Ellens Killer Lasagna Recipes

WORLD'S BEST LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, 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, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• 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 a third of mozzarella cheese slices. 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, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

ELLEN'S KILLER LASAGNA

Steps:

• 1. In a large skillet, brown the meat slowly; spoon off excess fat. Add next 5 ingredients. Simmer uncovered 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• 2. While meat is browning, cook noodles according to package instructions in large amount boiling salted water till tender; drain and rinse. Beat eggs.
• 3. Add remaining ingredients to eggs,except mozzarella and noodles.
• 4. Layer half the noodles in a 13x9x2 in. baking dish; spread with half the Ricotta filling; add half the mozzarella cheese and half the meat sauce. Repeat layers.
• 5. Bake in a 375-degree oven for about 30 minutes (or assemble early and refrigerate; bake 45 minutes). Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
• 6. Serve with a green salad and pass the garlic bread!

"KILLER" LASAGNA

Steps:

• Brown the sausage and ground meat and drain all the fat.
• Add all the other ingredients for the meat filling and simmer on the stove, uncovered, for about 1/2 hour.
• I usually add a bay leaf or two.
• Mix up the cheese filling and set aside in fridge until ready to use.
• Put the noodles in salted water and cook until soft when poked with a fork.
• When the noodles are done, drain the noodles and rinse off with cold water so they can be handled easily.
• Spray the baking pan with a non-stick spray and put a layer of noodles down on the bottom of the pan. It is OK to cut some of the noodles to fit into the pan if they do not fit whole.
• Spread half the cheese filling over the noodels, then half of the mozarella cheese on top of that, then half of the meat sauce over the grated mozarella cheese.
• REPEAT layers and then top with more mozarella cheese.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting into it.
• Leftovers can be easily stored in the freezer.

BETTER BEEF LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cook the noodles al dente according to the directions on the package. Drain well, then lay out on wax paper to prevent them from sticking to each other.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until no longer pink, breaking up the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon, about 3 minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate, discarding any fat remaining in the skillet.
• Heat the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid is evaporated and they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Return the meat to the pan. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, stir in 2 cups of the tomato sauce, and simmer for 2 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, spinach, egg, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, the black pepper, and nutmeg.
• Spread 1 cup of the remaining tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Place a layer of lasagna noodles over the sauce, touching but not overlapping. Spread half of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles. Add another layer of noodles. Top with half the beef-mushroom mixture. Repeat with another layer of noodles, then the remaining cheese mixture, more noodles, the remaining beef mixture, and finally one more layer of noodles. Top the final layer of noodles with the remaining 1 cup tomato sauce, then sprinkle with the grated cheeses. Cover loosely with foil. Bake for 45 minutes, uncover, and bake 15 minutes more.
• Per Serving: Calories 550; Total Fat 18 g (Sat Fat 7 g, Mono Fat 5 g, Poly Fat 0.8 g); Protein 35 g; Carb 62 g; Fiber 11 g; Cholesterol 90 mg; Sodium 1000 mg
• Excellent source of Calcium, Fiber, Iron, Niacin, Phosphorus, Potassium, Protein, Riboflavin, Selenium, Thiamin, Vitamin A, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Zinc
• Good source of Copper, Folate, Magnesium
• Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, basil, and red pepper flakes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.

LISA'S KILLER LASAGNE

Steps:

• Mix ricotta, chopped veggies, spinach, carrot, garlic, salt & pepper, nutmeg, 1/2 cup Parmesan in bowl. Arrange uncooked lasagne noodles in casserole dish. Layer cheese mixture, pesto, tomatoes, pasta sauce, and mozarella. Repeat layers to the top, pouring remaining sauce over dish, and finishing with a top layer of mozarella. Cover with aluminum foil and make a toothpick tent so it doesn't touch the surface. Bake at 375 for an hour. After 1 hour remove foil, top with layer of parmesan, and place under broiler to brown. Let sit at least 1/2 hour before cutting so it sets and won't fall apart.