Steve Browns Lasagna Recipes

AL BROWN'S LASAGNA

Steps:

• Cook noodles according to package directions, drain and set aside.
• In a skillet cook beef, celery, onion, and garlic till meat is browned and vegetables are tender. Drain off fat if any, and wipe out the pan.
• To the meat in the pan add the seasonings, cream, and cream cheese. Cook and stir over low heat to melt the cheese.
• Stir in wine. Gradually add cheddar and gouda cheese, stirring and heating till cheese is nearly melted; remove from heat.
• Stir together egg and cottage cheese.
• Layer half the noodles in a greased 13x9 baking dish. Top with half the meat sauce, half the cottage cheese, and half the mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layers.
• Bake uncovered in a 375 F oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Makes about 12-16 servings.

WORLD'S BEST LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

THE BEST LASAGNA

Steps:

• Place the beef in a large bowl and "pull" it apart with two forks as if you were shredding pulled pork, breaking up the clumps and loosening the meat without compacting it.
• Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the meat is golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the pancetta to a large bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pot.
• Spread the beef in an even layer in the same pot and cook undisturbed until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Toss and continue to cook, breaking up any clumps and scraping up any browned bits from the pot, until the meat is browned and completely cooked, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer the browned meat with a slotted spoon to the bowl with the pancetta, leaving the fat in the pot.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Add the carrots, celery, onions, half the garlic, the bay leaf, oregano, red pepper flakes, nutmeg, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender but not browned, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until it's very fragrant and brick red colored, about 2 minutes. Stir in the wine, bring to a boil and reduce until the liquid is very thick and no smell of alcohol remains, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the reserved pancetta and beef, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Add the basil and Parmesan rind and simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the sauce resembles sloppy joes, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. There shouldn't be any rapid bubbles while cooking. Instead, the ragu should release occasional small bubbles. If the ragu reduces too quickly, add 1/2 cup of water and continue cooking. Repeat if necessary. The ragu needs the full 2 to 2 1/2 hour cook time to develop the flavors.
• Discard the bay leaf, basil and Parmesan rind. Break up any remaining clumps of meat with the back of a spoon, making an even textured sauce. Season with salt and set aside until ready to assemble.
• Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the noodles, stirring occasionally and separating them to prevent sticking, until softened and bendable but are still hard and chalky in the center, about 5 minutes. Transfer the noodles to a large bowl of cold water and set aside until ready to assemble.
• Stir together the ricotta, 1 cup of the Parmesan, the remaining grated garlic and 2 teaspoons salt in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Set aside until ready to assemble.
• Lightly oil a 13-by-9-inch glass or ceramic baking pan. Spread 1 cup of the ragu evenly in the bottom of the pan. Lay a single layer of noodles over the ragu (if you're using long noodles, you will need to cut some noodles to fill the gaps). Spread 1 1/2 cups of the ragu over the noodles. Dollop 3/4 cup of the ricotta mixture over the ragu and spread lightly with a small offset spatula. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the mozzarella, followed by another layer of noodles. Repeat with the remaining pasta, ragu, ricotta mixture and mozzarella, creating 4 layers of pasta and ending with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella. (The lasagna should come just above the top of the pan but it will sink down slightly as it cooks.) Top with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.
• Lightly oil a piece of foil and cover the pan. Put the pan on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake the lasagna until bubbling gently around the edges, about 1 hour.
• Remove the lasagna from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees F. Remove the foil and then continue to bake the lasagna until the top is browned and crisp around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

UNCLE STEVE'S AMAZING, AWARD WINNING LASAGNA

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• 2. Simmer garlic and onion in olive oil in large frying pan until onion starts to clarify. Add the sausage and freshly ground pepper. Before the sausage is thoroughly cooked, add the fresh basil. Drain the fat from the pan when the sausage is done cooking. Add the remaining ingredients for the meat sauce, and bring the sauce to a slow simmering boil. Add dry Italian seasoning as necessary to taste. Simmer the sauce for about 20 minutes.
• 3. In a large mixing bowl, use your fingers to mix together the beaten egg, ricotta cheese and ½ of the grated cheddar.
• 4. Assemble the lasagna in a 9x13x2-inch glass pan: • Lay down 3 noodles • ½ meat sauce and more ground pepper • ½ ricotta mixture • ½ the mozzarella • ½ the Parmesan and ½ the remaining cheddar • Layer the artichoke hearts and drained spinach (should not be soggy) • 3 noodles • rest of the meat sauce and more ground pepper • rest of the ricotta mixture • rest of the mozzarella • rest of the Parmesan and the remaining cheddar
• 5. Bake, covered, in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until heated through and bubbly. You will want to place the pan on a jelly roll pan in case it bubbles over! Take foil off the last 10 minutes to allow lasagna to brown. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

THE BEST LASAGNA RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Make the meat sauce: In a large bowl, gently combine the ground sirloin, sausage, and prosciutto, being careful not to overmix. Shape into 5-6 large, shaggy meatballs.
• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the meatballs and brown on all sides, 1-2 minutes per side. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and repeat with the remaining meatballs.
• Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion. Season with salt and sauté until translucent, 5-7 minutes.
• Add the garlic, thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes, and fennel seeds. Sauté for 1 minute, until the garlic is fragrant.
• Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, until the color turns dark red, 3-4 minutes.
• Deglaze the pot with the red wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom, and cook until the liquid has almost evaporated, 1-2 minutes.
• Add the canned tomatoes, passata, carrot, butter, the browned meatballs, and 2 teaspoons of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1½-2 hours, until the sauce has thickened.
• Remove the sauce from the heat and discard the carrot, then use a potato masher to crush the meatballs into small pieces. Season the sauce with more salt to taste. If the sauce tastes too acidic, add the granulated sugar. Stir in the basil leaves and set aside.
• Make the béchamel sauce: Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Once the butter starts to foam, add the flour. Cook, whisking constantly, for about 3 minutes, until no lumps remain but the roux has not yet browned. While whisking, slowly pour in the milk until evenly incorporated. Whisk in the salt, garlic powder, and nutmeg. Bring to a low simmer and cook, whisking often, until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, 8-10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
• Assemble the lasagna: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 9 x 13 x 3-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
• Add no-boil lasagna noodles to a large baking dish or bowl. Cover with hot water and add the olive oil. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, until the noodles are a bit more pliable, but still snap when broken in half.
• Spread about ¾ cup of the meat sauce on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Add a layer of lasagna noodles. Spread about 1 heaping cup of béchamel over noodles in an even layer. Top with 1 heaping cup of meat sauce, followed by ¼ cup fontina and ¼ cup grated mozzarella. Add another layer of noodles, arranging in the opposite direction as the first layer, and top with about 1 heaping cup of béchamel. Repeat to make 4 more layers, ending with a layer of lasagna noodles.
• Spread 1 cup of béchamel, then 1 cup of meat sauce over the noodles. Scatter the remaining ½ cup of fontina, the fresh mozzarella cheese, and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano on top. Reserve the remaining meat sauce for serving. Cover the baking dish with a sheet of foil (grease the underside with nonstick spray to prevent the cheese from sticking) and place on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Bake the lasagna for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 25-30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Broil for 1-2 minutes, if desired, to brown the cheese. Remove from the oven and let the lasagna sit for at least 20 minutes to cool.
• Garnish the lasagna with the basil, then serve with the reserved meat sauce alongside.
• Enjoy!