Lasagna Supreme Recipes

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.

SUPREME PIZZA LASAGNA

Steps:

• Drizzle the olive oil into a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, ground beef and pepperoni and stir, breaking the meat up as it begins to cook. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until brown, and then remove the meat to a plate.
• Add the mushrooms, garlic, bell peppers and onions to the pot and saute until the mushrooms have softened and the others have some color. Add the meat back in along with the tomatoes, tomato paste, pesto, half the parsley, 1 teaspoon of the salt, 1/2 teaspoon of the black pepper and the crushed red pepper flakes. Stir, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. Add the black olives and stir.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• To make the cheese mixture: Combine the ricotta and eggs in a large bowl. Add the Parmesan, the rest of the parsley and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir the mixture until totally combined.
• To assemble the lasagna: Overlap 4 lasagna noodles in the bottom of a large rectangular baking dish. Spoon half the cheese mixture over the noodles and smooth it out into a flat layer. Lay half of the mozzarella slices on top followed by half of the meat sauce. Repeat these layers once more and top with some extra Parmesan. Bake until heated through and bubbly on the top, 40 to 45 minutes.

WORLD'S BEST LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

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 SUPREME

Steps:

• Cook sausage, onion and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat until meat is brown, stirring to separate meat.
• Add tomatoes with juice, tomato paste, basil and marjoram. Reduce heat to low and cover; simmer 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook lasagna noodles according to package directions; drain.
• Beat eggs in large bowl; add cottage cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt & pepper. Mix well.
• Place three noodles in bottom of 13"x9"x2" baking pan. Spread half of cottage cheese mixture over noodles, then half of meat mixture and half of mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers.
• Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
• Bake lasagna 40 to 45 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

LASAGNA SUPREMO (THE BEST LASAGNA EVER!)

Steps:

• FOR THE LASAGNA: Prepare lasagna according to package directions.
• Drain and set aside. NOTE: You can use Barella No Boil Noodles, but be sure during the assembly of the layers that the noodles do not stick out.
• Cook Italian sausage either in a skillet or by boiling in a pot of water, thinly slice crosswise and set aside.
• Brown the ground beef and ground pork in a skillet, drain off and discard fat.
• Add onion and garlic to the ground meat, stir and cook another 5 minutes.
• Add the sugar, salt, basil, fennel seeds, pepper and the Marinara sauce and simmer for 20 minutes.
• While the above mixture is simmering, combine in a large bowl the eggs, Ricotta cheese, and parsley.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Take a 13 by 9 inch baking dish and spray the bottom with a non-stick spray, such as Pam.
• In the baking dish, spoon in a layer of 1/3 of the meat sauce.
• Then layer 1/3 of the lasagna pasta (overlapping each strip of pasta with the other).
• Then layer 1/3 of the Ricotta mixture.
• Then layer 1/3 of the sliced olives and 1/3 of the sliced Italian sausage.
• Then layer 1/3 of the sliced mushrooms.
• Then layer 1/3 of the Mozzarella and 1/3 of the Parmesan.
• Then continue to repeat the layering until all of the ingredients are layered.
• When the layering is completed, cover with aluminum foil, making certain that the foil is not touching the top of the lasagna, and bake for 25 minutes.
• Remove foil and bake, uncovered, another 25 minutes.
• Remove from oven and allow to sit and rest 10 minutes before cutting.
• FOR THE MARINARA SAUCE (by Alan Leonetti): Empty Hunts chunky crushed tomatoes and Hunts tomato paste into the pot.
• Add the extra-virgin olive oil to the pot.
• Slice the cloves of garlic crosswise into either halves or thirds or pieces, and dump them into the pot.
• Dice the shallot, and dump that into the pot.
• Add the rest of the ingredients, and stir to mix well with a large long handled wooden spoon.
• Do not strain, as the pulp adds to make this a thick and wonderful sauce.
• Cover and cook on medium heat, stirring every 10 minutes for about an hour or until it bubbles and is completely heated throughout.
• Reduce heat to simmer, and continue to simmer, stirring every 10 or 15 minutes to keep from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pot for 1 or 2 hours.
• Remove from heat and give it one last stir.
• Serve over spaghetti, ravioli, pasta or use for chicken parmesan, veal parmesan, or anything that calls for a Marinara sauce.
• NOTE: Use only Hunts Chunky Crushed Tomatoes and Hunts Tomato Paste.

SUPREME LASAGNA

Steps:

• Cook meats, onion and garlic in large skillet over med-high heat until meat is brown, stirring to separate meat; drain fat.
• Add tomatoes with juice, tomato paste, basil and marjoram.
• Reduce heat to low, cover; simmer 15 minutes, stirring often. Stir in mushrooms, set aside.
• Beat eggs in large bowl; add cottage cheese, 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix well.
• Place 1/2 of the noodles in bottom of greased 13x9-inch pan.
• Spread 1/2 of cheese mixture over noodles, 1/2 of meat mixture and 1/2 of cheddar and mozzarella cheeses.
• Repeat layers. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan.
• Bake in preheated 375 degree oven 40 to 45 minutes or until bubbly.
• Let stand 10 minutes.
• Note: I almost always substitute fresh mushrooms for canned, and sometimes substitute Italian seasoning for the basil and morjaram. I wanted to post the original recipe, but I think these substitutions make the recipe better.

TRADITIONAL SUPREME LASAGNA

Steps:

• Turn on oven to 375 degrees.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil with the salt and cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and cool, cover with water to prevent sticking.
• Cook sausage and ground turkey in a large skillet, set aside. In same skillet saute onion and mushrooms 5 minutes. Add garlic, saute 1 minute. Drain off excess fat if necessary. Add sugar and mix with meat mixture.
• In another bowl mix ricotta cheese, eggs, basil and parsley.
• Mix mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese.
• In a 13x9 lasgna pan layer ingredients in the following order: spaghetti sauce, lasagna noodles, ricotta mixture, meat mixture, mozzarella cheese, repeat twice ending with another layer of spaghetti sauce.
• Bake covered for 1 hour. Uncover and sprinkle top with provolone and remaning 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and bake an additional 20-30 minutes untill hot and bubbly.