Lasagne Recipe, anyone?

Cafe Society
1

Once again, I attempted to make lasagne, and once again it was a miserable failure. While I was layering it, I was pretty sure it wasn’t going to work…and I was right. It was edible, but it was dry, it was not cheesy, and it ended up just kind of wrong.

Instead of blaming my cooking abilities (I have almost none, but I know how to follow a recipe - and 80% of the time, when I do, it works), I’m blaming the recipe. It came on the back of the box of noodles. Obviously, I need a better one. Anyone have a good recipe? (I like meat; I don’t eat spinach in lasagne, eggplant, or mushrooms.)

2

When you make lasagna you run into the same problems as you do with any other baked product. You’ve got to do everything right in the prep or else you’re doomed. It’s not like you can fix it on the fly as if you were grilling something.

I would think that if the lasagna comes out dry and not cheesy, you may need to add more cheese. Good ricotta cheese should keep everything moist and cheesy.

You may also want to check that your oven’s temperature is correct. And remember to take the lasagna out when it looks done, not necessarily when the recipe says you should. The appearance should be more important than the time.

And let it sit for a while before you try to eat it.

3

Lazy Lasagna

1 pound lean **ground beef **

1 jar (26-oz.) **spaghetti sauce **

1 cup **water **

1 container (15-oz.) **ricotta cheese **

1 egg

2 tablespoons chopped **green onions **

1/2 teaspoon crushed **dried oregano **

8 ounces lasagna noodles

1 pound shredded **mozzarella cheese **

2 tablespoons grated **Parmesan cheese **

In a large skillet brown ground beef and drain; add spaghetti sauce and water. Mix and simmer for 5 minutes.

Combine ricotta cheese, egg, green onions and oregano in a separate bowl; mix well. Remove 1 cup of meat sauce and set aside for topping.
In a 13x9x2-inch pan, spread half of remaining meat sauce; add half of uncooked lasagna noodles, half the ricotta mixture and half the mozzarella cheese. Repeat, making sure to save some of meat sauce for the top, then sprinkle Parmesan cheese over all. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Can also be frozen.

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Bake uncovered for 50 to 60 minutes, until cheese is melted and lasagna is thoroughly heated. If frozen make sure to completely thaw before baking.

BEST. DAMNED. LASAGNA. EVER.

The Ricotta cheese makes all the difference, and you dont even have to pre-cook your noodles. I recommend not adding a full cup of water (gets a little runny) and definetely try those spaghetti sauces with garlic & herbs rather than your typical generic brand.

First time I’ve had it, I couldnt believe how good it was, now I make this all the time rather than buying. And women can’t stop throwing themselves at me! Okay so I made that last part up, but still…

4

I don’t usually follow a recipe, it’s normally one bottle of pasta sauce, a packet of white sauce (instead of ricotta, me being a poor student and all) and about 500g of mince. My personal preference is to put the white sauce on last, as it soaks into the pasta nicely.

One small tip. Use the refrigerated fresh lasagne sheets, not the dried stuff in the pasta section. The dried noodles suck-up water, making it difficult to get the moisture content right. The fresh stuff hardly requires any fluid, so you can make a thicker mince sauce.

5

Just to add to what Rabid_Squirrel said. If you use dry lasagna sheets, be sure that the sauces are very runny, as the sheets absorb a lot of water. I used to make lasagna that came out dry but edible, then I started adding water. Presto! Perfect lasagna. I can tell you meassurements, since I don’t use them, but think milkshake, not mayo for the thickness of sauce.
Another point is to use white sauce and add cheese for flavor, as it means a lot less calories. I add some blue cheese too. Also, I add some bacon, giving it a nice, smoked flavor. The result is, if I may say so, devine.