Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Lasagna

There is a story behind this lasagna that I'll never forget.
I had been dating my husband for 3 months and he offered to prepare this dish for me. I had my house on the market and would often throw a basket of odds and ends in the oven to declutter the counter before a quick showing. Little did I know that it wasn't common to look inside an oven before turning it on. Pretty soon the house was filled with smoke and I was quickly on the phone getting another debit card. Thank goodness I didn't throw the loaf of bread in there!

Lasagna by Cathy Lowe Food Network.com
10 lasagna noodles
12 oz ricotta
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 c Parmesan, grated
12 oz mozzarella, shredded (I think it needed more, but you can never have enough cheese)
3 c Meat Sauce*

1. Prepare noodles as instructed on the package. Drain. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, egg, 1/2 c Parmesan, salt and pepper.
2. Spread 3/4 c meat sauce in bottom of 9x13 baking dish. Lay 3 noodles in pan and spread with ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and top with meat sauce.
3. Top with remaining mozzarella and 1/2 c Parmesan. Bake for 45 minutes or until bubbly at 375. Remove from oven and let lasagna stand for 15 minutes.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

where is the meat sauce recipe?? This is my favorite recipe and I'm having a hard time finding it. Unfortunately, you didn't include the meat sauce which is the most unique part of this lasagna recipe.

ELB02 said...

I found the meat sauce!

Meat Sauce

1lb ground beef
1lb sweet Italian sausage
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried oregano
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup red wine
3 28oz cans crushed tomatoes
1 carrot, chopped
Salt
Pepper

Heat oil in heavy bottom pan over medium high. Brown the ground beef and sausage. Stir in onion and cook for 4 minutes. Stir in garlic, basil, bay leaf, and oregano. Add wine, tomato and carrot. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium. Simmer uncovered and let thicken for about 45 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Yields: 12 cups