Light But Luxurious Lasagne Recipes

LUXURIOUS LASAGNE

Steps:

• Drain soaked mushrooms and then mince. Reserve soaking liquid but strain it through a cheesecloth lined sieve. First make the cream sauce: Heat 4 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy stainless saucepan. When foaming subsides, add the flour and stir continuously with a wooden spoon. Cook for 2 minutes over low heat. Whisk in the reserved mushroom juices and heavy cream and whisk until smooth. Simmer 5 minutes or until velvety and season to taste with salt pepper and nutmeg. Reserve until later. Now make the filling: In a large skillet heat remaining 3 tablespoons of butter along with the olive oil. Add the fresh mushrooms and garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add the minced soaked mushrooms, prosciutto and saute a moment. Add the wine and evaporate for a minute or two. Lower the heat and cook, covered until the mushrooms are tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Cut the pasta sheets into strips 3 to 4 inches wide and long enough to fit into your gratin or baking dish. Boil a few sheets at a time until 3/4 done. Drain and cool on clean cloths. To assemble: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a gratin dish. Cover with a layer of lasagne. Top with 1/4 of cream sauce, 1/4 of Parmesan and 1/3 of mushroom mix. Continue with pasta, sauce, cheese, mushrooms for 2 more layers, finishing with a sheet of pasta. Drizzle any liquid left in mushroom pan over the top. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

NEXT LEVEL LASAGNE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. For the meat sauce, heat the butter in a large casserole dish. Scatter in the pancetta and sizzle gently for 5 mins until just starting to brown, then add the onion and carrot and soften in the pancetta fat for a few mins. Stir in the meat. At first it will look as if it's just steaming, but persevere and the juices will evaporate and the meat will sizzle and start to brown - this will take around 15 mins. When the beef is brown, add the garlic, bay leaf, oregano and some pepper and cook for 5 mins, then add the ketchup and cook to a paste. Season, pour over the wine and the passata, give everything a stir, bring to a simmer, then cover and place in the oven for 2 hrs, stirring occasionally until the meat is really tender. The sauce can be prepared up to three days ahead or frozen for three months.
• For the white sauce, pour the milk into a saucepan with the dried mushrooms, bring to the boil, then turn off the heat and leave the mushrooms to soak for 20 mins. Drain the mushrooms over a bowl, pressing down to release all the milk. Reserve the milk, roughly chop the mushrooms and set aside. Heat the butter in a large, shallow pan until it starts to turn a nutty brown. Add the mushrooms and a bay leaf, and sizzle for a few mins. Scatter the flour over the mushrooms and cook until it's a sticky paste. Gradually add the milk, stirring between each addition, until you have a thick sauce. Add the parmesan rinds if you have them, then simmer for 10 mins, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, lift out the bay leaf and any rinds, then stir in the mascarpone and a third of the parmesan. Season with salt, pepper and grate in some nutmeg.
• Rub oil onto the base and sides of a large ceramic baking dish. Put a layer of lasagne sheets on the base, then a layer of the meat sauce, followed by a drizzle of mushroom sauce, and then tear and scatter over the mozzarella. Repeat until you have used all the pasta and meat sauce and top with a final layer of pasta. Finish with a thick layer of mushroom sauce and sprinkle with a layer of parmesan, reserving a handful. Scatter the remaining parmesan over a non-stick baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with baking parchment.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Bake the lasagne in the oven for 40-45 mins or until bubbling and golden brown. For the last 15 mins, put the parmesan tray in the oven on a higher shelf and cook until brown and crisp. Remove both from the oven and leave for 10 mins. Cut the lasagne into squares and let it sit for another 10 mins before serving to keep the layers defined and help it cool. Break the crispy parmesan into shards and serve in a side dish to scatter over the lasagne.

SKINNY LASAGNA

Steps:

• Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Cook and drain noodles as directed on package. Place in cold water.
• Meanwhile, in 12-inch skillet, cook beef and garlic over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in pasta sauce, ground red pepper and 1 teaspoon of the basil. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
• Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, beat egg slightly. Stir in ricotta cheese and remaining 1/2 teaspoon basil until blended. Drain noodles. Spread about 1/2 cup sauce mixture over bottom of baking dish. Top with 3 noodles, 1 1/2 cups of the sauce mixture, half of the ricotta mixture and 3/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers once. Top with remaining noodles, sauce and mozzarella cheese; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Spray 15-inch piece of foil with cooking spray. Cover lasagna with foil.
• Bake 45 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

BAKED LASAGNE

Steps:

• Lightly saute onions, garlic in oil.
• Add meat and cook until brown.
• Add tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley, basil, salt, pepper and 3 T grated parmesan. Mix well and simmer for 45 minute.
• Cook Lasagne noodles in 6 qts of boiling water for 20 minutes or until tender.
• Put a couple of spoonfuls of sauce of bottom of 13 x 9 pan. Arrange half of noodles on next. Spread 1/2 the ricotta or cottage cheese and 1/2 the mozzarella over noodles. Top with 1/2 the sauce. Then repeat the layers. Top with 1/2 C parmesan cheese.
• Bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
• Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

LIGHTER LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Mix the spinach, cottage cheese, and egg in a large bowl.
• Place a large skillet over medium-high heat, and coat with nonstick cooking spray. Cook the onion, garlic, mushrooms, and carrot until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the ground turkey, and stir until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Pour the pasta sauce and water into the skillet. Season with rosemary,oregano, and basil. Simmer sauce for 10 minutes.
• Spray a 9x13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread 1/3 of the sauce on the bottom of the pan, and top with 3 noodles. Spoon an additional 1/3 of the sauce on the noodles; top with the spinach mixture. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese. Top with remaining 3 noodles and the rest of the sauce. Pour the vegetable juice evenly over the lasagna, and top with the remaining mozzarella. Cover the dish with foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil, and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let lasagna rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.