Monday, November 05, 2007
Some things are better from scratch
Whether you are making a family dinner at home or a potluck dinner to go, lasagna is sure to please. And while it takes a while to assemble lasagna, it’s not as difficult to prepare as it may seem. If you don’t let the long list of ingredients scare you off, you’ll be in for a wonderful meal.
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Lasagna
3/4 to 1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 6-ounce cans tomato paste
2 8-ounce cans canned tomato sauce
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
12 lasagna noodles
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
In a Dutch oven or large pot, cook ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Simmer, covered, for about 1-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles according to package instructions. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water.
In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
To assemble, spread 1-1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with 1 cup of shredded mozzarella. Spoon 1-1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil. To prevent sticking, spray foil with cooking spray before putting it on the lasagna.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving. Makes 12 servings.
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Pantry Pointers
To reduce the fat in lasagna, use ground turkey meat and low-fat cheeses.
When cooking pasta, boil plenty of water. This reduces the chances that the pasta will stick together and it helps the pasta cook more evenly.
When a recipe calls for “al dente” pasta, cook it until it is tender but still has a bite to it. If the pasta is mushy, it’s overcooked.
The Practical Pantry ©2007 Tammy P. Olson
http://www.practicalpantry.com