Big Ricks Famous Lasagna Recipes

BIG JEFF'S JUMBO LASAGNA

Steps:

• For the cheese filling: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Mix together the ricotta, mozzarella mix, Romano, parsley, pepper and eggs in a large bowl.
• For the lasagna: Coat bottom of a 9-by-13-by-3-inch baking pan with the olive oil. Layer 14 lasagna noodles overlapping each other in bottom of pan. Add 8 ounces Nana's Sunday Sauce spread evenly over pasta, then pour in half of the cheese filling. Evenly spread all of sausage on top of the cheese filling and add 7 more lasagna noodles. Add 8 ounces Nana's Sunday Sauce and the remaining cheese filling. Crumble Nana's Giant Meatballs over cheese filling and add 8 slices provolone to cover the meatball layer. Cover the provolone with remaining lasagna noodles. Spread the remaining Nana's Sunday Sauce over noodles and top with Romano. Cover with foil and bake for 3 hours.
• Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven and add neck bones and rib tips. Sprinkle with garlic salt and brown the meat, about 15 minutes. Add garlic, parsley and onion and cook until translucent, about 15 minutes.
• Add crushed tomatoes and basil. Cook down, stirring continuously, about 20 minutes.
• Add tomato paste, salt and pepper and 26 cups water. Bring to a boil, then simmer until reduced by a quarter, about 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Mix beef, pork, breadcrumbs, basil, garlic, salt, pepper, egg and onion in a bowl and form into 4-ounce balls. Roll in olive oil and place on a sheet pan. Bake until roasted to golden brown, about 20 minutes.

FAMOUS LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Generously salt water; add noodles and cook according to package directions. Drain, and rinse with cold water. Lay noodles on a baking sheet, separating layers with parchment or waxed paper.
• In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, parsley, and egg. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Lightly coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with olive oil. Begin layering: Place 4 noodles in dish, slightly overlapping. Top with half the meat sauce and 4 more noodles. Top with half the ricotta filling, then half the mozzarella. Repeat the layering process, ending with the mozzarella. Sprinkle top with Parmesan.
• Cover with lightly oiled foil. Place on a rimmed baking sheet; bake for 30 minutes. Uncover, and bake until bubbling and browned, 30 to 40 minutes more. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

THE BIG LASAGNA

Steps:

• Prepare the ricotta filling: If using fresh spinach, set a large skillet over high heat. (If using thawed frozen spinach, skip to Step 2.) When hot, add 2 tablespoons oil and half the fresh spinach. Season with a pinch of salt and sauté to wilt. Cook until stems are tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet and allow to cool in a single layer. Repeat with remaining spinach.
• While spinach cools, combine ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, basil and a generous pinch of salt in a large bowl.
• Taking handfuls of the cooled or thawed spinach, squeeze out as much water as possible, then chop finely and add to cheese mixture. Mix thoroughly, then taste and adjust seasoning for salt. (Filling makes about 6 cups.) Cover and set aside until ready to assemble lasagna. (Ricotta filling can be made 1 day in advance and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before assembling lasagna.)
• Prepare the béchamel: Set a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add butter. Once butter has melted, whisk in flour, reduce heat to very low and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent browning. After the mixture foams a bit, it will visibly transform - the butter will separate, the bubbles will reduce in size, and the mixture will look like freshly wet fine sand. Whisking vigorously, slowly pour in milk. Increase heat to medium and whisk until the mixture thickens, about 2 minutes. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg (if using) to taste.
• Return heat to low. Continue cooking, whisking regularly, for 10 to 15 minutes until the sauce is thick and smooth, with no raw flour flavor. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt. If béchamel is lumpy, strain through a fine sieve or purée with an immersion blender. (You'll have about 3 1/2 cups.) Press a piece of parchment or plastic against the surface of the sauce to prevent a skin from forming and set aside until ready to assemble lasagna. (Béchamel can be made up to 1 day in advance, covered directly and refrigerated. Return to room temperature before using.)
• Prepare the lasagna: Position the highest rack in the oven so that it sits about 6 inches below the top. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
• If tomato sauce, béchamel and ricotta filling are cold, bring to room temperature or warm them as needed.
• Set a large pot of water over high heat. Cover and bring to a boil. Set a large colander in a baking dish and place near stove.
• Season the boiling water generously with salt until it tastes like sea water. Carefully lay one sheet of pasta on the water's surface. Let it be completely immersed in the boiling water, using a slotted spoon to gently it push down if needed, before adding the next sheet. Add two more pasta sheets in this way and cook for about 2 minutes, or until light in color, floppy in texture and completely cooked through. If pasta bubbles above the water's surface, use a slotted spoon to encourage it back in. Use a sieve to gently remove pasta from the water and into the prepared colander. Rinse under cold water until cool enough to handle, then begin assembly. Continue cooking, draining and rinsing pasta two or three sheets at a time as you assemble lasagna.
• Spoon about 3/4 cup béchamel into a 9-by-13-inch metal, glass or ceramic baking pan, and use a rubber spatula or your hands to generously coat bottom and sides of pan with sauce.
• Gently squeezing any remaining water from the pasta, use two or three sheets to entirely cover the bottom of the pan with minimal overlap, and leave ends hanging over sides. (They'll be helpful for sealing the top.) All four sides need not have overhang; two is plenty.
• Crumble about 1/3 of the ricotta mixture evenly over pasta to create foundation, then layer with sheets of pasta from edge to edge of pan. Use kitchen shears to help trim pasta to appropriate size and avoid overlap.
• Spread about 1/3 of the tomato sauce over next layer and cover with pasta.
• Spread about 1 cup béchamel evenly over next layer, sprinkle with 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, and cover with pasta.
• Repeat with remaining layers: ricotta, tomato sauce, béchamel and Parmesan, ricotta, tomato sauce, béchamel and Parmesan, following each with a layer of pasta. (If using thicker noodles, you might not be able to fit 8 layers of noodles in the pan. If using store-bought or dried pasta, you can skip the noodle layer between the ricotta and tomato sauce as needed to prevent the lasagna from stretching higher than the top of the pan.)
• For the top, fold overhanging pasta over a whole sheet to create a sealed pasta layer, then spread with remaining béchamel. Gently cover lasagna with a piece of parchment and wrap tightly with foil. Place onto a baking sheet to catch any overflow and bake on prepared rack.
• After 40 minutes, pull lasagna from oven and carefully remove foil and parchment. Sprinkle with grated mozzarella and return to oven until golden brown and bubbling on surface, about 20 minutes.
• Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Leftover lasagna can be wrapped and refrigerated for up to 4 days. To freeze, bake 30 minutes but do not brown, then cool, and freeze for up to 4 weeks. Defrost, then sprinkle with mozzarella and bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown and bubbling on surface.

