Tuscan Lasagna Recipes

BEST ITALIAN LASAGNA EVER!

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Boil noodles and drain (you may also use uncooked noodles).
• Sauté garlic, sugar and salt.
• Add sausage and ground beef and brown, breaking into small crumbles.
• Add basil, pepper, tomatoes and paste; simmer 20-30 minutes until sauce thickens.
• Mix together in bowl, ricotta, egg and parsley (add milk if it's too thick).
• Layer sauce to cover bottom of pan, noodles 1/2 of ricotta mixture, 1/4 c of parmesan, noodles, ricotta, mozzarella, sauce and parmesan.
• Bake covered for 25 minutes.
• Uncover and bake another 25 minutes.
• Let cool about 10-15 minutes then cut and serve.
• Leftovers may be frozen and then heated in the oven until hot and melty.
• Goes great with crusty garlic toast and a salad.

TUSCAN LASAGNA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. In a large pan over medium heat, cook beef, mushrooms, onion, garlic, parsley, salt, basil, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds and pepper until beef is browned, 12 minutes; transfer to a bowl and stir in ricotta. Cook noodles as directed on package; drain and rinse with cold water. In an 8" x 11" baking dish coated with cooking spray, place a layer of noodles. Top with 1/3 of the meat mixture, 1/3 of the marinara and 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat to create two more layers with remaining noodles, meat, marinara and mozzarella; before last layer, scatter spinach. Top with Parmesan. Cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes; remove foil and bake 20 minutes more. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

CLASSIC ITALIAN LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Bechamel sauce:
• In a 2-quart pot, melt 5 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. When butter has completely melted, add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly to prevent any lumps from forming. Continue to simmer and whisk over medium heat until the sauce is thick, smooth and creamy, about 10 minutes. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of wooden spoon. Remove from heat and add the nutmeg and tomato sauce. Stir until well combined and check for seasoning. Set aside and allow to cool completely.
• In a saute pan, heat extra-virgin olive oil. When almost smoking, add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Brown meat, breaking any large lumps, until it is no longer pink. Remove from heat and drain any excess fat. Set aside and allow to cool completely.
• In a medium sized bowl, thoroughly mix the ricotta and eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Into the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch baking dish, spread 1/3 of the bechamel sauce. Arrange the pasta sheets side by side, covering the bottom of the baking dish. Evenly spread a layer of all the ricotta mixture and then a layer of all the spinach. Arrange another layer of pasta sheets and spread all the ground beef on top. Sprinkle 1/2 the mozzarella cheese on top of the beef. Spread another 1/3 of the bechamel sauce. Arrange the final layer of pasta sheets and top with remaining bechamel, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Cut the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into 1/4-inch cubes and top lasagna.
• Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place lasagna dish on top, cover and put on the middle rack of the oven and bake until top is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Remove cover and continue to bake for about 15 minutes.
• In a large casserole pot or Dutch over, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.
• Add 1/2 the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
• If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.

TRADITIONAL LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, cook and crumble beef and sausage until no longer pink; drain. Add next 7 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper, if desired., Meanwhile, in a large bowl, lightly beat eggs. Add parsley; stir in cottage cheese, ricotta and Parmesan cheese. , Preheat oven to 375°. Spread 1 cup meat sauce in an ungreased 13x9-in. baking dish. Layer with 3 noodles, provolone cheese, 2 cups cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup mozzarella, 3 noodles, 2 cups meat sauce, remaining cottage cheese mixture and 1 cup mozzarella. Top with remaining noodles, meat sauce and mozzarella (dish will be full)., Cover; bake 50 minutes. Uncover; bake until heated through, about 20 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

