My first home-made lasagna ... This recipe?

[kenny]

What do y'allz think of this recipe?

Lucky us, we have a local old-world 1940s Italian deli that still makes to die for Italian sausage from scratch they weigh on those old meat scales, and wrap in white butcher paper.

They sell hand-made mozzarella balls floating in water, and zillions of wonderful Italian imports.
They love when I bring Bibi in.
I feel like I stepped back a generation or two when I go there.
Not cheap, but worth it.

Here's the recipe, with all the details, and a nice video.

Any suggestions, that depart from this recipe?
I'm gonna use portabella shrooms instead of the white ones shown.

Food Wishes Video Recipes

foodwishes.blogspot.com

 

[stracci2000]

I can't believe this is your first lasagna!
This will be the first of many, because this recipe sounds delish.
I agree with the author, make sure you have lots of sauce. Dry lasagna is not desirable!
I like to keep some sauce on the side, and ladle a little over the top of your portion when on the plate.

 

[kenny]

Do you make your sauce from scratch?
Do tell.
Please post your recipe ...

I really want to learn to make the ultimate lasagna or lasagne ... price and time be dammed.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

What do y'allz think of this recipe?

Lucky us, we have a local old-world 1940s Italian deli that still makes to die for Italian sausage from scratch they weigh on those old meat scales, and wrap in white butcher paper.

They sell hand-made mozzarella balls floating in water, and zillions of wonderful Italian imports.
They love when I bring Bibi in.
I feel like I stepped back a generation or two when I go there.
Not cheap, but worth it.

Here's the recipe, with all the details, and a nice video.

Any suggestions, that depart from this recipe?
I'm gonna use portabella shrooms instead of the white ones shown.

Food Wishes Video Recipes

foodwishes.blogspot.com

yum !
i have zero Italian blood so i have no advice to give
but id be up to try your first attempt

i agree you can't go wrong with lots of sauce !
and lots of garlic
err on the side of excess
post a picture of it when its half eatten on the plate !!

 

[stracci2000]

Do you make your sauce from scratch?
Do tell.
Please post your recipe ...

Yes I do.
I brown about 3/4 lb. ground beef and some sausage together in a big pot with about 1 medium chopped onion and garlic. At least 4 cloves. Drain the fat! I blot the browned meat with paper towels, too.
When the onions are transparent and the garlic is fragrant, I add a half can of tomato paste, and stir that around a bit.
Then I add a 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes, and a 15 oz. can of tomato sauce. Add a smidge of salt and some black pepper. I use a pepper grinder, so I don't really have a measurement on the pepper. Then about a tablespoon of dried basil, and maybe 2 teaspoons of dried oregano. I measure this all in my hand, so not real accurate on the herbs! Simmer together for maybe an hour. You can add a splash of the pasta water to thin the sauce a few minutes before serving.

 

[kenny]

Thank you, stracci2000.
Sounds delish!

 

[dk168]

Lasagna (and Mousaka for the same reasons) is not something I would make from scratch at home as it is a lot work having to make the meat and white sauces etc...

Good luck with it and I look forward to seeing pics of the finished dish.

DK

 

[jordyonbass]

What do y'allz think of this recipe?

Lucky us, we have a local old-world 1940s Italian deli that still makes to die for Italian sausage from scratch they weigh on those old meat scales, and wrap in white butcher paper.

They sell hand-made mozzarella balls floating in water, and zillions of wonderful Italian imports.
They love when I bring Bibi in.
I feel like I stepped back a generation or two when I go there.
Not cheap, but worth it.

Here's the recipe, with all the details, and a nice video.

Any suggestions, that depart from this recipe?
I'm gonna use portabella shrooms instead of the white ones shown.

Food Wishes Video Recipes

foodwishes.blogspot.com

No suggestions - but you sound like my dad, he goes to a local shop where they sell fruit and veg all grown within a mile of the shop itself. And he also goes into the shop with his bird on his shoulder.

Are you sure you aren't living in Australia and are actually my father? All the constant stirring, there's another common trait

 

[kenny]

I'd love to live in Australia.
A dear friend moved to NZ and loves it.'
Yeah, I know, different country.

What kind of bird does your dad have?
You probably can get all the cockatoos you want for a very low price there.

 

[jordyonbass]

I'd love to live in Australia.
A dear friend moved to NZ and loves it.'
Yeah, I know, different country.

