Basics & Recipes By Nancy Ross Ryan
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Lasagna Basics & Recipes By Nancy Ross Ryan |
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The holiday season is now fully upon us and time seems to be dwindling along with the hours of daylight. Believe it or not, during this busy time lasagna might just be the dish you need to feed visiting guests or a hungry family. It really doesn't take as much time as you might think and lasagna can feed a whole lot of people. And, since it bakes in the oven without much attention necessary, that frees you to spend some of that much sought quality time with family and friends. According to a poll conducted by The National Pasta Association in Arlington, Va., one-quarter of the respondents picked lasagna as their family's favorite pasta dish. Of course, as Americans, we tend to change the traditional to suit our tastes, including what we use to layer between noodles. One thing that remains though is the pasta used; lasagne ricce, or curly edged lasagne, is a traditional shape. These are readily available commercial dry pasta and can be found in just about every grocery store. Whole wheat noodles may be used as well. All lasagna dishes are al forno, or baked in the oven. Use a non-reactive baking dish such as glass, ceramic or enamel-coated iron as acids in the tomato sauce could react with aluminum cookware over long cooking times, discoloring the sauce. When putting your lasagna together make sure the edges of the final layer are completely covered with sauce so they don't dry out during cooking. And because sauce consistencies, the moisture content of noodles and oven temperatures vary from household to household, use your judgment on how long the lasagna needs to cook after the foil tent is removed. Twenty to 30 minutes is a guideline; some will be done in 30 minutes and some require a little less cooking time. You'll find we are including several no-boil lasagna recipes below (see recipes 4-8 and POINTERS). These will greatly reduce your preparation time which is a boon to busy cooks during the holidays. The key here is that you can assemble lasagna for baking without boiling the noodles first. The result, as the recipes will prove, is every bit as delicious as the more labor-intensive variety. These delicious, three-layer lasagne (lasagne in Italian is plural, lasagna is singular) can accommodate a variety of savory fillings, and their flexibility is almost limitless. Lasagna can be assembled the night before, refrigerated and baked the next day, or it can even be assembled and frozen for baking at a later date. And leftovers -- if there are any -- can be refrigerated and reheated. Start with the recipes that follow and then create your own combinations. Lasagna makes a great dinner entree, needing only a green salad on the side. And when it comes to entertaining a crowd, nothing makes a bigger hit than hot-from-the-oven lasagna. So whether you plan to serve lasagna to holiday guests or your ravenous kids on an average night, you're sure find a lot of inspiration from our recipes here! Thanks and credit goes to Nancy Ross Ryan for this information on lasagna and the no-boil lasagna recipes.
Selected Recipes
Ingredients
Sauce:
Filling:
Preparation
For sauce, sauté onions and garlic in oil in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat for about 3 minutes, or until soft. Stir in remaining sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes. Set sauce aside.
In a medium bowl, mash tofu with a fork. Stir in soy sauce, lemon juice, salt (if desired) and miso. Set aside. Place bread crumbs and almonds in separate bowls for ease of assembly.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 13- x 9-inch baking dish with vegetable cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup sauce in bottom of dish. Arrange a single layer of 4 noodles over sauce. Spread half of tofu mixture (about 2 cups) over noodles and sprinkle with 1 cup bread crumbs and 1/4 cup almonds. Pour 2 cups sauce over crumbs and almonds.
Repeat layer of noodles, tofu, crumbs, almonds and sauce. Finish with layer of noodles, 1-1/2 cups sauce, and remaining crumbs and almonds.
Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes longer, or until browned. Remove dish from oven and sprinkle parsley over top. Re-cover with foil and let stand 15 minutes before cutting and serving. Makes 8 servings.
Helpful Hints:Miso is a thick, salty paste made from cooked, aged soybeans or grains. It is used as a flavoring and a soup base. Darker varieties tend to be stronger and saltier than lighter varieties.
Per Serving:547 Cal.; 23g Prot.; 16g Fat; 72g Carb.; 2mg Chol.; 546mg Sod.; 6g Fiber.