TUSCAN KALE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Bring 2 large pots of water (one heavily salted, and one lightly salted) to a boil. Add lasagna noodles to the heavily salted water and parboil for 6 minutes. Remove noodles to an ice water bath to stop the cooking process; drain and set aside.
• Add kale to the lightly salted water and cook for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Dry thoroughly and rip into large, bite-sized pieces; set aside.
• Mix ricotta cheese, goat cheese, and egg together in a bowl. Mix in 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, basil, salt, and pepper.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat; stir in mushrooms and season with salt. Saute until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until mushrooms are tender, 3 minutes more. Remove from the heat.
• Coat the bottom of a 9-inch square baking dish with 1/2 cup tomato sauce. Layer ingredients evenly as follows, pressing down firmly after adding each layer of noodles: 2 lasagna noodles, 1/2 the ricotta cheese mixture, all the kale, 1/2 cup tomato sauce, 1/8 cup Parmesan, 2 lasagna noodles placed in opposite direction as first layer, the remaining ricotta mixture, all the mushrooms, 1/2 cup tomato sauce, 1/8 cup Parmesan, the remaining lasagna noodles (alternating direction once more) and tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and remaining Parmesan. Cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and bake until cheese is golden brown and bubble, about 15 more minutes.

CLASSIC ITALIAN LASAGNE

Steps:

• For the ragu, melt the butter in a large flameproof casserole dish over a medium heat until foaming. Add the celery, carrot, onion, porcini, rosemary and some seasoning, and fry for 5 mins.
• Season the meat, add to the dish and cook for 5 mins until browned. Pour in the wine, add the tomatoes and bring to the boil.
• Reduce the heat to low, put the lid on the dish and cook for 1hr 30 mins, removing the lid for the final 30 mins so the sauce can reduce. The meat should be tender but not too broken up, and the sauce should be thick. Taste for seasoning. You can cook it for longer if you have time - the flavour will only improve.
• For the béchamel sauce, pour the milk into a saucepan with the bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, turn off the heat and set aside. In a heavy-based saucepan, melt the butter over a medium heat, then whisk in the flour and hot milk. Whisk vigorously until smooth, then cook for 10-15 mins until very thick. Remove the bay leaf and season, grating in nutmeg to taste. Stir in the parmesan and egg yolks, then set aside to cool.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Working in batches of three, plunge the pasta sheets into a pan of boiling salted water for 20 secs, just to soften, then immediately put in a bowl of ice-cold water.
• Rub oil onto the base and sides of a large baking dish. Put a layer of pasta on the base, then add a layer of ragu, followed by a layer of béchamel sauce. A good tip, for really defined layers, is to pipe the béchamel sauce over.
• Repeat this process until you have used all the pasta and ragu, and finish with a layer of béchamel sauce on top. Sprinkle the top with a generous layer of parmesan.
• Bake in the oven for 40-45 mins or until bubbling and golden brown, then remove from the oven and leave to settle for 10 mins.
• Cut the lasagne into squares and let it sit for another 10 mins before serving - this keeps the layers defined and helps it cool down more quickly.

TUSCAN ROASTED VEGETABLE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Thaw vegetables and chop into small pieces. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix together egg, ricotta, 1/2 cup (125 mL) of the Parmesan cheese and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Cut polenta into 1/4-inch (0.5 cm) slices. Set aside.
• Lightly grease 13 x 9-inch (33 x 23 cm) baking pan with oil. Spread 1-1/2 cups (375 mL) of the pasta sauce onto the bottom. Arrange a layer of polenta over sauce. Spread half of the roasted vegetable mixture over polenta.
• In a large bowl, mix together remaining sauce and veggie ground round. Spread half of the veggie sauce over vegetables.
• Spread ricotta mixture carefully over vegetables. Sprinkle with 1 cup (250 mL) of the mozzarella. Add another layer of polenta (you may have some left over).
• Add remaining roasted vegetables, then remaining pasta sauce. Top with remaining 1/4 cup (50 mL) Parmesan and remaining 1 cup (25 mL) mozzarella. Cover loosely with foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes; remove foil and bake 20 minutes longer or until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.