Lasagna

 


Ingredients:

  • 12 lasagna noodles
  • 2 cans crushed tomatoes (796 ml each)
  • 1 can tomato paste (156 ml) garlic
  • 1 lb ground meat (chef's choice would be beef, but can substitute)
  • 1 onion
  • 1 bell pepper
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp rosemary
  • 1 tbsp oregano
  • 2 cups milk
  •  1/4 cup flour
  •  1/4 cup butter
  • 1/2 jar grated parmesan
  • 1/2 bar mozzarella
  • 1 tub ricotta
Directions:

  1. Blend together 1/2 jar grated parmesan, 1/2 bar mozzarella, 1 tub ricotta in a bowl
  2. Whisk together 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan for 4 min
  3. Add 2 cups milk while whisking, let simmer until thickened, approx 20 min
  4. Preheat oven to 375 F
  5. While waiting for roux to thicken, dice 1 onion, 1 bell pepper, mince 2 tbsp garlic
  6. Grill onion and garlic in frying pan with a little bit of oil for 3 min
  7. Add 1 lb ground meat and diced bell pepper to frying pan, fry until meat is cooked through
  8. Add 2 cans crushed tomatoes and 1 can tomato paste to frying pan
  9. Add 1 tbsp rosemary and 1 tbsp oregano to meat sauce, stir to integrate
  10. If not using oven-ready lasagna noodles, bring a pot of water to boil and add lasagna noodles
  11. Return to roux, add cheese blend and stir to combine
  12. In a casserole dish, add a thin layer of the meat sauce to the bottom of the pan, then place four lasagna noodles side by side
  13. Ladle a layer of cheese sauce onto the noodles, then meat sauce. Repeat this process, and finish with a layer of cheese on the top of the third layer of noodles
  14. Cover in foil, tented, and bake for 40 min
  15. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 min uncovered
Yield: A three-layer lasagna filling a casserole dish

Source: Trial and error

Description:

Getting my lasagna good has been a pandemic project. When I was trying to stay indoors as much as possible, I was rummaging through my cupboard and found a box of lasagna noodles. I made a note to pick up cheese for it on my next supply run. I wound up appalled at how much cheese it used, and while I used all the cheese in the house, I only used half the noodles. I'd heard you could use a bechamel sauce instead of a cheese blend, so I opted to try that instead of adventuring out to the grocery store. I didn't know at the time that a lasagna bechamel still uses cheese, so the end result was definitely edible but lacking.

We're two years into the pandemic and I think this is my fifth lasagna. This is the recipe that I guess I've settled on. I think there's a Japanese phrase that's something like "You eat with your eyes first" which basically means that plating is an important part of the dining experience. Lasagna is definitely an ugly food though, even if it is delicious. This photo turned out decently, but that's probably just because I surrounded it with other, prettier foods.

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