Ingredients
Preparation
In a 12-inch skillet or wok, heat wine over medium heat until bubbling. Add garlic and sauté briefly. Add onion and sauté until limp. Add mushrooms and sauté until they weep.
Add carrots, broccoli and water to skillet and cover. Cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 6 minutes, until carrots and broccoli are tender. Add zucchini and basil. Cover again, and cook 2 minutes more, until zucchini is slightly soft. (Add more water if necessary to prevent sticking but make sure all liquid cooks off.) Remove skillet from heat.
Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray a 13- x 9-inch lasagna pan with vegetable cooking spray. Place 1/2 cup sauce in bottom of prepared pan. Cover with half the noodles, then 1 cup sauce, half the ricotta cheese, half the vegetables and half the mozzarella cheese.
Repeat layers. Top with 1/2 cup sauce and parmesan cheese (if desired). Place, uncovered, in oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until bubbly around edges.
Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Serve hot. Makes 10 servings.
Helpful Hints:Add a few drops of oil to the noodles while cooking to prevent sticking.
Per Serving:213 Cal.; 14g Prot.; 6g Fat; 22g Carb.; 26mg Chol.; 676mg Sod.; 5g Fiber.
Ingredients
Tomato Sauce:
Béchamel Sauce:
Filling:
Preparation
For the béchamel sauce, in a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook 30 seconds. Slowly and the milk, whisking and cooking until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Set aside.
For the filling, in a large saucepan fitted with a steamer, steam the spinach over medium heat until wilted. Drain, squeeze out any excess water and chop coarsely. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add the ricotta, egg substitute or eggs, garlic, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 13- x 9-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Spread half of the béchamel sauce over the bottom of the pan. Layer 1/4 of the noodles over the sauce, overlapping them slightly. Spread half of the tomato sauce over the noodles and top with half of the mozzarella. Put down another 1/4 of the noodles and spread with half of the spinach mixture. Continue with the noodles, tomato sauce, mozzarella, noodles and spinach mixture. Spread the remaining béchamel sauce over the top. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until bubbly, about 15 minutes more. Makes 6 servings.
Per Serving:437 Cal.; 22g Prot.; 12g Fat; 55g Carb.; 38mg Chol.; 1,021mg Sod.; 8g Fiber.
Ingredients
Preparation
In medium bowl, mix marinara sauce with water or vegetable broth. Spoon just enough sauce into dish, tilting sides, to cover bottom.
Using small spatula, spread four uncooked lasagna noodles with one-third of the ricotta. Lay noodles lengthwise, side by side, ends even, in center of baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon basil. Top with freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Using forks, separate and loosen spinach. Top noodle-ricotta layer with one-third of the spinach. Top spinach with one-fourth of the sauce. Top sauce with one-fourth of the mozzarella.
Repeat with two more layers of noodle-ricotta, spinach, sauce and cheese. End with layer of noodles. Spread remaining sauce completely to edges and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.
Lightly oil 16-inch length of aluminum foil. Attach foil, oiled side down, to ends of pan, tenting foil above lasagna surface. Crimp foil around all edges of pan to seal.
Bake covered for 45 minutes. Using tongs, remove aluminum foil and discard. Using bulb baster or spoon, baste top of lasagna with sauce from both ends. Bake an additional 20 to 30 minutes.
Remove from oven. Let rest 15 minutes. Slice into 10 equal pieces using sharp serrated knife and cutting twice to ensure easy-to-serve pieces. Makes 10 servings.
Variation:For dairy-free lasagna, substitute mozzarella-style soy cheese for dairy cheese and reduced-fat Japanese-style firm silken tofu puréed in blender or food processor for ricotta.
Helpful hint:Hold each strip of lasagna in one hand and spread ricotta or tofu with small spatula. Then place in pan. It is easier to spread uncooked noodles this way rather than placing in pan first.
Per Serving:330 Cal.; 26g Prot.; 9g Fat; 44g Carb.; 24mg Chol.; 611mg Sod.; 6g Fiber.
Ingredients
Preparation
In bowl, mix ricotta with olives, nutmeg and pepper. Set aside.
In large, lightly oiled, non-stick skillet, sauté mushrooms until they give up moisture and moisture evaporates, about 8 minutes. Set aside.
