Lasagna

The history of lasagna isn’t very interesting, believe me, I Googled it. But the satisfaction of eating it is well worth the effort. I have met lasagnas I have really enjoyed and some that, well, shouldn’t have been called lasagna because of the contents thrown between those wide ribbons of smooth pasta. Really, it is of the utmost importance in every cooks repertoire to be able to make a decent lasagna.

 

I must admit that my ability to conjure up a good lasagna in my early days of cooking wasn’t anything worth writing home about, nor was it disgraceful. Simply, it was boring. In my opinion (which frankly, counts for little to nothing because I cannot claim even an ounce of Italian background aside from marrying into a family that is – Ciao grande-Nonna Mack! Grazie per essere al 100% Italiano!*)

I have traveled to Italy and that only solidified my realization that my lasagna skills have room for improvement

(and frankly, one little restaurant in Florence has room to grow on their tiramisu. I’m sorry, Olive Garden still wows me most. Yes, dear Italians everywhere, start throwing tomatoes now, I just sinned.)

But thankfully, like many aspects of marriage there is room for improvement, there is subtle encouragements and straightforward “Wow, my mom’s is way better” moments that motivate us all to say, “Well, I’m not your mother, and if you say that ever…actually wait, I totally agree, your mom’s is way better. Let me try again.”

So without further ado, here is my eight year adventure in lasagna and based on the 25% Italian dude’s opinion that lives within arms reach of my kitchen, its not half bad.

Ingredients
1 box of lasagna noodles
(I have not found a brand better than another)
1-2 jars of spaghetti sauce of your liking
(I prefer Newman’s Own Sockarooni or Fire Roasted Tomato & Garlic)
32 oz. of Ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (keep a hand-full back for the top)
4 oz. parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 Tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 package of Johnsonville ground Italian hot sausage
1 large onion
1 large green pepper
5 cloves of garlic, chopped finely

Bring to boil a large pot of water. Add a pinch of salt and a table spoon of olive oil (to prevent sticking). Boil noodles just under done (about 2 minutes less than what the package instructions say). Strain and run cold water over noodles to stop them from over cooking. Set aside.

Chop onions and peppers while heating up a frying pan with 2 Tablespoons olive oil over medium heat.

Sweat veggies until almost tender (about 4 minutes). Add a pinch of salt.

Chop garlic. Add in garlic and sausage to frying pan with veggies. Add a pinch of salt. Cook until sausage is browned.

While waiting for sausage to brown, combine in small dish:
2 Tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 Tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt

Remove sausage and veggies from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl combine:
32 oz. of Ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (keep a hand-full back for the top)
4 oz. parmesan cheese
and seasoning dish contents

Grab a 9×13 inch baking dish and line with a bit of sauce to cover the bottom.

Proceed with layers:
Noodles (usually fits three horizontally and one vertically for each layer)
Thin layer of cheese mixture
Thin layer of meat/veggies
Thin drizzle of sauce
Repeat until layers reach top of dish

Put a thin layer of sauce over every yummy bit of those top noodles and sprinkle with a hand-full of mozzarella cheese.

Cover with tinfoil and put in preheated oven of 375 degrees for 1 hour (Tip: Put a cookie sheet on the rack below the lasagna in case it bubbles over).

Remove from oven. Let sit for five-ten minutes before serving. Enjoy!

*I totally Googled how to say “Hello great-Grandma Mack! Thanks for being 100% Italian!