Lasagna, deconstructed

Whether you spell it “lasagna” or “lasagna” or give up on the dictionary altogether and call it casserole, the fact remains that a lot of people think of lasagna as a complicated, time-consuming, messy dish. Delicious, yes, but one that requires the better part of a day to put together.

It doesn’t.

In today’s video, I break down the making of lasagna into 3 simple steps – and there is no large pot of boiling water involved. This is a master recipe, one you can doctor up (or not) to your liking. You can indeed make vegan, gluten-free lasagna, although this is not a recipe for that . . . I’ll tackle that one in the future.

So here you go. Lasagna, deconstructed.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 large cans diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 4-7 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (garlic is up to you!)
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 15 oz container ricotta cheese
• 1 16 oz container cottage cheese
• 2 oz fresh grated parmesan
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained and squeezed dry (optional)
• 1 package lasagna noodles, either no-boil or regular
• 1 lb shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 more oz fresh grated parmesan cheese
• OPTIONAL: meat or mushrooms, more veggies like carrots, zucchini, onions

STEP 1: the sauce

• (yes, you can use jarred sauce or your own homemade. But this is so simple and yummy!)
• Pulse the tomatoes 6-7 times in a food processor, until broken down but still chunky
• Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the garlic and salt.
• Stir in the tomatoes and simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes.
• TO MAKE A MEAT SAUCE: Cook chopped onions together with 1 lb ground meat (I use part beef and part bulk sausage) until not pink inside. Stir in the sauce.
• TO MAKE A VEGGIE SAUCE: Saute onions and sliced mushrooms or zucchini together in a saucepan – if mushrooms, cook over high heat until the veggies start to brown. Stir in the sauce.

STEP 2: the filling

• In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, cottage, parmesan, egg, and basil. Mix well. Then stir in the spinach.

STEP 3: The assembly

• In a large baking pan (or 2 smaller ones – you’ll have to cut up the lasagna noodles to make them fit) layer 2 cups of sauce on the bottom.
• Fit 4 lasagna noodles (or however many fit) in the bottom of the pan.
• Drop spoonfuls of filling on each noodle, then spread it out (I use my hands, well-washed)
• Top with a handful of mozzarella cheese.
• Add sauce, spreading it out evenly over the layer.
• Repeat until you are out of ingredients or out of space
• FINAL LAYER needs to be sauce, all over the top of any noodles – the noodles need to be covered for this to work well.
• Then sprinkle remaining cheese and parmesan cheese on top.
• Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes, then remove the foil and bake another 15-25 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and browned.

This freezes beautifully – I cut it into individual portions, wrap them well in foil and plastic wrap, and stash them in a Ziploc bag in the freezer for up to 2 months. Easy tasty lunch!