Crowd Sourced Meat Lasagna Recipes

LASAGNA FOR A CROWD

Steps:

• Brown meat, onion, and green pepper (and mushrooms if desired), adding garlic salt. Drain fat.
• Add tomato sauce and bring to a simmer, cover and cook for at least 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, cook the lasagna noodles in salted water (reserve the cooking liquid) until barely al dente (about 7 minutes) and combine the cottage cheese and mayonnaise in a bowl.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Grease a 13X9 pan with butter. Evaluate the sauce, if it has cooked for a long time and lost a lot of liquid, thin it by adding 1/4 cup at a time of cooking liquid from the noodles. Add as much as desired to get the right consistency: thick but spreadable. This will also make your sauce "sticky" so it will coat the noodles.
• Spoon a thin layer of sauce into the bottom of the dish. Layer noodles (overlapping if necessary), 1/2 meat mixture and 1/2 the cheese mixture.
• Cover with the rest of noodles, meat and cheese mixture. Top with shredded mozzarella.
• You can store this in the refrigerator or freezer at this point until ready to heat. Allow extra time for reheating from cold or frozen state. Spray a sheet of foil with cooking spray and cover the lasagna with it. Bake for 1 hour.
• Uncover and continue baking until the cheese is bubbly and browning.

CROWD-SOURCED SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Make the meatballs: Combine the beef, breadcrumbs, cheese, garlic, parsley, basil and 3/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk together the milk, egg and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl. Pour over the meat and gently mix with your hands until well blended. Roll into 12 golf ball-size meatballs. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 20 minutes.
• Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or other pot over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs in a single layer and cook, turning, until well browned all over, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the meatballs to a plate and set aside. Discard the oil and gently wipe out the pot with a paper towel.
• Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in the same pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, parsley, basil and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper; cook 1 minute. Add the wine and cook, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot, until the wine is nearly evaporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, chicken broth, sugar and 1/2 cup water.
• Add the meatballs to the sauce. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cook until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce thickens slightly, 18 to 20 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook as the label directs for al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain. Return the spaghetti to the pasta pot, ladle in about half of the sauce and toss well to coat, adding more sauce if necessary. Divide the spaghetti and meatballs among bowls. Top with Parmesan and serve with the remaining sauce.

CROWD-SOURCED BARBECUE RIBS

Steps:

• Prepare the ribs: Slide a butter knife between the bone and thin membrane on the bone side of the ribs to loosen. Grab the membrane with a paper towel, then pull it off and discard.
• Make the rub: Mix the brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, mustard powder, cumin, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the rub for the sauce. Rub the rest all over both racks of ribs. Wrap well in plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Soak 2 cups wood chips (such as cherry, apple or pecan) in cool water, about 30 minutes. Preheat a grill to medium low (250˚ F) and prepare for indirect grilling: For a charcoal grill, bank the coals to one side. For a gas grill, turn off half the burners. Cover the indirect side of the grill with foil (or position a drip pan underneath the grates). Drain the wood chips and scatter over the hot coals (for a charcoal grill), or place in a smoker box over direct heat (for a gas grill). Unwrap the ribs and place meat-side up on the indirect side of the grill. Close the lid and grill until the ribs are a rich brick red color, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. (For a charcoal grill, adjust the vents and add more coals as needed to maintain the temperature.)
• Meanwhile, make the sauce: Combine the ketchup, shallot, brown sugar, vinegar, 1/2 cup water and the reserved 2 tablespoons rub in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, 25 to 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.
• Remove the ribs from the grill and wrap each rack in heavy-duty foil. Return the ribs to the indirect side of the grill, meat-side down, and continue to grill until the meat has pulled back a bit from the bones, 2 to 2 1/2 more hours. (For a charcoal grill, adjust the vents and add more coals as needed.)
• Carefully unwrap the ribs and return to the indirect side of the grill, meat-side up. Brush generously with about 2/3 cup of the sauce. Cover and grill until the sauce is cooked into the meat, 10 to 20 more minutes. Remove the ribs to a cutting board and let rest a few minutes, then cut into individual ribs. Serve with the remaining sauce.

SUNNY'S CROWD-SOURCED STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat a countertop oven to 300 degrees F.
• Place the bread cubes in a single layer on two quarter sheet trays (9-by-13-inch baking sheets) or countertop oven baking sheets and bake until dried out and crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove the bread cubes to a very large bowl.
• Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the celery, onions and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the sage, thyme, garlic and scallion whites and continue to cook until the vegetables and herbs meld together, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the vegetable mixture to the bowl with the bread cubes. Add the chestnuts and saltines and mix to combine well.
• Whisk together the cream of mushroom soup and turkey stock in a medium bowl or large measuring cup. Pour over the bread cubes and vegetables. Season with salt and pepper and mix to combine well.
• Transfer the bread mixture to a 9-by-9-by-2 1/2-inch broiler-safe baking dish. Using a wooden spoon, press down to compact the stuffing. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove the foil and switch the countertop oven to broil. Broil the stuffing until the top is golden brown and crispy, 2 minutes on high. Garnish with the scallion greens and Fried Sage, if using.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat to 375 degrees F. To test if the oil is ready for frying, drop in a small sage leaf. If it begins to sizzle, the oil is ready. Add the sage leaves to the oil and fry until crisp, 20 to 25 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, remove the leaves to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with salt.