What kind of bird does your dad have?
You probably can get all the cockatoos you want for a very low price there.

Cockatoos are almost a pest here! So many of them it's crazy and they're always really noisy.
Dad has a rainbow lorikeet that thinks she is a lot bigger and tougher than she actually is, give her half a chance and she's chasing after the cat and trying to bite him.
Dad's also from NZ, they're our closest neighbour and it's the only other place I would live. It's absolute heaven over there.

 

[Elizabeth35]

That recipe looks great. Love that they use fresh mozzarella.
My only suggestion---if your deli has fresh lasagna noodles I would splurge on that instead of noodles from a box. And of course, fresh parsley. No nasty dried parsley from a jar.

I've seen recipes that use cottage cheese instead of ricotta. That is an abomination.

 

[MarionC]

Did anyone yet mention putting nutmeg in the ricotta?

 

[Rfisher]

@stracci2000 recipe is very similar to mine.
Make sure you let the tomato paste cook in the skillet a bit ( tastes raw if you don’t) before adding tomato purée/sauce/diced /crushed tomato.
I add a bit of heavy cream at the end.
No to cottage cheese. Never. Nor oven ready dry pasta either.
Nutmeg depending on veggie additions. Sometimes bechamel.

 

[stracci2000]

That recipe looks great. Love that they use fresh mozzarella.
My only suggestion---if your deli has fresh lasagna noodles I would splurge on that instead of noodles from a box. And of course, fresh parsley. No nasty dried parsley from a jar.

I've seen recipes that use cottage cheese instead of ricotta. That is an abomination.

Cottage cheese--------NOOOOOOO! No way. Abomination is right!
Gotta be full fat ricotta.

 

[sarahb]

I like that recipe @kenny, I copied it to try it, I like the cheese mixture in it. It looks like a good one. I also have a rigatoni casserole recipe with made with provolone that is delish. We often have lasagna for Christmas, but this year its meats for the main dish.

 

[rocks]

I make lasagne all the time. Whatever sauce you decide to make, I “over spice” it slightly. Also, if fresh noodles aren’t available, I use the barilla oven ready variety with very good results. Also, keep in mind that the fresh mozzarella has a lot more liquid, so you may have to adjust cook time. Just watch it.

 

[diamondringlover]

my advice is you do not need to precook the noodles...I put mine in as is and they cook just fine..one less step

 

[Queenie60]

World's Best Lasagna

This lasagna recipe from John Chandler is our most popular recipe! With sausage, ground beef, basil, and 3 types of cheese, it lives up to its name!

www.allrecipes.com

This is the recipe I us for a crowd. It's always a hit.

 

[JPie]

I’ve heard good things about this recipe and I’d like to give it a try sometime.

All-Day Meat Lasagna

This lasagna takes significant liberties with the traditional Bolognese recipe, but with intense results. There's mozzarella in the white sauce, ricotta, and it's bathed in a complex, meaty gravy.

www.seriouseats.com

 

[kenny]

my advice is you do not need to precook the noodles...I put mine in as is and they cook just fine..one less step

Thanks.
I'll keep that in mind for next time, but this recipe I'm following calls for pasta to be cooked.
I'm sure this recipe's liquid quantities must take that into account.

I'm sure your recipe has the right amount of liquids for using dry pasta.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I'd love to live in Australia.
A dear friend moved to NZ and loves it.'
Yeah, I know, different country.

What kind of bird does your dad have?
You probably can get all the cockatoos you want for a very low price there.

if you visit your friend Kenny, you and your SO are more than welcome at my house any time

the first lasagna i ever made was a tuna tomato one - it was tasty enough

i must confess if i make one now i just buy good pasta sauce but i can make a tasty cheese sauce - i use the recepie on the back of the box of lasagna sheets !

 

[kenny]

Thank you Daisys and Diamonds, very kind of you.
Honestly and sadly, I'm not seeing that in the cards.

I haven't taken a real vacation in around 30 years.

Living overseas for 5 years when in the service was blissful, but kinda satisfied my travel bug.
These days my travel lust is relegated to fantasy.

 

[doberman]

Def buy full fat cheese. Non of this part-skim business. But I mix oregano and basil in the ricotta cheese. Don't skimp on the sauce.

And dont forget to salt the pasta water.

