Moms Lasagna Fall Version Recipes

MY MOM'S LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Place a large saute pan over medium-high heat and add the beef and sausage. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Add the onions, garlic and dried oregano and cook until they are softened and the meat is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and toast for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes and cook until the sauce has thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add the ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/3 cup Parmesan, fresh basil and oregano, salt and pepper and stir to combine.
• Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange a layer of noodles over the sauce and top with a third of the ricotta filling. Spoon over a layer of sauce and top with another layer of noodles. Continue with 2 more layers of ricotta, sauce and noodles, ending with a top layer of noodles. Spoon a thin layer of the remaining sauce over the top, sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan over the noodles and cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake for 45 minutes, then uncover and cook until the cheese is golden and the lasagna is bubbling, another 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

LAZY MAN'S (OR LAZY MOM'S LASAGNA)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Brown the beef with the optional onion, optional garlic, herbs, and salt and pepper in a large, ovenproof skillet (I use one that's made of castiron). When the meat is thoroughly cooked -- it will take 8 to 10 minutes -- drain off any fat and take everything out of the pan. Now put the still-frozen ravioli into the pan, breaking them up if they are clumped. Spread the ground beef mixture evenly over the ravioli, and ladle the spaghetti sauce evenly over the ground beef mixture. Over medium heat, without stirring, cook until the ravioli is heated through and beginning to brown on the bottom -- about 10 minutes.
• Take the skillet off the heat, lay the provolone slices over the ground beef mixture, and sprinkle the whole thing with the Parmesan. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Serve hot.

MOM'S LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a large kettle or Dutch oven, cook beef, sausage and onion until meat is no longer pink and onion is tender; drain. Stir in the next 10 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. , Meanwhile, cook lasagna noodles according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. In a greased 13x9-in. baking dish, layer a third of the noodles and meat sauce, half of the cottage cheese, a third of the mozzarella and a third of the Parmesan. Repeat layers. Top with remaining noodles, meat sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan. , Cover and bake at 350° for 45 minutes; uncover and bake for 20 minutes longer or until bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

MOM'S SEAFOOD LASAGNA

Steps:

• For the seafood: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shrimp, garlic and seafood seasoning and cook until the shrimp turn pink, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the skillet.
• Add the wine and lemon juice to the skillet, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon. Bring to a simmer and cook until the mixture is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the shrimp and crabmeat.
• Make the béchamel sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until combined. Gradually add the milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the Romano until melted. Set aside.
• Make the spinach-artichoke ricotta: Stir together the ricotta, spinach, artichoke hearts, mozzarella, breadcrumbs, lemon zest and egg until combined. Season with salt. Fold in 1 cup of the béchamel sauce.
• Assemble the lasagna: Spread about 1/2 cup of the béchamel sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Top with 3 to 4 lasagna noodles and about 2/3 cup béchamel sauce. Top with half of the spinach-artichoke ricotta and half of the seafood. Repeat the layers once. Top with the remaining 3 to 4 lasagna noodles and béchamel sauce. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and Romano.
• Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil (coat with cooking spray before adding to the top to prevent the cheese from sticking). Bake, covered, until the lasagna is bubbly, about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until the noodles are tender and the top is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

MOM'S BEEF LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, cook beef over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Stir in the water, tomato sauce and paste, soup mix, oregano, sugar and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes., Spoon 1/2 cup meat sauce into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Layer with 3 noodles and a third of the cottage cheese, mozzarella, meat sauce and Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers twice., Cover and bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until bubbly and heated through. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

MOM'S LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and a three-finger pinch of salt and sweat them until they're translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the neck bones and let them brown, about 5 minutes. Add the ground veal, beef and sausage, and season with another healthy pinch of salt. Cook until the meat is browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in the white wine, tomatoes and their juice, and the bay leaves. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon, making sure to get all of the browned bits into the sauce. Season the sauce with salt, to taste, and simmer for 2 hours over medium heat. Remove the bay leaves and neck bones and let cool. Skim any fat that rises to the surface.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium heat. Add enough salt so that it tastes seasoned and allow the water to return to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until al dente. Drain well and set aside.
• In a medium bowl mix together the ricotta, parsley, basil, oregano, eggs, and Parmesan with a pinch of salt.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Ladle about 1 cup of sauce on the bottom of a lasagna pan. Arrange a layer of noodles followed by a layer of sauce and then some of the ricotta mixture. Top with a layer of mozzarella, smoothing it with a spatula to the edges. Repeat the process until the pan is full. Finish with a final layer of noodles, sauce, the mozzarella, and Parmesan.
• Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour. Uncover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let it rest, 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

MOM'S LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a large skillet, brown ground beef and chopped onion in olive oil.
• Pour the can of tomatoes with juice into a two cup measuring cup and add enough red wine to fill the cup to the two cup line.
• Add the tomatoes, wine, tomato paste, water, parsley, salt, sugar, garlic powder, pepper, and oregano to the skillet. Stir.
• Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• If you're using regular lasagna noodles, cook and drain them. If you're using the oven ready ones, go to the next step.
• Spread 3/4 cup sauce in a 9x13 pan.
• Add a layer of noodles, then layer with sauce, ricotta, mozzerella, and parmesan.
• Repeat layers until you get to your last set of noodles.
• End with sauce, mozzerella, and parmesan.
• If you're using regular noodles, bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes.
• If you're using oven ready noodles, cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake another 10 to 15 minutes.
• Let stand 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

MOM'S BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the honey-citrus simple syrup: Whisk together the sugar, honey, water and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to low, add the orange peel and continue to boil without stirring, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat to cool while you assemble the baklava. The syrup will thicken as it cools.
• For the nut filling: Add the pistachios and walnuts to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and pulse until coarsely chopped. Transfer the nuts to a large bowl along with the graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon and salt and mix until combined. Set aside.
• To assemble: Brush a 9-by-13-inch pan with some of the melted butter. Unroll the whole package of phyllo and cut it in half to fit the pan or trim to fit flat. (As you work, cover the unused phyllo sheets with wax paper underneath a damp clean kitchen towel.) Lay 1 sheet of phyllo in the bottom of the pan. Brush with butter, covering the entire surface, then lay another sheet of phyllo on top. Repeat this process until you have 10 layers of phyllo, with butter brushed on top. Add half of the nut mixture, spreading it evenly over the buttered surface, then gently press in with your hands. Begin layering the phyllo and melted butter until you have 10 more layers of phyllo, with butter brushed on top. Add the remaining nut mixture, then layer 10 more sheets of phyllo, brushing with butter in between layers. Brush the top with melted butter, then score the phyllo dough into diamonds, cutting about 1/4-inch deep. (Cut 4 strips lengthwise, then diagonal cuts for a diamond shape).
• Bake until puffed and golden brown on top, about 1 hour. Ladle the cooled syrup over the top, allowing it to absorb in between pours. Allow the baklava to sit until the syrup is completely absorbed, at least 30 minutes. Separate into bars and serve. The baklava freezes very well.