Lasagna recipes

[Bastelmutti]

Hi,

In another thread, Mrs-M mentioned keeping lasagna in the freezer for a pre-made meal. Anyone have a great lasagna recipe?

I would especially be interested in vegetarian and vegan recipes - of the four of us, three would eat lasagna, but that includes my vegetarian DD and DH who is avoiding cheese right now (but would eat meat). I'm thinking maybe a pesto version? But I'd be happy to hear any killer lasagna recipes, including meat-based ones - I'd love to try out different ones and see what sticks!

[catherine]

I'm a big roasted red pepper and black olive lover, so I make a variation on this theme: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Vegetable-Lasagna-232660

It's not exactly the same--I don't use goat cheese, but it sounds good--I typically use the traditional ricotta/mozzerella. I also add spinach.

[domestic goddess]

I love lasagna, and would be interested in trying some different versions, too. Tomatoes really bother my stomach, so would be interested in other kinds of sauces, or does someone know how to temper the acid in tomatoes? I really thought my Spanish Beef Hash of last night would kill me because there were not only tomatoes in it, but hot sauce, but it didn't. Maybe they cancel each other out someway?

[domestic goddess]

This is the time of year when I get interested in cooking again, after the summer hiatus. The air conditioning was broken this summer, and it was just too hot to cook. But now, it is actually a bit cool, so it will be good to turn the oven on. As these things often happen, our neighbor works in HVAC, and he fixed the a/c on Labor Day, and people in the house have been running it, and now we are all too cold. It is off for the present-yea! Hoping to get warmed up soon!

[Float On]

I make a simple veggie one that is always a bit different depending on what veggies I have and I don't use a sauce other than the ricotta/egg/mozzerella with some spices and fresh spinach whipped together.

I put a layer of the cheeze mix, noodles, veggies (carrot,fresh mushrooms, onion, red peppers, broccoli,califlower,corn), povolone cheese, noodles, cheese mix, veggies, povolone,noodle, mozzerella to top.
I pour a bit of water over it before cooking, cover with foil so the top layer of mozzerella doesn't burn, remove the foil for last 10 minutes.
It stays moist but crisp.
My husband doesn't care for meat or red sauce so this is his favorite! My kids do like it if I add alfredo sauce to the layers but to me that makes it too soupy. I usually make up several for the freezer and it keeps as well as any lasagna.

[treehugger]

I make veggie lasagna (usually spinach and mushroom, but can vary depending on what I have on hand) and meat lasagna (ground beef or chicken) and veggie-meat combo lasagna, pretty equally. I don't use recipes, just layer what I want to include and bake. I don't boil the noodles and I don't buy the expensive no-boil noodles, either. I just use regular lasagna noodles and make sure there is extra sauce or pour a bit of water on the top before baking; it's a very useful short cut.

Sometimes I use marinara I have pre-made in the freezer, sometimes I make a sauce on the spot (almost always starting from whole, peeled, canned tomatoes). Pesto works, too. Béchamel is a nice change for non-tomato sauce lovers, and it's more "traditional" Italian anyway.

And, while I know vegan lasagna recipes exist (Google, Bastelmutti!), I would never make one. To me, lasagna needs to have either a lot of cheese (mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan) or a little cheese plus a béchamel sauce. I'm fine with plenty of different vegan dishes, but if I were cooking for a vegan, I just wouldn't make lasagna.

For the freezer, in my opinion, it works better to bake it before freezing and then reheat, rather than freezing it unbaked. I find the texture better that way.

Have fun stocking the freezer!

Kara

[creaker]

My lasagna is pretty standard - homemade sauce with chicken Italian sausage (my store makes these and they are awesome), mozzarella, ricotta (with egg & some chopped parsley), parmesan - and the noodles of course.

I like to make and serve eggplant like lasagna - bake breaded eggplant slices in the oven, and then layer those with sauce, mozzarella, and parmesan in a lasagna pan and bake again.

[Gina]

A good substitute for tomato sauce is pesto. I've never tried to make lasagna that way, but a good pizza can be made without tomato, but using traditional pesto.

My favorite lasagna is made with homemade noodles using a hand-crank pasta machine. The noodles are very tender and they are so thin you don't have to cook them first. While I like a traditional lasagna with only meat, tomato sauce, and cheeses, recently I've been making an excellent one wiht roasted veggie layers too. My favorite veggies to include are zucchini, mild anaheim type flame-roasted chiles, mushrooms, onion, and eggplant. Peas optional. Do the same layering with sauce and cheese and add the veggie layer. Made with the tender homemade noodles it is to die for.

