Aunt Mays Lasagna Recipes

THE MOST AMAZING LASAGNA RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large pot over medium heat, add in ground sausage and ground beef. Use a spoon to break up the meat into small pieces. Add in onion and garlic and cook until meat is well browned, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar, fresh basil, fennel, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup chopped parsley. Pour in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and wine*. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1-4 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, place lasagna noodles into the bottom of a pan. Pour hot tap water directly over the noodles, making sure the pasta is completely immersed in the water. Let them soak for 30 minutes, then drain and discard water.
• In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining 2 tablespoons parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and nutmeg. Refrigerate until ready to assemble lasagna.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a deep 9x13 pan.
• To assemble, spread about 1 cup of meat sauce in the bottom of the prepared pan. Place 4 noodles on top. Spread with 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with 1/4 of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, then sprinkle with 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Repeat layering two more times to create three complete layers. To finish, place a final layer of pasta, topped with another 1 cup of meat sauce to cover the pasta. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover loosely with aluminum foil.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes to allow cheese to brown. Serve hot.

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.

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.

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.

AUNT MARY'S LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a large skillet brown ground beef, season to taste with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
• Add pasta sauce.
• In a large bowl soften cream cheese and mix with sour cream, cottage cheese, onion and bell pepper.
• Boil lasagna noodles according to package direction.
• Butter 13 X 9 baking dish.
• Layer noodles, cream cheese mixture, then pasta sauce mixture.
• Layer parmesan cheese then mozzarella cheese.
• Repeat layers ending with parmesan and mozzarella cheese.
• Bake 350 for 30-45 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

MAINE LOBSTER LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• In a large bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese, eggs, half of the Cheddar, half of the mozzarella cheese and half of the Parmesan cheese. Mix in the onion, garlic, parsley and pepper.
• Spread 1 1/2 cups of Alfredo sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Top with a layer of lasagna noodles. Arrange 1/3 of the lobster meat over the noodles, cover with 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture, then 1/3 of the spinach and then another layer of Alfredo sauce. Repeat this process two more times ending with sauce on top. Sprinkle the remainder of the Cheddar, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the top. Give the whole pan a gentle shake to get everything settled in.
• Bake, covered loosely with aluminum foil, for 45 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove the foil and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes or until the top is browned. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

MAMMA MIA'S LASAGNE

Steps:

• Brown meat.
• Add next 5 ingredients. Simmer uncovered 30 minutes.
• Cook noodles according to package directions.
• Drain and spread noodles out to cool on wax paper.
• Combine remaining ingredients, except Mozzarella and oil.
• Spread olive oil on bottom of 13 x 9 baking pan.
• Place half noodles in bottom, overlapping slightly.
• Spread 1/2 Ricotta on noodles, using fingers.
• Sprinkle scant half of Mozzarella over all.
• Spread 1/2 meat sauce over all.
• Repeat layers, saving a little Mozzarella for the top.
• Bake 30 minutes at 375°F.
• Let stand 10 minutes, then cut.
• May assemble early, refrigerate; then allow 15 minutes longer in oven.