Mini Mascarpone Lasagnas Recipes

CREAMY TOMATO LASAGNA WITH MASCARPONE CHEESE

Steps:

• In 3-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add carrots, celery and onion. Cook about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add mushrooms and cook about 5 minutes or until they have given up most of their juices.
• Crumble sausage and beef into saucepan. Cook 10 minutes, breaking up and stirring occasionally, until no longer pink. Drain excess fat.
• Increase heat to medium-high and stir in wine. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until wine nearly evaporates. Add 1 cup milk and cook about 15 minutes, stirring constantly, until no liquid remains. Reduce heat to low. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, vinegar, basil, black pepper and pepper flakes. Heat to simmer, then simmer 15 minutes.
• Stir in mascarpone and remove sauce from heat. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. (Mixture should be saucy in order to hydrate the noodles during baking.)
• In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour. Cook about 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly and making sure mixture does not brown. Remove from heat.
• Gradually beat in milk with wire whisk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly (especially the corners), and boil 3 minutes or until thickened. (Not cooking the whole time will leave your sauce tasting floury.) Remove from heat and stir in salt, white pepper and nutmeg. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. (Do not add too much salt because you will be adding salty cheese.)
• Adjust oven rack to middle position. Heat oven to 425°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray.
• In medium bowl, mix mozzarella and Parmesan; set aside.
• Spread about 1 1/4 cups of the meat sauce evenly over bottom of baking dish (it may not completely cover the bottom); top with 3 noodles. Top noodles with 1/2 cup of the white sauce, spreading it as best as you can. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese mixture. Top cheese with 1 1/4 cups of the meat sauce. Place 3 noodles on top of meat sauce. Repeat the following layers twice: 1/2 cup white sauce, 1 cup cheese mixture, 1 1/4 cups meat sauce, 3 noodles. Spread remaining white sauce over noodles and sprinkle with remaining 2 cups cheese. You will be at the top of baking dish.
• Tear off piece of foil large enough to amply cover top of baking dish. Spray one side of foil with cooking spray. Cover lasagna with foil, sprayed side down. (Lasagna can be refrigerated up to 12 hours at this point.)
• Bake 30 minutes (if lasagna was refrigerated, bake 40 minutes). Carefully remove foil and bake 20 minutes longer or until top is lightly brown in spots and edges are hot and bubbly.

SMALLER LASAGNA FOR TWO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Cook noodles and drain.
• Saute onion and garlic in olive oil in a large skillet for a few minutes then add ground beef, oregano, basil salt and pepper and cook until beef is browned, breaking up any clumped meat. Stir in marinara sauce and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, making sure sauce doesn't get too thick.
• In a small bowl, whisk together a lightly beaten egg with ricotta and parmesan.
• In the bottom of a loaf pan, place about 1 cup meat sauce across the bottom. Top with two noodles, then top with half of the remaining meat sauce mixture. Top with another two noodles and the ricotta mixture. Top with the last two noodles and the remaining sauce. Layer mozzarella slices across the top.
• Loosely tent pan with foil and bake for 45 minutes, then remove foil and bake another ten minutes, allowing cheese to brown.
• Let sit for about 10-15 minutes before you cut into it.

QUICK AND EASY MINI-LASAGNA

Steps:

• Cook sausage in skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink; drain.
• Add pasta sauce; heat through stirring occasionally.
• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Cook and drain noodles.
• While noodles are cooking, mix ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, the oregano and parsley.
• Spread 1/3 of the sausage mixture in ungreased 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Top with 3 cups noodles.
• Spread cheese mixture over noodles.
• Sprinkle with half the mozzarella cheese.
• Spread another 1/3 of sausage mixture and top with remaining noodles.
• Spread remaining sausage mixture over noodles and top with remaining mozzarella cheese.
• Sprinkle 1/2 cup parmesan cheese over top.
• Cover and bake 30 minutes.
• Uncover and bake about 15 minutes longer or until hot and bubbly.
• Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

LAYERED MINI LASAGNE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees.
• In large skillet, cook meat and onion until meat browns; drain.
• Stir in spaghetti sauce; heat to boiling.
• Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
• In large bowl stir together ricotta cheese, egg, parsley, pepper, and salt.
• In 9x13x2 inch baking dish, spread 1 cup meat sauce.
• Evenly layer one-half pasta over sauce.
• Spread ricotta mixture over pasta; sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese.
• Repeat layers of meat sauce and pasta.
• Spread remaining meat sauce over pasta, covering pasta completely; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
• Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
• Cover with foil.
• Bake 30 minutes.
• Remove foil; bake 5 more minutes or until hot and bubbly.