Megans Lasagna Recipes

MAMA'S LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish.
• In a large saute pan, over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon oil and saute meat, onion, and garlic until meat is browned, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon. Drain pan of fat and add stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, then mix in cottage cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan, parsley, salt, pepper, and seasoning salt.
• Spread a little of the meat sauce in the bottom of the prepared pan. Lay half the noodles in the bottom of the baking dish, overlapping by 1/2-inch. Spread half the egg and cottage cheese mixture evenly on top. Sprinkle half the mozzarella and Cheddar evenly over the cottage cheese mixture. Pour half the meat sauce on top. Repeat layering in same order. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan on top. Bake in center of oven 30 to 35 minutes until sauce is bubbling around the edges. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

MEGAN'S GLUTEN-FREE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• For sauce, cook beef, sausage, onion, celery, carrots and garlic in a large saucepan until meat is brown. Drain any excess fat.
• Add un-drained tomatoes, tomato sauce, chopped basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a low boil and then reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
• Meanwhile, cook noodles for 8 to 10 minutes so they are slightly under-cooked. Drain noodles and set aside.
• For cheese filling, mix together cottage cheese, egg, Parmesan and spinach. Set aside.
• Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce over the bottom of the baking dish. Layer half of the noodles in the bottom of the dish, trimming with kitchen shears as necessary to fit. Spread with half of the cheese filling. Top with half of the remaining sauce and half of the mozzarella. Repeat layers.
• Place 9 X 13 dish on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

CLASSIC AND SIMPLE MEAT LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, add the lasagna noodles a few at a time, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 10 minutes. Remove the noodles to a plate.
• Place the ground beef into a skillet over medium heat, add the garlic, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and black pepper to the skillet. Cook the meat, chopping it into small chunks as it cooks, until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Drain excess grease.
• In a bowl, mix the cottage cheese, eggs, and Parmesan cheese until thoroughly combined.
• Place 4 noodles side by side into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan; top with a layer of the tomato-basil sauce, a layer of ground beef mixture, and a layer of the cottage cheese mixture. Repeat layers twice more, ending with a layer of sauce; sprinkle top with the mozzarella cheese. Cover the dish with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the casserole is bubbling and the cheese has melted, about 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until cheese has begun to brown, about 10 more minutes. Allow to stand at least 10 minutes before serving.

VEGAN LASAGNA

Steps:

• Make the marinara sauce: Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium-high. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until the onion is soft and translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for another minute. Stir in the tomato paste, Italian seasoning and red-pepper flakes, then stir in the diced and crushed tomatoes and sugar, if using. Allow the sauce to come to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes, uncovered. Add salt to taste. You can leave the sauce textured or purée it with an immersion blender, depending on your preference. Remove from heat.
• Make the ricotta: Add the cashews and garlic to a food processor and process until the cashews form a coarse meal, about 1 minute. Stop and scrape down the sides of the processor, then turn the processor back on. While it's running, drizzle in 1/2 cup water and the lemon juice. Process until completely smooth and the texture resembles hummus, another 2 minutes.
• Crumble the block of tofu into the processor, add the nutritional yeast, and season with salt and pepper. Continue processing until the mixture is smooth and resembles ricotta, stopping to scrape the sides of the processor as needed, about 1 minute. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
• Assemble the lasagna: Heat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly oil a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish. Bring a large, salted pot of water to boil. Cook the lasagna noodles according to package instructions, until they're al dente. (Skip this step if you're using no-boil noodles.)
• Layer 1 scant cup marinara sauce at the bottom of your lasagna dish. Cover it with a layer of 3 to 4 lasagna noodles. Cover the noodles with half the vegan ricotta. Cover the ricotta with another layer of noodles, followed by another cup of marinara and the remaining ricotta. Add a final layer of noodles and the remaining marinara sauce. Bake the lasagna for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the marinara on top is dark and the lasagna is bubbling. Top with torn basil leaves, if desired, and serve.

MEAGHAN'S LASAGNA

Steps:

• Saute sweet and hot sausage in a large skillet over medium heat; stir with a wooden spoon to break up the pieces until the sausage is well browned, about 8 minutes. Set sausage aside. Add the red and yellow pepper to the sausage fat, and saute until softened, 6 to 7 minutes. Set aside. Add the onions to the remaining fat, adding olive oil if necessary. Reduce heat to medium low, and saute until onions are very soft but not brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and crushed red-pepper flakes, and saute until garlic is translucent. Add the canned tomatoes and tomato paste. Reduce heat to low, and let the mixture simmer until it has thickened and reduced, about 30 minutes. Add the reserved cooked sausage. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, and set aside.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spoon 1/2 cup tomato sauce into the bottom of an 8-by-8-inch oven-safe glass dish. Place a layer of fresh lasagna sheets on top. Spread half the ricotta over pasta; cover with spinach. Cover with second layer of fresh pasta. Sprinkle pasta with half the fresh mozzarella and half the Parmesan. Cover with 1 cup sauce and a third layer of pasta. Spread pasta with remaining ricotta, cover with sauteed onions and peppers. Cover with a final layer of pasta, top with remaining sauce, sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Place in the oven to bake until sauce is bubbling and top is golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes. Serve.

MOM'S LASAGNA, FALL VERSION

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the lasagna noodles 3 to 4 minutes less than the package directs. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water, and pour the pasta onto a baking sheet to cool. Drizzle with olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking and set aside until ready to assemble.
• For the Bolognese: Place a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Add the beef, season with salt, and cook, breaking up any lumps, until it begins to brown. Move the beef to one side of the pan, add the squash and cook until it begins to brown and soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onions, celery and garlic with a large pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften and begin to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and toast for a few minutes until it looks rusty. Add in the white wine, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the crushed tomatoes and thyme bundle and bring to a simmer. Stir in the reserved 1 cup pasta water and cook over low heat, partially covered, until the sauce has thickened and reduced, at least 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and remove the thyme bundle.
• For the bechamel: Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepot over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until it forms a wet sandy consistency. Slowly whisk in the milk and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce to a simmer, then whisk in the nutmeg and 1 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring often, until thickened and smooth, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the ricotta, pecorino and egg yolks, then set aside to cool slightly.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place a 7-quart roasting pan or a lasagna pan on the baking sheet.
• To assemble: Spoon a layer of Bolognese into the pan, covering the whole bottom. Add an even layer of noodles and press into the sauce. Add a layer of Bolognese over the noodles, then another layer of pasta. Spoon some of the bechamel over the noodles, covering the entire surface. Add another layer of pasta, pressing down gently. Spoon a layer of Bolognese to cover the surface. Repeat the layering, ending with a layer of Bolognese on top. Sprinkle with the mozzarella, then cover with foil and bake until completely warmed through, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Uncover and continue to bake until golden brown and crusty on top, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and let set 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

MEGAN'S LASAGNA

Steps:

• Heat up olive oil in a pan and sauté the onion & garlic for 1-2 minutes.
• Add the sausage and break apart with spatula. Cook till no longer pink (about 10 minutes).
• In a saucepan, add tomato sauce, the sausage/garlic mixture, and spice it to your liking.
• Let the sauce simmer for 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400°.
• While the sauce simmers, in another bowl mix the ricotta, goat cheese, egg, half of the mozzarella, and some salt, pepper, and parsley.
• Layer the lasagna in a pan as this: sauce, noodles, cheese mixture, a sprinkle of some mozzarella, and repeat until you get to the top of your pan. Top off with remaining mozzarella.
• Bake at 400° for 30 minutes.
• ENJOY!