Annas Lasagna Recipes

CHICKEN PARMESAN LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F with racks in the center and lowest positions. Put a foil-lined baking sheet on the bottom rack to catch any drips.
• Cut each chicken breast lengthwise into thirds, making 9 equal pieces (they should look like large chicken tenders). Put one sheet of plastic wrap on a clean cutting board. Put a piece of chicken in the center of the plastic wrap and top with another sheet. Pound the chicken with flat side of a meat mallet until it is very thin, about 1/4 inch thick. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken.
• Whisk together the flour, 2 teaspoons salt, several grinds of black pepper, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic and 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes if using in a shallow dish until combined. Whisk 3 eggs with 1 tablespoon water in a second shallow dish. Whisk together the panko, 1/2 cup Parmesan, 2 teaspoons salt, the remaining 1 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes if using in a third shallow dish.
• Dredge one piece of chicken in the flour mixture, turning to coat evenly. Shake off any excess, then dip into the egg mixture, turning to fully coat. Let the excess egg drip off, then press the chicken firmly into the breadcrumb mixture, turning to coat and packing the crumbs into any crevices. Transfer the chicken to a rimmed baking sheet or large plate and repeat with the remaining chicken cutlets.
• Line a clean rimmed baking sheet with paper towels. Heat 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 pieces of breaded chicken and cook, flipping once, until the breading is golden-brown and crisp and the chicken is just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet to drain, then season with salt. Wipe the skillet clean and repeat with the remaining butter, olive oil and chicken, making 3 batches total.
• Whisk the ricotta, remaining 1 egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper in a medium bowl until smooth and combined.
• Spoon a quarter of the tomato sauce (about 3/4 cup) into the bottom of a 9-inch square baking dish and top with 4 noodles, placing them against the edges of the pan in an even layer (it's ok if they overlap). Spread a third of the ricotta mixture (about 2/3 cup) in an even layer over the noodles and top with 3 pieces of chicken. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Repeat with another 3/4 cup of tomato sauce, 4 noodles, 2/3 cup ricotta, 3 pieces of chicken, 1/2 cup mozzarella and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Finally, add another 3/4 cup tomato sauce, the remaining 4 noodles, the remaining 2/3 cup ricotta and the remaining 3 pieces of chicken. Top with the remaining 3/4 cup tomato sauce, 1 cup mozzarella and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. (It's ok if the lasagna is slightly higher than the edges of the pan.) Cover the pan tightly with nonstick aluminum foil (see Cook's Note).
• Bake until the noodles are tender and the edges are lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Uncover the lasagna and bake until the cheese has completely melted and browned in spots, about 15 minutes more. Let rest for 10 minutes, then cut into squares and serve with an extra sprinkle of Parmesan.

CLASSIC LASAGNA

Steps:

• Make the sauce: Heat oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add sausage, if using, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it's starting to brown but not yet crisp, about 5 minutes.
• Add onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is totally softened and translucent (without letting it brown), 8 to 10 minutes. Add tomato paste and continue to cook, stirring until the tomato paste has turned a deeper brick red color, tinting the oil and onions a fiery orange color, about 2 minutes.
• Using your hands, crush the whole tomatoes into smaller, bite-size pieces and add them and the crushed tomatoes, stirring to scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pot. Fill one of the tomato cans halfway with water and add it to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomato sauce has thickened and flavors have come together, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Make the lasagna: Heat oven to 375 degrees and set a large pot of salted water to boil.
• Set aside 1 cup mozzarella. In a medium bowl, combine remaining mozzarella, ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan and cream; season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Cook lasagna noodles in the large pot of salted boiling water until just softened (before they are even aldente), about 4 minutes. Drain and separate any noodles that are trying to stick together, slicking them with a bit of olive oil to prevent them from sticking further.
• Spoon a bit of sauce on the bottom of a 3-quart baking dish and top with a layer of noodles, avoiding any heavy overlap.
• Top with about 1 ¼ cups of sauce, and dollop ¼ of the cheese mixture over. Top with another layer of noodles and repeat three more times, ending with the last of the noodles (depending on size of the noodle/shape of the baking dish, you may have a few extra noodles) and the last of the sauce. Top with reserved 1 cup mozzarella and more Parmesan, if you like.
• Cover loosely with aluminum foil and place baking dish on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet (to prevent any overflow from burning on the bottom of your oven).
• Bake until pasta is completely tender and cooked through and sauce is bubbling up around the edges, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove foil and increase temperature to 450 degrees. Continue to bake until lasagna is golden brown on top with frilly, crispy edges and corners, another 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool slightly before eating.

