Layer as follows (from bottom to top): 2 c meat sauce / 6 noodles (overlap them) / 1/2 ricotta mixture / 2 c meat sauce / 1/4 c parmesan / 1/2 of the mozzarella / 2 c meat sauce / 6 noodles / remaining ricotta mixture / 2 c meat sauce / remaining mozzarella / remaining parmesan. I've used both sliced mozz and fresh mozz - both work great. Add 1 Tblsp parmesan and a dash of nutmeg to the ricotta mixture. 1/3 cup fresh basil instead of dried, if you have it (dried is fine otherwise). 1 Tablespoon of sugar instead of 2, and 1 teaspoon of salt (instead of 1 Tblsp). Only 6 oz tomato paste, instead of 12oz. Drain excess liquid after browning meat and before adding onions and garlic, then cook until onions are soft before adding the other ingredients to the sauce. Use 1lb ground beef (they sell sweet Italian sausage at Trader Joe's, but I've used pork sausage with sweet chilis and that works, too). Here is what I did (following others' suggestions in their reviews): - Soak noodles in very hot tap water for up to 30 mins while prepping sauce/ricotta mixture. As written, it could use a few improvements. With all of the reviewers' suggestions, this recipe is definitely 5 star. The recipe makes barely enough to fully cover my 9 X 13 dish. The two things I wish I'd have known prior to making this: use the deepest dish you can find or you won't fit all the layers, and if you like the white cheezy part of the lasagna, you'll definitely need to double the ingredients for the ricotta cheese mixture. I made the following changes: 1) used 1 lb of ground beef plus the sausage, 2) added a can crushed tomatoes to the sauce to make it a little heartier 3) substituted red wine for the water (wow did that improve the flavor!) 4) added only 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt to the sauce 5) doubled the Italian Seasoning 6) omitted the fennel (don't like it) 7)used 1 lb of mozzarella cheese 8) added 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 8) cooked the noodles by placing them in hot water for 30 mins (worked well, they turn out perfect) 9) used dried parsley because I didn't have fresh stuff. And finally, I found a lasagna that doesn't fall apart on a plate but isn't dry either! I read a lot of the reviews before deciding on how I was going to make this for the first time. Great recipe, I'll be making this again and again. Trust me, all of these changes will improve the recipe! Mangia! The sauce tastes better and better as it sits and develops more richness of body and flavor. And finally (and this is very important), make the sauce the night before and leave it in the fridge overnight. Otherwise if you buy link sausage make sure to remove it from the casing and mix it with the ground beef. Use bulk sausage meat if you can find it. Add a half teaspoon of grated nutmeg in with the ricotta mixture. Put a few tablespoons of the romano/parmesan cheese in with the ricotta mixture. Use half parmesan and half romano cheese. It makes a slightly thicker sauce and I felt the lasagna holds up better that way (although this recipe is good even with more water). I have some recommendations, below: Cut down the water to 1/4 cup. It also did not call for any salt in the ricotta. It came out perfect with the lower amount of salt. Despite that, this one is so good that I am sure my mother and grandmother are smiling down from heaven in approval! I saw this same recipe on another site and it only called for 1 teaspoon of salt, not 1 tablespoon. Having grown up in a family of excellent Italian cooks, I admit I am a "tough room" when it comes to Italian recipes. Trust me, all of these changes will improve the recipe! Mangia! Read More
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