In lightly oiled, 9- x 14- x 2-inch deep baking dish, spoon just enough sauce, tilting sides, to cover bottom.
Using small spatula, spread four uncooked lasagna noodles with one-third ricotta-olive mixture. Lay noodles lengthwise, side by side, ends even, in center of baking dish. Top with one-third of the spinach, one-third of the mushrooms, one-fourth of the mozzarella and one-fourth of the sauce.
Repeat two more layers using ricotta, spinach, mushrooms, sauce and mozzarella. End with four noodles topped with remaining sauce spread completely to edges of noodles. Sprinkle sauce with remaining mozzarella.
Lightly oil 16-inch length of aluminum foil. Attach foil, oiled side down, to ends of pan, tenting foil above lasagna surface. Crimp foil around all edges of pan to seal. Bake covered for 45 minutes. Using tongs, remove aluminum foil and discard. Using bulb baster or spoon, baste top of lasagna with sauce from both ends of pan. Bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes.
Remove from oven. Let rest 15 minutes. Slice into 10 equal pieces using sharp serrated knife and cutting twice to ensure easy-to-serve pieces. Makes 10 servings.
Variations:Substitute reduced-fat Japanese-style firm silken tofu puréed in blender or food processor for ricotta. Substitute mozzarella-style soy cheese for dairy cheese.
Per Serving:354 Cal.; 27g Prot.; 9g Fat; 45g Carb.; 17mg Chol.; 795mg Sod.; 9g Fiber.
Ingredients
Preparation
Using small spatula, spread four uncooked lasagna noodles with one-third of the refried beans. Lay noodles lengthwise, side by side, ends even, in center of baking dish. Sprinkle with one-half of the corn. Spread with one-fourth of the salsa. Sprinkle with one-fourth of the cheese.
Repeat for second layer, except sprinkle beans with green chiles instead of corn kernels. Repeat for third layer, sprinkling beans with remaining corn. Top with last four noodles, remaining salsa spread completely to edges of noodles and remaining cheese. Carefully pour in vegetable broth at both ends.
Lightly oil 16-inch length of aluminum foil. Attach foil, oiled side down, to ends of pan, tenting foil above lasagna surface. Crimp foil around all edges of pan to seal.
Bake covered for 45 minutes. Using tongs, remove aluminum foil and discard. Using bulb baster or spoon, baste top of lasagna with sauce from both ends. Bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes.
Remove from oven. Let rest 15 minutes. Slice into 10 equal pieces using sharp, serrated knife and cutting twice to ensure easy-to-serve pieces. Makes 10 servings.
Variations:Replace dairy cheese with jalapeño-style soy cheese. For milder lasagna, substitute half mozzarella for half the jalapeño cheese. For bonafide chile pepper fans, substitute one-half can diced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, drained, for diced mild green canned chiles.
Per Serving:341 Cal.; 23g Prot.; 12g Fat; 49g Carb.; 36mg Chol.; 1,211mg Sod.; 10g Fiber.
Ingredients
Preparation
While eggplant is baking, peel potatoes, cut into eighths, place in saucepan with garlic in lightly salted water just to cover. On high heat, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered for 20 minutes. Drain in colander over bowl to save cooking water.
While potatoes are cooking, sauté bell peppers in lightly oiled nonstick skillet, until soft and lightly brown. Cover; set aside.
Place potatoes and garlic in mixing bowl; mash well. With rotary beater, beat while adding 1/2 to 3/4 cup reserved potato water until desired consistency is reached. While still beating, add salt, pepper and oil. Cover; keep warm.
Lightly oil 9- x 14- x 2-inch baking dish. Cover bottom lightly with sauce, tilting dish to spread sauce. Spread four lasagna noodles with 1 cup mashed potato-garlic mixture. Lay side by side lengthwise, ends even, in center of baking pan. Top with 1 layer of eggplant. Top eggplant with one-fourth of the sauce. Top sauce with one-fourth of the cheese. Make second layer, adding green bell pepper after eggplant, then sauce and cheese. Make third layer of potato, eggplant, sauce and cheese. Top with noodles. Spread noodles with remaining cup of mashed potato-garlic mixture. Spread remaining sauce completely to edge of noodles. Top with remaining cheese.
