Recipe: Jenn’s Lasagne
I am pulling this out of the archives for Ruth’s Presto Pasta Night Foodie Event!
Here is a recipe you can make with the Versatile Pasta Sauce Recipe or any homemade pasta sauce you like. If you don’t have spinach, you can use any vegetables you want – eggplant is delicious as are roasted peppers, or you can skip that step, altogether. You can also experiment with the cheeses – use some feta or goat cheese to make it tangy.
Below is the classic recipe, but as always feel free to modify and make it yours!
INGREDIENTS:
Sauce:
2– 28-oz. cans crushed tomatoes
1– 6-oz. can tomato paste
1 lb. ground meat (beef works best, but you could use turkey, pork or a mixture)
1 large sweet onion finely diced
4 cloves of garlic pressed or finely diced
1 tsp sugar
Salt, pepper, oregano, garlic salt to taste
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
Filling:
2 lb. Ricotta Cheese
1 C. Mozzarella Cheese
1 ¼ C. Parmesan cheese
5-6 oz. fresh baby spinach, raw
1—9-oz. Package of no boil lasagna noodles
(Preferably Barilla)
METHOD:
To make the sauce, sauté the onions in the olive oil until soft over medium heat. Add the ground meat and garlic and stir frequently to avoid burning. Once meat is browned add the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. Incorporate the spices and sugar into the sauce. Cook over very low heat for about 2 hours, stirring pot every 10 minutes to avoid burning it.
Once sauce has cooked remove from heat, then preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large baking dish assemble the lasagna in layers. First add a layer of noodles, making sure they overlap about ¼ inch. Next spread a thin layer of ricotta cheese, then sprinkle 2 handfuls each of the mozzarella and the parmesan.
Next lay 2 handfuls of spinach on top of the cheeses. Then put an even layer sauce on top of that. Keep adding layers in this format until all your ingredients have been used, sparing a little cheese for the end. Your top layer should be: noodles, cheese and sauce. To finish the dish, sprinkle the top generously with parmesan.
If you have other cheeses left over, feel free to sprinkle those as well.
Cover lasagna with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 55 minutes. Then remove the foil and cook for another 5 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.
Eat and Enjoy!
Buon Appetito!
Serves 12.
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Ruth - May 29, 2007 at 8:50 pm
Gorgeous looking lasagna. I love it.
No matter what kind of pasta I make, lasagna has a special place. I gave my first dinner party when I was 16 – lasagna, Caesar Salad and Garlic Bread. I don’t remember the dessert, but I always remember the party whenever I have lasagna.
Thanks for the memory. And thanks for sharing with Presto Pasta Nights.
The Leftover Queen - May 29, 2007 at 9:40 pm
Thanks Ruth! I am glad you like it! I had lasagne a lot growing up, so I feel like it is one of those easy dishes I can just whip up without thinking too much. AND I love the creativity that goes with it. You can really make it according to your own tastes!
Denise - June 3, 2007 at 9:49 pm
Beautiful lasagna! I love pasta but it doesn’t quite feel the same about me. (It spikes my blood sugar) I do manage to eat it now and then, anyway, and appreciate any good and easy recipe for it. Thanks for another to try!
The Leftover Queen - June 3, 2007 at 11:15 pm
Denise,
Have you ever tried DeBoles pasta? It is made with 1/2 artichoke and 1/2 semolina flour. Therefore it has a much lower glycemic index. You could also try polenta or eggplant instead of the lasagna noodles!
Hope you enjoy it!
Denise - June 4, 2007 at 12:56 am
Jenn, I haven’t tried DeBoles but I’ll look into that. I do use whole wheat and/or soy pasta which is a lot easier on the blood sugar but I’d love to try DeBoles. As for polenta, I haven’t tried that either. And eggplant isn’t something I like much though I admit I haven’t tried it in lieu of lasagna noodles but I might do that.
Thanks so much for the suggestions and dropping by my blog. 🙂
The Leftover Queen - June 4, 2007 at 10:48 am
No Problem Deinse! I worked as an assistant to a Nurtitionist, Chiropractor, Integrative Therapies Doctor for 5 years. We had a lot of people with blood sugar issues, so I am a little versed in these things.
Anyway, if you don’t like eggplant, maybe zucchini would work! Cut into long strips. That actually sounds really good to me. Polenta is probably a good option, but not as good as DeBoles because it is corn and therefore has sugar, but in thin layers, it would be great! Good luck!
sumrina - June 5, 2007 at 10:54 am
yummy!!!! if i use eggplant in your above recipe, should i slice and roast it first or just use raw slices in the lasagne???
The Leftover Queen - June 5, 2007 at 11:12 am
Hi Sumrina! I like to sautee my slices in extra virgin olive oil first then put them in the layers. But if you cut them very thin, you can just put them in raw!
Trish - June 6, 2007 at 8:02 pm
Jenn – I have your sauce simmering even as I type this. It smells so good! I loved the recipe because it was basic and I had everythng here at home. Now I’m starting to dabble – adding a little red wine, a little pecorino romano cheese grated (an idea from my former siscilian (sp.) sister-in-law. Smells devine. It will rest over night in the fridge and be dinner tomorrow. There’s just the two of us so the rest will be frozen. I think I must have Italian roots somewhere…I love this stuff! Thanks for the great recipe!
Trish in Omaha
The Leftover Queen - June 6, 2007 at 9:29 pm
Hi Trish! Thanks for coming by! I am so excited that you are not only making the sauce, but experimenting and making the sauce yours! I am sure your editions are going to make it even better! Thanks so much for sharing this with me and please stop by again and let me know how it tastes!