A perennial favorite in our house is Mette's lasagna. Now, as a Texan of Germanic descent and a Dane, we have to say that Italian food is not our specialty, and this recipe will certainly offend someone who is very proud of their authentic lasagna from Napoli or wherever. This is not a substitute for the thousand-year-old classic as made in Italy, for which we have high respect. But this is a quick and delicious version of the classic. It calls for oven-ready lasagna which is used dry, jars of pasta sauce, and bagged shredded mozzerella. It is the version of lasagna for the busy executive. You may put it together the night before and refrigerate before baking it in the oven after work, or you can go from supermarket bag to table in under two hours. The keys here to flavor development are to use the requisite amount of meat and to use a slightly spicy sauce. We've never heard a negative review. So far that is.
Ingredient list:
8 oz Oven-Ready Lasagna; things certainly got easier when that was invented
2 quart jars Spicy Red Pepper Tomato Sauce; or whatever you like that adds a bit of spice
2 cups whole milk ricotta
4 cups whole milk mozzarella, shredded or sliced (if fresh); uncharacteristically we prefer bagged
1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated on a Microplane; get a Microplane if you lack one. Seriously.
1/2 pound sweet and/or hot Italian sausage
1/2 pound ground beef or ground turkey
1/2 onion, sliced
1/2 bell pepper, sliced
Garlic cloves, minced
Heat some olive oil in a large (12-inch) skillet and saute onion and bell pepper along with 2 garlic cloves until onion begins to brown slightly. The sweetness of the peppers and onions are a great addition, but the dish still works without them. Remove sausage from casings, crumble and brown in the same skillet along with a half pound of hamburger meat or turkey depending upon your preference. Once meat is cooked and onions have turned translucent, add enough sauce to cover all ingredients and stir well.
In a lasagna pan, spoon sauce into bottom until covered. Place oven-ready dry lasagna in a layer over the sauce; spread a layer of ricotta over the lasagna noodles. Spoon meat sauce over this layer and then sprinkle liberally with mozzarella and Parmigiano cheese. Next layer with lasagna noodles, then ricotta, meat sauce, and finally cheeses. Continue with layers until four full layers are complete. Add some additional cheese to the very top. Cover pan with foil. At this point the pan may be refrigerated overnight or baked immediately.
Bake in a medium (350 F) oven for one hour. After an hour, remove the foil and return the pan to the oven. After another 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese on top is browned, remove and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Slice and serve with a fresh salad, garlic bread and a glass of red wine. This is one of those dishes that gets much better the next day so save some to enjoy for lunch or dinner tomorrow!
Comments welcome, as we know we can always improve upon an attempt at a classic. Just think about time constraints.
I make a lasagna very similar to this, and usually make two batches at once, and (gasp!) freeze one for later. I do have 3 kids, after all! If I can't find whole milk ricotta I use low fat and add a beaten egg, and I usually put whole basil leaves on top because it looks pretty and I love basil!
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