With the homemade noodles cut to any shape, you can make a very small lasagna in a casserole pan, and then cook it in the microwave. Saves time and it works extremely well, especially if you are using up leftovers. It doesnt get crusty when you nuke it, but I don't mind that. It's the cheese flavor that counts. ;)

edit: LOL, all I can think about right now is lasagna... I might have to make a small one for dinner.

[frugal-one]

I also make a seafood lasagna. Use shrimp, crabmeat and sometimes the "fake" crabmeat. Everyone loves it!

[Rosemary]

There is an outstanding vegetarian lasagna recipe in Deborah Madison's Local Flavors cookbook. Someone has posted it here:
http://www.learningtoeatbook.com/2010/02/chard-walnut-lasagna/

I used vegetable broth or additional milk in place of the white wine, as i didn't have any on hand.

[Bastelmutti]

And, while I know vegan lasagna recipes exist (Google, Bastelmutti!), I would never make one. To me, lasagna needs to have either a lot of cheese (mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan) or a little cheese plus a béchamel sauce. I'm fine with plenty of different vegan dishes, but if I were cooking for a vegan, I just wouldn't make lasagna.

But if I googled everything, I'd miss out on these pleasant conversations with you people! LOL I actually agree about the cheese, but thought I might try making DH something without cheese - he can't stomach dairy right now.
PS I think I draw my line at raw lasagna! ;-)

[Mrs-M]

I feel so bad right now, like I'm showing up to this wonderful party with a big dark black cloud looming directly overhead, with rain thundering down all around me. Bastel, out of everything I make, lasagna is my weakest link. I've been making lasagna for years, yet not once has any two recipes turned out the same, and I think, out of all those years, I liked my lasagna recipe once.

Every time I make lasagna I mess with the spice combinations, trying to get it just right, and when I come close, wouldn't you know it, I never took note of the amounts of anything I used, just a dash of this, a dash of that, a shake of something else, etc. (So willy-nilly like). Blah! So frustrating it is...

Sometimes I'll make homemade garlic sauce when I make it, other times I think, neh, I'll buy some tasty store bought sauce (in the jars) and make it really good this time, but the conclusion to my story remains the same, it always turns out OK..., but never great.

Love all the links everyone posted!

Question: What sorts of spices does everyone use when making lasagna? I use freshly ground black pepper, a few pinches of seasoning salt, flaked oregano, and if I have it on hand, a dash of marjoram and thyme. Short of that, I always use lots of garlic in my recipe, that, and onions, and I usually buy a package of the Kraft 4 cheeses Italiano. Oh, and cottage cheese. So lots of flavour in my recipe, yet it never seems to turn out with the bang I'm after. Sorry to disappoint Bastel.

[Jemima]

Here's a vegetarian lasagna from an old paperback cookbook called Garlic Recipes. It's heavy-duty on the garlic, so feel free to lessen the amount to taste.

Easy Vegetable Lasagna

8 servings
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees or microwave

1 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. cottage cheese
1/2 lb. feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 C. grated Parmesan
1 tsp oregano
4 C. tomato or spaghetti sauce
1 lb. lasagna noodles
1 package frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and drained well
4 oz. shredded skim milk mozarella

Mix mushrooms, onions and garlic in a bowl. Cover and microwave (or steam or saute) for 3 minutes on high. Combine cottage cheese, feta, and half the Parmesan with oregano. In a microwavable lasagna pan, layer sauce, noodles, cheese misture, spinach, and onion mixture. Top with mozarella and remaining Parmesan. Cover with double plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Remove pan one hour before baking. Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Microwave on medium-high for 30 minutes more. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

If baking, remove plastic wrap and bake for 40 minutes. (I think I covered mine with foil.)

If I remember correctly, the lasagna noodles don't have to be pre-cooked. I think they absorb enough moisture from being refrigerated overnight and the micowaving or baking takes care of the rest.

[Jemima]

Question: What sorts of spices does everyone use when making lasagna? I use freshly ground black pepper, a few pinches of seasoning salt, flaked oregano, and if I have it on hand, a dash of marjoram and thyme. Short of that, I always use lots of garlic in my recipe, that, and onions, and I usually buy a package of the Kraft 4 cheeses Italiano. Oh, and cottage cheese. So lots of flavour in my recipe, yet it never seems to turn out with the bang I'm after. Sorry to disappoint Bastel.

I'd skip the salt, pepper, marjoram, and thyme. Be sure to use fresh garlic, not the powdered stuff. I don't know what Kraft Four Cheeses Italiano is, but I use plain, grated mozarella. Fresh grated Parmesan sprinkled on top is a must. I use store-bought spaghetti or marinara sauce with mushrooms. Hope that helps.

