Lasagna reciepe wanted

[sugar n spice]

Must be yummy and easy. I am looking to make a lasagna tonight for dinner. i have made a few but the pasta never seems quite right etc. Does anyone have a delicious reciepe with meat and veges in it or just mince? Also do you use instant pasta or boil it first to make it softer? I need step by step instructions. Thanks in advance

[Chickadee]

I find the instant lasagne sheets are better boiled first, unless you use a recipe specifically calling for instant lasagne. Or you can buy fresh lasagne sheets and use without boiling them.

[sugar n spice]

thanks martha

[Briannabear]

Are you chasing a full Lasange recipe or just some ideas?

I usually add finely chopped zucchini and carrot (and sometimes celery) to the meat sauce too. You could also add finely chopped capsicum if you wanted. I usually add it to the pot once the meat has browned. I simmer for a few mins until the vegies are a bit soft then add your sauce stuff.
I always feel a bit healthier if there's some vegies in the meal!

Like MarthaM I always boil my lasange sheets first too. I find that they just arent soft enough otherwise.

I sometimes cook a chicken and vegetable lasange too, very different flavour to the traditional one - not tomatoey, more creamy.

[sam's mum]

I cook bacon bits and onion - a handful of bacon and one onion. A teaspoon of minced garlic if you like a subtle flavour.
Then add about half a kilo to 3/4 kilo of mince and cook until all browned.

1 tin crushed tomato, 1 tin condensed tomato soup and 1/2 tin of water.

Whatever vegetables I have in the freezer, usually peas, corn...

Let it cook for about five minutes and add beef stock powder and corn flour to thicken it up a little bit. If it is too liquid the lasagna will fall apart when you cut it.

Make a cheese sauce - melt butter (about two tablespoons), remove from heat and add plain flour or corn flour until it is not quite solid and then milk (maybe a cup or two, not sure on quantity as I cook cheese sauce from how it looks). Return to heat and stir until thick, add a couple of handfuls of grated cheese.

You can do cheese sauce in the microwave as well, just do about a minute at a time and stir it then repeat until it is thick enough.

I don't boil my instant lasagne as long as the box says that you don't have to.

Assemble it all and then top with grated cheddar and a bit of parmesan, in the oven until the sheets are soft.

Good luck! (I wish I was having lasagne tonight now )

[Mamaduke]

The secret to mine (ssshhh don't tell anyone!) is to make a bolognese sauce (onion, garlic, olive oil, mince, italian herbs, paprika, a little sugar) but make sure you have alot of the tomato sauce (I love Bertolli's Provista Sugo sauce) but tinned tomatoes are fine...make it really runny.
That way, when you put together your lasagne it will never dry out - the sauce gets soaked up the lasagne sheets.
Also, when you're putting together your lasagne put the sauce on the bottom, then a layer of sheets...then sauce, bechamel sauce (white sauce) parmesan cheese & mozzarella cheese, then another sheet. Push the lasagne sheet down a bit (compact it) and then keep going.

**forgot to add - preheat oven to 180 and put the lasagne in covered with foil. Allow (for a decent sized lasagne) 30mins then take the foil off to allow the cheese to crisp up on top. You can test if your lasagne's ready by putting a steel skewer (or knife) into it...if it goes straight through to the base without any trouble (that is, it's soft) then you're done!

[sugar n spice]

thanks. is it ok to eat the bechamel cheese sauce, parmeson, mozzarela when pregnant?

[Briannabear]

Those cheeses are fine. Its the mouldy cheeses and creamy cheeses (like brie and cammembert) that you have to be careful of.

[iluvmeboyz]

this is a spinach and ricotta one


INGREDIENTS

olive or canola oil spray
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
600g lean beef mince
575g jar tomato-based pasta sauce
400g can crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon chilli
250g packet frozen chopped spinach, thawed
375g low-fat ricotta cheese
375g packet fresh lasagne sheets
½ cup grated reduced-fat tasty cheese
1 teaspoon chilli



METHOD


Pre-heat oven to 180°C or 160°C for fan forced.

To make meat sauce, spray a large non-stick frying pan with oil and heat. Cook onion and garlic over a medium heat for 2 minutes, until soft.

Add mince and cook over high heat for 5 minutes until brown, using a wooden spoon to break up any lumps. Stir in pasta sauce, tomatoes and chilli then remove from heat.

Drain spinach and squeeze out excess liquid. Place in a bowl and mix with ricotta. Trim pasta sheets to fit a large lasagne dish, and spread a very thin layer of meat sauce over the base.

Arrange a layer of pasta over the sauce. Divide the remaining sauce and spinach mixture into 3 portions each. Start with a thin layer of sauce, then pasta sheets, then spinach mixture.

Sprinkle with tasty cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes until heated through and top is golden.

[Cupcake]

Also do you use instant pasta or boil it first to make it softer?

You can buy the fresh pasta sheets in the cold section at the supermarket,they turn out much softer
I also find Lasagne has two much pasta and not enough cheese sauce and meat so I grate heaps of veges in my meat sauce & boil up some pasta(any shape) then I stir the pasta through the meat put it all in a casserole dish then pour the cheese sauce over the top and pop it in the oven.
It's got the flavour of Lasagne without all the good stuff getting lost in the pasta(if all that made sense )