 

[kenny]

This is fun.
Sounds like there are lots of lasagnaholices here.

I hope this first full fat effort doesn't heartattackme outta here.

 

[kenny]

This is fun.
Sounds like there are lots of lasagnaholices here.

I hope this first full-fat effort doesn't heartattackme outta here.

Something pissed me off today ...
The recipe calls for 1 lb of regular lasagna pasta, but I prefer whole wheat.
Seems like everyone carries whole wheat pasta in lots of shapes except for lasagna.

The few places that do sell don't have it in one pound (16 ounce) boxes, only in boxes of 13.4 ounce.
That means I'd have to buy two boxes, but what to do with the left over 4.6 oz?
GRR.

Anyway, the meat is cooked and I just added the sauce and it's simmering ... two 24 ounce bottles of Stella Rosa Marinara - at $9.29 each.
Yes I cheated, but the 300-lb hairy old Italian guy at my 1940s Italian Deli insisted it's the best right behind making it from scratch.

OMG, it already smells heavenly.
I'm having a nose-gasm.

 

[elizat]

I never cook lately and haven't for months. We were going to to have frozen pizza for Christmas Eve dinner. Seriously. I am so burnt out this year. We didn't even put up a tree or a single decoration.

But I made lasagna tonight because of this thread. And it was very good. I dug cans of tomatoes out and made the sauce as well. So, thanks @kenny !

 

[kenny]

I never cook lately and haven't for months. We were going to to have frozen pizza for Christmas Eve dinner. Seriously. I am so burnt out this year. We didn't even put up a tree or a single decoration.

But I made lasagna tonight because of this thread. And it was very good. I dug cans of tomatoes out and made the sauce as well. So, thanks @kenny !

Mmmmm, I want some.
Mine won't be ready for 3 or 4 hours.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Thank you Daisys and Diamonds, very kind of you.
Honestly and sadly, I'm not seeing that in the cards.

I haven't taken a real vacation in around 30 years.

Living overseas for 5 years when in the service was blissful, but kinda satisfied my travel bug.
These days my travel lust is relegated to fantasy.

i must say those long haul flights are a killer

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

This is fun.
Sounds like there are lots of lasagnaholices here.

I hope this first full-fat effort doesn't heartattackme outta here.

Something pissed me off today ...
The recipe calls for 1 lb of regular lasagna pasta, but I prefer whole wheat.
Seems like everyone carries whole wheat pasta in lots of shapes except for lasagna.

The few places that do sell don't have it in one pound (16 ounce) boxes, only in boxes of 13.4 ounce.
That means I'd have to buy two boxes, but what to do with the left over 4.6 oz?
GRR.

Anyway, the meat is cooked and I just added the sauce and it's simmering ... two 24 ounce bottles of Stella Rosa Marinara - at $9.29 each.
Yes I cheated, but the 300-lb hairy old Italian guy at my 1940s Italian Deli insisted it's the best right behind making it from scratch.

OMG, it already smells heavenly.
I'm having a nose-gasm.

pictures !
seeing as we don't have smell o vision
we need pictures !

we used to buy whole weat pasta all the time and then it just got too hard to find
is it in the health food section now ?

 

[kenny]

I'm a photography geek.
I usually take a zillion hours to set up lighting, take first pic, fix this or that, take another.
Rinse, Lather, Repeat.
Rinse, Lather, Repeat.
Rinse, Lather, Repeat.
Rinse, Lather, Repeat.
Rinse, Lather, Repeat.

Posting a pic I'm happy with usually take hours, but fvck it.
I'm exhausted.
The below lasagna pic is all I'm up to right now, it's midnight.

Never again.
Lasagna from scratch is such an insanely LABOR INTENSIVE TASK, even though I cheated by not making the marinara sauce from scratch !!!!!!!!!!!!
If I ever do this again I'll take shortcuts.
Better yet, I'll just buy the fragging frozen crap at Costco.
Good enough! Sheesh!

In 90 minutes ( at 1:30 AM) we'll finally get to taste it.

Below is the requested, and reluctantly posted, pic right before going into the oven.
Yea yea yea, I first evened out the freshly-grated parmesan.
The paper lists the weight, in ounces and grams, of each of the 10 layers.
What a hassle.

What really pissed me of is the recipe says the prep time is 20 minutes.
Yeah Right!