JO MAMA'S WORLD FAMOUS LASAGNA

Steps:

• Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions, drain and cut to fit pan.
• In small bowl, mix cottage cheese, oregano, salt and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese.
• Using two deep 9 x 7-inch glass baking pans or one deep 9 x 13-inch casserole dish, make a layer of noodles followed with 1/2 cottage cheese mixture, 1/2 mozzarella cheese and 1/3 sauce.
• Follow with another noodle layer, remaining cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese and 1/3 sauce.
• Top this with a final noodle layer covered with remaining sauce.
• Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese over top.
• Bake in 350°F oven for 30-40 minutes until casserole is bubbling and slightly browned on top.
• Let cool for 15 minutes before serving so lasagna can firm up for easier slicing and serving.

BIG RICK'S FAMOUS LASAGNA

Steps:

• Instructions: Sauce: Brown Italian sausage and ground beef with diced onion and garlic in a frying pan on medium heat. Drain oil from pan and transfer meat mixture to large pot where you will create the sauce. Use medium-low heat and add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, and Italian seasonings. Let this simmer for about an hour and stir regularly. You should end up with a pretty thick, chunkier sauce. Ricotta mixture: Whip one egg, parsley flakes, and ricotta cheese in a bowl and then keep in refrigerator until you are ready to assemble the lasagna. Noodles: follow the directions on the back of the box. Right before you are ready to assemble the lasagna, pull the noodles out of the water one-by-one and lay them flat on a large white towel to soak up some of the water. You only need 9 noodles for this recipe. Assembling the layers: 1. Spray the pan very lightly with a cooking spray 2. Spread a thin layer of sauce over the bottom of a 9 x 12 clear baking pan 3. Place 3 noodles flat and side-by-side 4. Spread a thicker layer of sauce on the noodles 5. Dab 1/3 ricotta mixture randomly over the sauce (this will melt & spread out) 6. Sprinkle 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese on this layer 7. Shake a heavy layer of parmesan cheese on this layer 8. Place 3 noodles flat and side-by-side 9. Spread a thicker layer of sauce (this is the middle, where you should put the most of everything) 10. Dab remaining ricotta mixture randomly over the sauce 11. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese 12. Shake a heavy layer of parmesan cheese 13. Place 3 noodles flat and side-by-side (top layer) 14. Spread the remaining sauce on top to cover the noodles 15. Shake a heavy layer of parmesan cheese on top * Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until the center is hot. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.