Posts Tagged ‘#recipe #Lasagna’
Home Cookin’ – Lasagna Recipe
Prior to the oven
I don’t remember the last time I made lasagna at home….it’s been years. During the reign of the late Mrs BurgerDogBoy, the dish was pretty much her purview. Before she set out to actually try and kill me, she messed with me once by trying to sneak turkey Italian sausage past me in the dish, and it wasn’t out of a health concern, but merely because that’s what the store she went to had, and she being she, was far too lazy to venture on to another store. Whatever.
My recipe is far more elaborate and work than it need be, as with all my pasta dishes, the red gravy (meat sauce) is the thing. My basic recipe is here, and it’s best consumed or otherwise used the 2nd day.
I cook down a buncha Roma tomatoes (with a cup of red wine), simultaneously sauteeing chopped garlic, onions, fennel, oregano, and basil. Brown a pound of 80/20 ground beef and a pound of hot Italian sausage, combining with the sauteed vegetables for 20-30 minutes before adding to the cooked down tomatoes. You may desire to toss in a small can of tomato paste (or commercial sauce) as a thickener, but not too much, and avoid ones that have added sugar.
Layer lasagna noodles, meat sauce, spinach leaves and mozzarella/provolone cheese mix, repeat until you reach the top of your baking dish (I like my lasagna deep). I don’t use ricotta, obviously. I like the flavor and texture imparted from the traditional Italian cheeses. My mother used to substitute cottage cheese for the ricotta, but only probably because nobody in our town had ever heard of ricotta back then. We barely had heard of Italy.
Bake an hour at 350. (BTW, I use “oven ready” lasagna noodles – no boiling required). Let sit for at least 20 minutes before serving. Or cut into serving size pieces, put in ziplocs or tupperware and freeze.
Cooking vegetables and herbs
Cooking down the Romas
Saute Beef & Sausage
Lasagna Recipe
