SO GOOD Lasagne & Easy As Ever

Here is a simple way to make lasagne with UNCOOKED LASAGNE NOODLES (raw, hard). Lasagne assembly takes some time, in itself. Be patient. You will be greatly rewarded. This batch was meat & cheese. If you're vegetarian, just omit the meat from the sauce and sub layers of thinly sliced red bell pepper, eggplant, zuchinni, mushroom, artichoke hearts, spinach, etc. Or meat AND veg. Lasagne is an eye-ball form of cooking, as far as I'm concerned. However, I have compiled a basic recipe to follow. (You can assemble this the night before and keep it refrigerated until you're ready to bake, if you need. Just let it rest at room temperature for 20 minutes before you put it in the oven.) It takes an hour in the oven @ 375, and needs at least 15 minutes to establish its form. So, calculate this into your meal plan. Serve with a salad and ample garlic bread. Your friends and family will be happily stuffed. Great leftover. Lasagne is no beauty queen. Use high quality ingredients and clean, clean hands. Get creative. Layer it YOUR OWN way. She promises to please you.

Sauce:
touch of olive oil
1/2 bell pepper, seeded & diced small
1/2 yellow onion, diced small
1 pound ground beef (or turkey)
26oz (+/-) jar of your favorite red sauce
14.5oz can diced peeled tomatoes
splash of red wine
1+cup water
salt & pepper

Filling:
1 pound part skim mozarella, grated
15oz (+/-) ricotta
1+cup shredded parmesan
1-2 eggs (depending on size. 1 BIG egg. 2 medium eggs)
flat leaf parsley

AND ***a box of normal, dry lasagne noodles****

Step 1: Simple Sauce

I used a VERY LARGE sautee pan, but I would probably suggest using a pot to compensate for increase in volume. I sautee the onion & bell peppers in a touch of olive oil on LOW so as not to burn the olive oil. (I grate the mozarella during this time.) Once the onions are almost transparent, remove the mix from the pan. Sautee meat until fully cooked and crumbly. Drain off fat into a bowl so you don't clog your drain with it (wait for it so solidify & scrape it into the trash). Reincorporate bell pepper/onion mixture into meat. Hit it with a splash of red wine. Salt & pepper. Add jar of sauce and can of diced tomatoes. Put water into sauce jar. Put lid back on. Shake it up to get any leftovers. Add to sauce. Stir. Turn off heat. PREHEAT YOUR OVEN TO 375

Comments

[careylyn]

Sorry! I went on vacation and had a gazillion emails. You're actually right about the egg. I left a little out. And as far as not mixing the cheeses... you know, I didn't even think about it. It prob wouldn't change anything and would be a step less. Its my first Instructable :) THE NOODLES ARE UNCOOKED. I am fortunate enough to live a stone's throw from an Italian market that sells fresh sheets of pasta, so you just lay it out. My boyfriend went to the store though and brought home the boxed kind. It just seemed like a pain in the butt to have to boil them and separate them. Hence the extra water. Cover that pan with foil and let it steam itself. Once the lasagne can be sliced, you might want to plate it on some extra sauce. Depends how saucey you like it. Thanks for your interest!

[OliveOyl]

Looks like a good, easy recipe. I'd like to try it but I want to be clear about the lasagna noodles, are you using them raw? Not much is said about them but it appears you don't pre-cook the noodles and that's the reason there is so much water in the recipe? I've never tried it that way but it's a good timesaver--eliminates the hassle of boiling those noodles. Thanks for the recipe (it was easy to follow and made sense) and the many good photos.

[OliveOyl]

Sorry, I guess I didn't catch the first sentence where you clearly state the noodles are not cooked. My mistake. In reading the recipe, I'd use one egg only in the ricotta mixture and wouldn't combine that with the mutz and parm, easier to just sprinkle those on the layers where necessary. I look forward to trying this soon.