Tomato And Mozzarella Lasagne Recipes

TOMATO AND MOZZARELLA LASAGNE

Steps:

• Make sauce:
• Cook onions in butter and oil with oregano, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste in a 4-quart saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until onions are softened. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add tomatoes and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 18 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley, orange juice, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. and butter 2 (13- by 9-inch) baking dishes.
• Assemble lasagne:
• Soak lasagne sheets in hot water to cover by 1 inch until softened and flexible, about 20 minutes.
• Spread 1 1/2 cups sauce in each baking dish and top sauce in each dish with 3 drained pasta sheets, overlapping if necessary. Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup parmesan evenly in each dish. Top with 3 drained pasta sheets per dish, overlapping if necessary. Repeat layering with 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup parmesan, 1 cups sauce, and 3 drained pasta sheets in each dish. Finish assembling lasagne by topping each with 1 cups sauce. (You will have leftover sauce and mozzarella.)
• Bake lasagne, covered with foil, in middle of oven 30 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle evenly with remaining 2 cups mozzarella. Bake until bubbling and cheese is melted, about 10 minutes more.
• Serve lasagne with some of remaining sauce, reheated.

TOMATO & CHEESE LASAGNA

Steps:

• To make the sauce: Take the onion and garlic, and sauté in olive oil in a large pot for a few minutes.
• Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf, herbs, crushed red pepper, and prosciutto or ham bone.
• Simmer gently for about an hour and a half.
• Remove the bone, puree the sauce (carefully, since this will be hot), and taste for seasoning.
• The cheeses: Keep parmesan and mozzarella in separate piles.
• Add the chopped basil and parsley to the ricotta, and season with freshly ground black pepper.
• Layer the lasagne: In a dish that is 10x6x2, begin with a light layer of sauce on the bottom.
• Cover with a sheet of pasta, and spread it with sauce.
• Sprinkle with parmesan and mozzarella.
• Cover with another sheet of pasta and sauce.
• Put half of the ricotta and herb mixture on this layer.
• Repeat with a layer of pasta, sauce, and mozzarella and parmesan, then another layer of pasta, topped with remaining ricotta.
• Make one more layer of pasta and mozzarella and parmesan, ending with a top layer of pasta and sauce and parmesan.
• Cover the lasagna with foil and bake 20 minutes in a preheated 350-degree oven.
• Remove the foil and bake another 20 minutes or so, until the top is crusty and golden.
• Let sit for 5 or so minutes after removing from the oven.
• Cut into portions, grate with fresh parmesan and serve.
• Note: You can use store-bought sauce as a time-saver, but if you have the time its worth the wait.
• This may also be made earlier in the day: assemble and keep in the fridge until ready to cook.

FRESH TOMATO LASAGNA

Steps:

• Slice off and discard ends of tomatoes; cut tomatoes into 1/2-inch/1cm thick slices. Stir together ricotta and Parmesan cheeses, egg, pinch of the salt and pepper and nutmeg.
• Spread about one-quarter of the oil on bottom of 13-x9-inch/3L baking dish. Lay 3 (or 4) noodles in a single layer, covering bottom; top with single layer of the tomato slices. Sprinkle with generous pinch of salt, half the garlic and half the basil; drizzle with one-third the remaining oil and spread half of the ricotta mixture on top. Repeat once with noodles, tomato slices, salt, garlic, basil, oil and ricotta mixture. Top with remaining noodles, tomato slices and oil; sprinkle with pepper to taste and mozzarella cheese, then drizzle wine (or water and lemon juice) over top. Cover with foil pierced with several vents.
• Bake in 400 degree F oven until tomatoes are roasted and the noodles are tender, about 1 hour. If there is more than about 1/4 cup liquid in pan, uncover and bake until liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

TURKEY, TOMATO, RICOTTA, AND MOZZARELLA LASAGNE

Steps:

• Make sauce:
• In a heavy kettle cook onions and three fourths of garlic in oil over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened. Add turkey, carrots, and bell pepper and cook, stirring to break up turkey, until carrots are barely tender. Stir in tomatoes, wine, herbs, spices, and salt and pepper to taste, breaking up tomatoes, and simmer, uncovered, 25 minutes. Stir in remaining garlic and simmer 5 minutes. Sauce may be made 3 days ahead, cooled completely, and chilled, covered.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• In a bowl stir together ricotta, egg, scallions, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Pour 1 cup sauce into a baking dish, 13 by 9 by 2 inches (sauce will not cover bottom completely), and cover with 3 lasagne sheets, making sure they do not touch each other. Spread about 2 cups sauce over pasta. Drop one third of ricotta mixture by spoonfuls onto sauce and gently spread with back of a spoon. Sprinkle one fourth of mozzarella over ricotta mixture and make 2 more layers in same manner, beginning and ending with pasta. Spread remaining sauce evenly over top, making sure pasta is completely covered, and sprinkle with Parmesan and remaining mozzarella.
• Cover dish tightly with foil, tenting slightly to prevent foil from touching top layer, and bake in middle of oven 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake lasagne 10 minutes more, or until top is bubbling and golden. Let lasagne stand 5 minutes before serving.

TOMATO-FRENCH BREAD LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a skillet, cook beef, onion, celery and garlic over medium heat until beef is no longer pink; drain and set aside. Toast bread; line the bottom of an ungreased 13x9-in. baking dish with 10 slices. Top with half of the meat mixture and half of the tomatoes. , Combine seasonings; sprinkle half over tomatoes. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon oil. Crumble remaining bread over top. Repeat layers of meat, tomatoes, seasonings and oil. , In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter; stir in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in milk; bring to a boil. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in Parmesan. Pour over casserole. Top with mozzarella. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is golden brown.

LASAGNA WITH TOMATO SAUCE AND ROASTED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and brush the foil lightly with olive oil. Slice the eggplant 1/3 inch thick, sprinkle with salt and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Place on the baking sheet and roast 15 to 20 minutes, until the slices are lightly colored on the bottom and soft to the tip of a knife. Remove from the oven, and carefully fold the foil over and crimp the edges together (be careful not to burn yourself!). Let the eggplant cool and steam in the foil packet for 20 minutes. Set aside and turn the oven down to 350 degrees.
• Lightly oil a rectangular baking dish. Blend the ricotta cheese with the egg, water, cinnamon, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside 1/2 cup of tomato sauce and 3 tablespoons of Parmesan to make sure you have enough for the top layer of the lasagna.
• Spread a small spoonful of tomato sauce in a thin layer over the bottom of the baking dish. Top with a layer of lasagna noodles. Top the noodles with a thin layer of ricotta. Spoon on a few dollops then spread it with an offset or a rubber spatula. Top the ricotta with half the eggplant, and sprinkle basil and half the mozzarella over the eggplant. Top with a layer of tomato sauce and a layer of Parmesan. Repeat the layers, then add a final layer of lasagna noodles topped with ricotta if any remains, and most importantly with the tomato sauce and Parmesan you set aside. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the top.
• Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and place in the oven. Bake 40 minutes, until the noodles are tender and the mixture is bubbling. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.