A popular Italian dish with layers of flat-shaped pasta alternated with two sauces; meat and cheese. The meat sauce is tomato-based with ricotta, cottage cheese or béchamel (white sauce) used as the cheese sauce. An oven-baked dish cooked till the sauce is bubbling with the cheese brown and melted. The baking dish is placed on a sheet pan to catch any overflow or drippings. Once baked, the lasagna has to rest before cutting. It sets beautifully the next day, distinguishing the various layers. Hearty, comforting dish, definitely a crowd pleaser.
I have used ground beef which can be substituted with chicken mince, a mixture of beef mince and pork mince or beef mince and Italian sausages. The choice of meat or combination is totally up to you. Cottage cheese is used in this recipe which can be replaced with ricotta cheese or béchamel sauce made from a roux that has an equal quantity of butter and flour with the addition of milk.
Oven-ready lasagna noodles have been used that need no pre-cooking. They make a perfect lasagna as they are much thinner than the dried ones and won't get soggy or absorb extra moisture like the fresh noodles. Also, known as no-boil noodles, they cook while baking with the moisture from the sauce. To prevent the noodles from drying out, ensure to spread the sauce evenly on the bottom and top, covering the edges. Lasagna can be prepared in advance and reheated just before serving.
I have used ground beef which can be substituted with chicken mince, a mixture of beef mince and pork mince or beef mince and Italian sausages. The choice of meat or combination is totally up to you. Cottage cheese is used in this recipe which can be replaced with ricotta cheese or béchamel sauce made from a roux that has an equal quantity of butter and flour with the addition of milk.
Oven-ready lasagna noodles have been used that need no pre-cooking. They make a perfect lasagna as they are much thinner than the dried ones and won't get soggy or absorb extra moisture like the fresh noodles. Also, known as no-boil noodles, they cook while baking with the moisture from the sauce. To prevent the noodles from drying out, ensure to spread the sauce evenly on the bottom and top, covering the edges. Lasagna can be prepared in advance and reheated just before serving.
Meat Lasagna
(Serves 8)
You will need a 13" x 9" baking dish
Ingredients:
12 oven-ready (no-boil) lasagna noodles
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
500 grams 1% ricotta or cottage cheese
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
Meat Sauce
Ingredients:
1/2 kg ground beef
1 onion (chopped)
4 large cloves garlic (minced)
1/2 teaspoon red chilli flakes
1/4 teaspoon pepper powder
1 (28 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes or pureed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 sprig of fresh basil leaves
a pinch of sugar
salt
Method:
Heat a skillet and cook the ground beef till no longer pink. Discard any fat. (If using a combination of other ground meat and sausages, follow the same procedure as above.)
In a pan, heat olive oil, add onion, garlic and chilli flakes. When onion is soft, add the mince and stir in the tomato paste, followed by the crushed tomatoes. Simmer till sauce thickens. Check for seasoning, add a pinch of sugar, pepper powder and salt. Finish with torn basil leaves (no need to chop them).
Assembling & Baking
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 F or 180 C.
In a 13" x 9" baking dish, spread 1 cup of meat sauce at the bottom.
Top with 4 lasagna noodles overlapping one another.
Spread half of the meat sauce over the noodles.
Top meat sauce with 4 lasagna noodles.
Spread cottage cheese over noodles. If desired, blend cottage cheese to a creamy consistency before layering. (When using ricotta cheese, blend with one or two eggs and some pepper powder.)
Top with remaining 4 lasagna noodles and meat sauce ensuring to cover every corner of the noodles or else they will crisp and dry out when baking.
Sprinkle shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese on top of the meat sauce.
Place baking dish on a sheet pan and cover with a greased aluminum foil to prevent the cheese from sticking to it. Alternatively, you could first cover with a greased parchment paper then with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and let the cheese brown, about 10 minutes.
Let lasagna rest for 15 minutes before serving.
(Serves 8)
You will need a 13" x 9" baking dish
Ingredients:
12 oven-ready (no-boil) lasagna noodles
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
500 grams 1% ricotta or cottage cheese
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
Meat Sauce
Ingredients:
1/2 kg ground beef
1 onion (chopped)
4 large cloves garlic (minced)
1/2 teaspoon red chilli flakes
1/4 teaspoon pepper powder
1 (28 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes or pureed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 sprig of fresh basil leaves
a pinch of sugar
salt
Method:
Heat a skillet and cook the ground beef till no longer pink. Discard any fat. (If using a combination of other ground meat and sausages, follow the same procedure as above.)
In a pan, heat olive oil, add onion, garlic and chilli flakes. When onion is soft, add the mince and stir in the tomato paste, followed by the crushed tomatoes. Simmer till sauce thickens. Check for seasoning, add a pinch of sugar, pepper powder and salt. Finish with torn basil leaves (no need to chop them).
Assembling & Baking
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 F or 180 C.
In a 13" x 9" baking dish, spread 1 cup of meat sauce at the bottom.
Top with 4 lasagna noodles overlapping one another.
Spread half of the meat sauce over the noodles.
Top meat sauce with 4 lasagna noodles.
Spread cottage cheese over noodles. If desired, blend cottage cheese to a creamy consistency before layering. (When using ricotta cheese, blend with one or two eggs and some pepper powder.)
Top with remaining 4 lasagna noodles and meat sauce ensuring to cover every corner of the noodles or else they will crisp and dry out when baking.
Sprinkle shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese on top of the meat sauce.
Place baking dish on a sheet pan and cover with a greased aluminum foil to prevent the cheese from sticking to it. Alternatively, you could first cover with a greased parchment paper then with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and let the cheese brown, about 10 minutes.
Let lasagna rest for 15 minutes before serving.