven 1 hour.
11. Serves 8.

Basic Lasagna (2 Cans Sauce)

One 9x13x2 inch pan of lasagna to serve 8.

• 1 pkg. regular lasagna noodles
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 tbsp. oil
• 2 large cans tomato sauce
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 500 g. (2 cups) cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
• 1 beaten egg
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 lb. mozzarella cheese sliced thinly, or shredded.

1. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions, drain.
2. Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a large high-sided frypan or a pot on the stove.
3. Add ground beef. Cook and stir till browned.
4. Taste the tomato sauce, if it's a little sour or bitter, stir in 1 tbsp. sugar.
5. Add tomato sauce to ground beef with onion, garlic salt, oregano and pepper.
6. Simmer 10 minutes more.
7. In a bowl, mix cheese, egg, salt, pepper.
8. Arrange half the noodles in the bottom of a 9x13x2 inch baking dish.
9. Spread half the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles, then half the meat mixture, repeat the layers. Top with parmesan cheese and mozzarella.
10. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven about 45 minutes.