ANNA'S LASAGNA

Steps:

• Cook ground beef until throughly cooked, add pepperoni. Add onion, celery and bell pepper, simmer until the veggies are soft. Add garlic, parsley, tomato sauce, bay leaf, basil, Italian seasoning. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Simmer at least 1 hour until sauce is thickened.
• Spray lasagna pan with Pam or what ever you have on hand. Put cooked noodles on bottom of pan, put half of meat mixture on top of noodles, add both cheeses making sure to remove bay leaves. Repeat process, adding more of the cheese on the top of the lasagna.
• Bake at 350°F until cheese is melted and just starting to brown. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
• This is delicious with a green salad and garlic bread. Enjoy!

THE BEST LASAGNA

Steps:

• Put pasta water on to boil Put a large pot of salted water (1 Tbsp salt for every 2 quarts of water) on the stovetop on high heat. It can take a while for a large pot of water to come to a boil (this will be your pasta water), so prepare the sauce in the next steps while the water is heating.
• Heat the oven to 375°F
• Bake Cover the lasagna pan with aluminum foil, tented slightly so it doesn't touch the noodles or sauce). Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes. Uncover in the last 10 minutes if you'd like more of a crusty top or edges.

LASAGNA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Working batches, cook the lasagna noodles until they are soft and pliable but not limp, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove the pasta from the boiling water and lay flat on a sheet tray to cool. Reserve.
• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and bring to medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until brown and crumbly. Remove from pan and reserve on paper towels.
• Ditch the fat from the pan and add new olive oil along with 2 cloves of garlic and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Bring the pan to medium-high heat. When the garlic becomes golden and very aromatic, remove it from the heat and discard. Toss in the mushrooms and season them with salt. Cook the mushrooms until they are soft and wilted and dark brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from pan and reserve. Repeat this process with the remaining garlic and the zucchini.
• In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, 1/2 the Parmigiano-Reggiano, the eggs, and the basil. Mix to combine well and season with salt.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch deep-dish baking dish, add a couple ladlefuls of sauce and spread out in an even layer. Arrange a layer of the lasagna noodles to completely cover the sauce. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the pasta. Place a layer of pasta going in the other direction as the first layer (this will give a little more stability). Spread a light layer of sauce on the pasta and sprinkle 1/3 of the sausage over the sauce, repeat this process with 1/3 of the mushrooms and zucchini. Sprinkle a layer of mozzarella and some of the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano over the veggies. Repeat these layers until all the ingredients have been used up or the pan is full. Be sure that there is a layer of pasta on top covered with sauce and sprinkled with mozzarella and Parmigiano. Cover with foil.
• Place the lasagna on a baking sheet and bake in the oven until the lasagna is hot and bubbly, about 1 hour 15 minutes, removing the foil for the last 15 minutes of cooking. Let cool for 20 minutes before slicing.
• Note: For optimal slicing, make and bake the lasagna the day before. Heat it up again before slicing.
• Coat a large saucepot with olive oil and add the pancetta. Bring the pot to medium-high heat and cook the pancetta for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onions, season generously with salt, and stir to coat with the olive oil. Cook the onions for 6 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently; the onions should become very soft and aromatic but have no color. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Pass the tomatoes through a food mill. Be sure to pass all of the pulp through the holes leaving only the stems and the seeds, and be sure to scrape the pulp off of the bottom of the food mill. That's all of the big money stuff! Add the tomatoes to the pot and rinse out one of the empty tomato cans with water and add that water to the pot (about 2 to 3 cups). Season generously with salt and taste it; tomatoes take a lot of salt. Season in baby steps and taste every step of the way. Cook the sauce for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally and tasting frequently.
• Use the sauce right away on pasta or for any other tomato sauce need. This sauce can also be cooled and stored in the fridge for a few days or it freezes really well.

AUNT ANGIE'S LASAGNA RECIPE

Steps:

• For the Meatball Mix: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Roll meatballs into desired size and bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. For the lasagna, instead of rolling into desired size, spread mix out evenly on a sheet pan and bake. Break up the meat for lasagna.
• For the Meat Sauce: In a stock pot (or large cooking vessel) brown the ground beef. Add the celery/carrot/onion mix and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the seasonings. Let simmer for 2 hours.
• For Aunt Angie's Lasagna: Using a 1/2 hotel pan or medium to large baking dish, coat the bottom with a thin layer of meat sauce. Lay out 4 pieces of lasagna so they go up the side of the pan with an additional 3 to 4 inches hanging over the edge. Do the same in the other direction of the pan using pieces of pasta. Add another layer of meat sauce, followed by 1/2 of the meatball mix. Then top the meat with 1 pound of the ricotta cheese, 1 pound of mozzarella, and 1/4 cup of Romano. Add a layer of pasta and repeat to have 2 layers. Fold over the remaining pasta to cover the top. Top with meat sauce and place in preheated oven and bake until proper serving temperature is reached or top is golden brown.