Meat Lasagna
When you hear the word lasagna many of us think of it as a traditional Italian cuisine. Layered wide noodles with tomato sauce, cheese and baked to perfection. These days the variations are endless. There are meat lasagnas, veggie lasagnas, gluten free and more.
Lasagna did originate in Ancient Rome and early versions were made without tomatoes because they didn’t exist until 16th century and even when introduced for many centuries they were considered poisonous. They were considered poisonous since belonged to the night shade family which some plants from that family were poisonous and so assumed tomatoes were too. Also tomatoes were served on pewter plates which were the material used back then and the acid of the tomato would cause the lead in the plates to leach out and then made people sick and some even died.
Pewter plate from late Roman period
These days we are safe to enjoy this traditional Italian dish without much fear other than maybe our pants may be a bit snugger from indulging in this yummy fulfilling meal.
Let’s Make Lasagna
So easy to make anyone can do it!
What do you need…
Lasagna noodles. I prefer the ones you need to place in boiling water for about 15minutes. Just find they taste best after whole lasagna is cooked (1 to 2 packages depending on pan you are using)
large package of mozzarella cheese
fresh ricotta cheese; fresh is best tasting
your favourite tomato sauce(you will need enough to coat each layer of noodles
lean ground beef (1 to 2 packages depending how meaty you want it
died onions
Italian seasoning
Shredded Cheese
Tomato sauce mixed with cooked meat
Cooked Pasta Noodles
Ricotta Cheese
The best thing to do is prep all the ingredients separately then you will assemble the lasagna
Start by cooking your noodles to instructions on the box. You can find the best Italian noodles usually in the Italian section of your grocery store. Once cooked drain but DO NOT rinse. Then set aside. As an Italian I am going to stress never rinse your noodles no matter what dish you make. It is the starch that sticks to the noodles that allows the sauce to stick to it.
Brown your meat. Once browned and fat drained add some chopped onions, Italian seasoning and the tomato sauce you want to use. Leave enough tomato sauce without meat to coat the bottom of the cooking dish you will be using.
Shred your cheese
Break up your ricotta into smaller pieces. I just squish it with a fork on a plate.
Assembly:
In your cooking dish spread some tomato sauce on the bottom and coat it so the noodles on the bottom will be softened further by the sauce.
Place a layer of noodles covering the surface of the dish
Spread tomato/ meat mixture over the noodles. Be sure to fully cover all the noodles so they cook in the sauce and do not dry out while cooking.
Sprinkle shredded cheese
Sprinkle ricotta cheese
Then repeat the process until you reach the top of the dish
Finish off with noodles and cheese and time to either store in fridge until ready to cook or you cook right away.
Cook:
Cook Lasagana in a 350F oven for 30-40 minutes until all the cheese is cooked and sauce bubbling.
Ready to Cook!
The great thing about cooking your own recipes is you know exactly what went into it.
If you make this leave a comment how it turned out! If you enjoy other versions feel free to comment your favourite type of lasagna.
Enjoy!