[Bastelmutti]

Mrs-M, lasagna seems to be my holy grail as well. Comes out watery and isn't as tasty as the lasagna I've had at other people's houses. Maybe we can come up with the perfect lasagna from one of these recipes!

PS I think when I've made it before, I've stuck with garlic, basil, oregano.

[Rosemary]

for vegan lasagna, sub drained, mashed tofu for the ricotta. I usually use silken tofu and mix it with frozen spinach or broccoli, garlic, oregano, and a touch of nutmeg. My dairy-loving mother-in-law absolutely loved vegan lasagna the first time I made it for her, to my great surprise. I did top half of it with some mozzarella for the people who could eat dairy.

I never precook the lasagna noodles and I think that helps it not be watery. I add about a cup of liquid to the sauce to compensate for the dried noodles.

[treehugger]

But if I googled everything, I'd miss out on these pleasant conversations with you people! LOL I actually agree about the cheese, but thought I might try making DH something without cheese - he can't stomach dairy right now.
PS I think I draw my line at raw lasagna! ;-)

Sorry, I didn't mean you should use Google instead of asking for recommendations here. I simply meant that since I didn't have any vegan recipes to share, and since no one else had posted any, either, then for vegan lasagna specifically, you'll have to Google. No way around it. :}

Kara

[Mrs-M]

Jemima. Thanks for posting the recipe, and thanks for the tip on adding spices. I will post again when I try your recipe which will be soon.


Originally posted by Bastelmutti.
Maybe we can come up with the perfect lasagna from one of these recipes!This is what I was hoping for. Combine all of our thoughts and create an SL lasagna recipe to die for! Thanks for mentioning basil. I'll be trying that next time as well.

Rosemary. Your recipe sounds delicious. If (and when) I ever get to the point where I'm able to turn out a basic pan of meat/sauce lasagna that pleases the critic in me, I'm going to expand on that and start working on other variations.

[treehugger]

Question: What sorts of spices does everyone use when making lasagna? I use freshly ground black pepper, a few pinches of seasoning salt, flaked oregano, and if I have it on hand, a dash of marjoram and thyme. Short of that, I always use lots of garlic in my recipe, that, and onions, and I usually buy a package of the Kraft 4 cheeses Italiano. Oh, and cottage cheese. So lots of flavour in my recipe, yet it never seems to turn out with the bang I'm after. Sorry to disappoint Bastel.

I don't add a lot of seasoning to my lasagna. Rather I rely on what I have put into my sauce, the meat and/or vegetable mixtures, and the cheese for flavor. I don't know what seasoning salt is, so maybe that's the culprit? Maybe it's adding a flavor you don't like. I never use cottage cheese, but that's of course a matter of personal preference. Maybe try cheeses other than that Kraft mixture.

My sauce starts with a bit of tomato paste that I fry in olive oil till it changes color, then sliced or minced garlic, canned, whole, peeled tomatoes that I hand crush with their juices, dried or fresh herbs (add dried early on and fresh at the end), and salt. If I have a bottle of red wine open, some goes into the sauce as well.

My meat and/or veggie mixture starts with frying a diced onion in olive oil, and maybe some more salt, but just whatever veggies and/or meat I am using.

Then layer the sauce and meat/veggies all together with noodles, ricotta (sometimes with an egg mixed in), parmesan, and mozzarella. Plenty of flavor!

Kara

[Mrs-M]

Thank you for the additional tips TH. Much appreciated. Going to try to squeak in a pan of lasagna over the weekend and will post again as to the changes I plan on incorporating into the making of it this time. I especially like your idea on searing a little tomato paste in olive oil to start.

Keep the ideas coming everybody! Here's hoping for the grandest of grand in relation to a world class lasagna recipe.

[thinkgreen]

From the Simple Little Vegan Slow Cooker. We have had this for meat eating company and they didn't notice there was no cheese.
2 cups tomato sauce
4-5 lasagne noodles (uncooked)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
chopped spinach
2 cups vegan burger crumbles
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons italian seasoning
Place a small amount of tomato sauce in bottom of cooker. Break the noodles into 2 or 3 pieces so they fit, place a layer of noodles. Drizzle 1 Tablespoon sauce over noodles. Add mushrooms. Put second layer of noodles. Another tablespoon of sauce and half the spinach. Third layer of noodles and 1 cup burger crumbles. Sprinkle with minced garlic and seasonings. Continue until all ingredients are gone. Cook on low between 4 and 6 hours.

[Mrs-M]

Thinkgreen. Thank you for the wonderful addition! Sounds yummy! Can't wait to make lasagna again, now. Will be tempting a batch between now and early next week. Will post again to update.