Lightly oil 16-inch length of aluminum foil. Attach foil, oiled side down, to ends of pan, tenting foil above lasagna surface. Crimp foil around all edges of pan to seal.
Bake covered for 45 minutes. Using tongs, remove aluminum foil and discard. Using bulb baster or spoon, baste top of lasagna with sauce from both ends. Bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes.
Remove from oven. Let rest 15 minutes. Slice into 10 equal pieces using sharp serrated knife and cutting twice to ensure easy-to-serve pieces. Makes 10 servings.
Variations:Substitute mozzarella-style soy cheese for dairy mozzarella to make a vegan lasagna. Substitute drained diced, roasted canned red peppers for sautéed green bell peppers.
Per Serving:417 Cal.; 20g Prot.; 13g Fat; 67g Carb.; 20mg Chol.; 918mg Sod.; 10g Fiber.
Ingredients
Preparation
Lay down four uncooked lasagna noodles, lengthwise, side by side. Spread with one-fourth of the sauce and sprinkle with one-fourth of the cheese.
Repeat with two more layers, ending with noodles, sauce and cheese. Spoon any extra sauce over noodles, making sure edges are covered.
Lightly oil 16-inch length of aluminum foil. Attach foil, oiled side down, to ends of pan, tenting foil above lasagna surface. Crimp foil around all edges of pan to seal.
Bake covered for 1 hour. Remove from oven. Let sit, covered, 15 minutes. Remove cover. Spoon any sauce that has collected at ends over top. Slice into 10 equal pieces using sharp serrated knife and cutting twice to ensure easy-to-serve pieces. Makes 10 servings.
Per Serving: 279 Cal.; 18g Prot.; 7g Fat; 44g Carb.; 20mg Chol.; 347mg Sod.; 9g Fiber.
Ingredients
Preparation
Add tomatoes, water, herbs and spices. Over high heat, bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to steady simmer. Cook for 1 hour, stirring bottom frequently to prevent sticking. Makes 2 quarts.
Per 1-Cup Serving:114 Cal.; 4g Prot.; 1g Fat; 22g Carb.; 0 Chol.; 362mg Sod.; 6g Fiber.
Ingredients
Tomato Sauce:
Lasagna:
Preparation
Meanwhile, bring large pot of water to boil. When water boils, add salt and noodles. Cook until al dente, about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain, rinse with water and drain again.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Crumble tofu into medium bowl. Add garlic, basil, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir until well blended.
To assemble, spoon about 1 cup sauce over bottom of 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Add layer of noodles and top with one-third tofu mixture. Spoon over about 1-1/2 cups sauce and top with another layer of noodles. Cover with one-third tofu mixture and top with 1-1/2 cups of sauce and another layer of noodles. Top with remaining tofu mixture and 1 cup sauce. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand about 15 minutes before cutting and serving. Serve with remaining sauce. Makes 12 servings.
Per Serving:219 Cal.; 13g Prot.; 6g Fat; 27g Carb.; 0 Chol.; 493mg Sod.; 3g Fiber. |
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The technique for no-boil lasagna is simple. The casserole is assembled using uncooked noodles, sauce and filling ingredients, then covered and baked for 45 minutes. During that time, the steam created by the sauce and other ingredients cooks the noodles. At the end of 45 minutes, the cover is removed, and the casserole cooks for an additional 20 to 30 minutes, allowing the sauce to reduce and thicken. There is also one simple version in which the lasagna cooks completely covered for one hour. The variety of fillings is virtually endless, as long as the correct proportions of sauce and noodles are used. And dairy-free versions are as simple as substituting soy cheeses for mozzarella and puréed tofu for ricotta. Here's a healthful plus: Fat content in the following recipes is reduced by using part-skim mozzarella and non-fat ricotta cheeses as well as reduced-fat tofu. Here are some easy steps to keep in mind when assembling your boil-free lasagna.
1. Spoon a thin layer of sauce into bottom of lightly oiled
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Vegetarian Times Magazine