Get Your Big Pants On & Make A Big Pan of Lasagne!

This week’s Lasagne at Tuesday Lunch was an Italian classic favorite. It’s decadent and delicious and well worth the luxurious calories.   Serve with a salad and breadsticks, and you’re suddenly the hero of your household.

If you love your family but not enough to spend the time making the lasagna yourself, we have your back! Our chefs prepared extra lasagne plus quarts of marinara sauce for our Dinners on Demand freezers…

Nonna’s Classico Italian Lasagne

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound ground beef, browned and drain
• 1 tablespoon salt plus more to taste, divided
• 1 ½ pounds ricotta cheese
• 1 cup plus 4 tablespoons parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 bunch parsley, chopped
• 1 ½ pounds mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
• 1 box lasagne noodles, cooked according to directions on package
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 to 2 teaspoons ground oregano
• 2 cups marinara sauce, divided (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a sauté pan, heat oil. Add the ground beef and 1 tablespoon salt and sauté until brown. Drain all grease. Set aside.

In a separate mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 cup parmesan, eggs and parsley; set aside.

In a baking dish, begin to assemble lasagne in this order:

Important note: Press down after each layer:

1. 1 cup of marinara sauce on bottom of pan
2. Place half of the lasagne sheets overlapping just a little
3. Pipe 1 ½ cups ricotta mix
4. 2 cups of ground beef
5. 2 cups of mozzarella
6. 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
7. Sprinkle of salt and pepper

For 2^nd layer:

1. 1 cup of marinara sauce
2. Place remaining lasagne sheets overlapping just a little
3. 1 cup ricotta mix
4. 2 cups of mozzarella
5. 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
6. Sprinkle salt, pepper and oregano

Wrap dish in aluminum foil and allow enough to puff up so the top of the foil does not stick to lasagne. Bake for 1 hour or until internal temperature reaches 155 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes to brown the top.

Always allow the lasagne to set at room temperature for about 15 minutes before cutting and serving. Recommended to cut lasagna into 4-x3-inch cuts for 12 portions per pan.  Serve and enjoy!  Makes 12 servings.

My Nonna’s Marinara Sauce

This recipe is to make a Sunday family batch – it will feed an army (or about 10 Italians).  If there is any leftover, it freezes beautifully for later.

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 large onions, diced
• 1 whole garlic bulb, peeled, chopped
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
• 1 (#10) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (#10) can tomato puree
• 2 tablespoons sugar (optional)
• ¼ cup basil, dried
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a heavy bottom stockpot heat the olive oil.  When hot, throw in the onions and cook until soft over medium high heat.  Add garlic and red pepper and turn down heat to medium low.  Add crushed tomatoes and tomato puree.  Cook until it comes up to a slow rolling boil. Turn heat down to low and add sugar, basil, salt and pepper. Makes 10-12 servings

COOK’S NOTE: If you don’t care for that much garlic and onion, cut it down.  If you don’t care for them at all, take them out, but I am leery of anyone who doesn’t like garlic.  Actually, if you don’t like garlic, make something else.