Sunnys Latin Lasagna Recipes

SUNNY'S PAN-SAGNA - ONE PAN PLAN LASAGNA

Steps:

• In your largest pan with straight sides and a lid, add the olive oil on medium-high heat. When the oil begins to swirl, add the bell pepper, onions, Italian seasoning, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook until the vegetables are tender and the onions become translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and stir.
• Add the sausage and beef in parts around the pan. Cook while breaking up with a wooden spoon until both are cooked through and browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the tomatoes and stir. Add enough stock to cover the contents by almost an inch. Bring the pan to a boil then add the broken lasagna sheets. Nudge and nestle them beneath the level of liquid. Cover the pot, lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the lasagna noodles are al dente, 6 to 8 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta and the lemon zest. Evenly scoop the pan-sagna into shallow serving bowls. Immediately top each with some shredded cheese, a dollop of the ricotta blend, and garnish with some basil and parsley.

SUNNY'S SCALLION SPAETZLE

Steps:

• For the batter: In a small food processor, add the scallions, garlic, zest and 2 teaspoons salt. Blitz until the scallions are chopped finely, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the eggs and blitz again. Pour everything into a large bowl and add the milk. Gradually whisk in the flour to make a thick, tight batter. Add more flour by the spoonful until the proper texture is met (this should feel like it won't drip through a colander, but can be pressed through and remain stringy, not doughy).
• Fill a double boiler halfway with water and add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and place a colander over the pot. Add a heaping cup of spaetzle batter at a time to the colander and, with a rubber or wooden spatula, press the batter through the holes into the boiling water. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the colander between pressings and stir the spaetzle into the water so the next group of batter doesn't stick to the one before it. The spaetzle is cooked when it floats to the top. Remove with a fine-mesh sieve and jiggle to remove as much water as possible.
• For the pan: You may need to do this in 2 batches; if so, only add half the ingredients each time. In a large pan on medium-high heat, add the butter and oil. Add the spaetzle and saute until it builds a golden crust, then toss and cook until it's mostly golden all over but still tender, 2 to 4 minutes total. Add the chopped scallions, lemon juice and a few grinds of black pepper and toss. Serve warm.

SUNNY'S EASY TOMATO AND BASIL LASAGNA ROLL-UPS

Steps:

• Steam your noodles: Place noodles in a metal baking pan with sides, making sure to spread out. Pour steaming-hot salted water over the top, moving noodles around a bit to be sure the water gets between them. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and let rest for 20 to 25 minutes. When ready to assemble, remove one at a time as you go and pat dry.
• Make the filling: Add the ricotta, cheese blend, basil, parsley, red chile flakes, egg, lemon zest, a pinch of salt and a few hefty grinds of black pepper to a large bowl. Stir to combine.
• Assemble: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Add half the tomato sauce to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and spread or tilt to even it out. Take one lasagna noodle and lay flat on the counter, then add a scoop of filling to the center and spread it along the length. Roll up the noodle and place it standing on end in the dish, nestling the rolls together as you go to hold the seams secure. Repeat with the rest of the noodles until the dish is full. Pour over remaining tomato sauce and spread to even out. Cover dish with aluminum foil.
• Bake until sides are bubbly and a few edges are golden, about 20 minutes. Uncover and cook until edges begin to brown, another 5 to 10 minutes. Garnish with Parmesan and more herbs.

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.

CROWD-SOURCED MEAT LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Rub the bottom and sides of a deep 9-by-13-inch baking dish (about 5 quarts) with olive oil. Set aside.
• Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, 1 teaspoon oregano and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the beef and sausage and cook, breaking up the meat into crumbles with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until everything is well coated and the tomato paste is a shade darker, about 2 minutes. Add the vermouth and cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, until almost dry. Add the crushed tomatoes, 1 1/2 cups water, the remaining 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon salt and a generous amount of pepper. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently until the sauce reduces slightly, 20 to 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; add a pinch of sugar if the tomatoes taste sharp.
• Meanwhile, cook the noodles: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook, stirring, until just al dente and pliable, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a colander; run cool water over the noodles and separate them.
• Make the filling: Lightly beat the eggs in a medium bowl. Add the ricotta, 2/3 cup Parmesan, the parsley, 3/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and stir until combined.
• Assemble the lasagna: Spread a thin layer of sauce (about 1 cup) in the bottom of the baking dish. Top with 3 noodles, laying them lengthwise. Top the noodles with one-quarter of the remaining sauce (about 2 cups). Dollop one-third of the ricotta mixture (about 1 1/2 cups) on top and spread in an even layer. Top with 3/4 cup mozzarella and 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Repeat these layers two more times (noodles, sauce, ricotta mixture, mozzarella and parmesan). For the last layer, add the remaining 3 noodles, sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan.
• Cover the baking dish with foil, sealing the edges (do not press the foil into the cheese). Bake until the lasagna is hot and bubbly, 35 to 40 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until golden brown, 20 to 30 more minutes. Let cool at least 20 minutes before slicing.

LATIN LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Stir in the flour and cumin and cook for 1 minute to remove the raw starchy taste of the flour. Gradually add the broth, stirring to prevent lumps. Once all of the broth is added, stir in the milk. Continue to stir constantly until the sauce thickens, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add half of the grated cheese and stir the sauce until the cheese has melted. Turn off the heat and transfer the sauce to a bowl. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the sauce to prevent a skin from forming.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the chorizo. Cook and stir until it starts to brown, about 4 minutes, using a wooden spoon to break up any large pieces while it cooks. Add the turkey and continue to cook until both meats are browned 8 to 10 minutes. Drain out excess oil from the pan, if needed. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, oregano; season with salt and pepper.
• Line the bottom of the prepared baking dish with 1 layer of plantains (about 1/3 of the plantain slices), making sure that they don't overlap. Top the plantains with half of the meat mixture, spreading it out into an even layer so it covers the plantains. Top with half of the cheese sauce, spreading evenly with a spatula. Add another single layer of plantain slices side by side and cover with the remaining meat mixture and the remaining sauce. Add the final layer of plantains and sprinkle with the remaining cheese and a dusting of paprika over the top. Bake until the sauce is bubbly, about 45 to 60 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

MEXICAN-STYLE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a food processor, combine cilantro, scallions, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper with as much spinach as will fit; pulse, adding remaining spinach in batches, until coarsely chopped.
• Coat an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Lay 4 tortillas in bottom of dish (they will overlap slightly). Layer with half of beans, salsa, spinach mixture, and cheese; repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with cheese and pressing in gently.
• Cover dish with foil; place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes; remove foil, and continue baking until golden, 15 to 20 minutes more. Cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

MEXICAN LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in beans, chilies, taco seasoning and hot salsa., In a greased 13x9-in. baking dish, layer a third of the noodles and meat mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese. Repeat layers twice. , Combine mild salsa and water; pour over top. Cover and bake 1 hour or until heated through. , Top with sour cream, olives, onions, tomatoes if desired and remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes. Let stand 10-15 minutes before cutting.