Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Simply... Lasagne

Okay... I'm back in the ring, albeit lying down... :D. I have a bunch of plans for posts coming up though, so I've got my boxing gloves on still, my body won't take me down that easily!

So, this was what I made and saved for my mom and stepdad when they came home from work. They both said it was amazing, which made me happy since the SF never likes what I make haha! The flavours get a chance to blend during the chill time before baking, which is important… and convenient when you're working and want something to pop in the oven! This is also a perfect freezer dish too, so if you pull it out the night before and stick it in the fridge, it will be perfect when you come home from work the next day.

Simply Lasagne
Serves 8
1 250g box lasagne noodles
1 lb ground beef
1 ½ cups no-salt-added crushed tomatoes
½ cup dry red wine
2 red peppers – roasted, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tsp onion powder
½ tbsp oregano
1 tsp paprika
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
salt + pepper to taste
1 tbsp pumpkin puree
500g extra creamy ricotta cheese (full-fat)
1 10-oz package frozen spinach, thawed and pressed dry
¼ cup milk
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp dried parsley
½ tbsp dried basil
½ tbsp garlic powder
3 oz Mozzarella, grated
1 oz Asiago, grated (don’t use the pre-grated stuff!)
  1. In a large pot, bring heavily salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook 5 minutes. They will still be firm. Remove from water, spread on cookie sheets in a single layer and allow to cool.
  2. Brown beef in a large skillet, breaking up with a wooden spoon into crumbles.
  3. Stir in crushed tomatoes, red wine, roasted red peppers and spices. Simmer 10 minutes, then stir in pumpkin puree.
  4. Reduce heat to low and keep warm.
  5. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, spinach, milk and remaining spices. Stir until smooth.
  6. Spread a thin layer of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a greased 9x13” baking dish.
  7. Top with a layer of lasagne noodles, overlapping slightly.
  8. Add a thin layer of the cheese mixture, followed by a thick layer of sauce.
  9. Top with noodles, then layer all remaining cheese mixture but ¼ cup on top.
  10. Top directly with the final layer of noodles.
  11. Combine remaining ricotta and tomato sauces in the skillet. Spread over the top layer of noodles.
  12. Combine the grated Mozzarella and Asiago in a bowl, sprinkle over sauce.
  13. Cover with tin foil and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight.
  14. Preheat the oven to 400F.
  15. Uncover the lasagne and bake 45 minutes, tenting with foil if cheese starts browning too much.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 560.3
Total Fat: 33.7 g
Cholesterol: 85.9 mg
Sodium: 352.7 mg
Total Carbs: 50.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 4.4 g
Protein: 29.6 g

I also did some bakery inventory yesterday, as you can see in the photo! For those of you who are interested, here's what I came up with:

  • Yeast
  • Almond meal
  • Oat bran
  • Chocolate sprinkles
  • Instant Skim Milk Powder
  • 12 Grain + Gluten flour
  • Buckwheat flour
  • Cornstarch
  • Poppy seeds
  • Graham cracker crumbs
  • Mincemeat
  • Muffin mix
  • 2 1/3 tubs shortening
  • All-Bran cereal
  • Macadamia nuts (for Andrew's Xmas gift, coming up!)
  • Raisins
  • 2 bags of white sugar
  • Brown sugar
  • Chocolate chips (a miniature / regular mix)
  • 20 oz No-Sugar-Added chocolate (for an upcoming cheesecake!)
  • Unsweetened cocoa powder

Well, I think that's all for today... time to get cookin' again! I have plans for some manicotti coming up, and I need to make a batch of sauce from the contents of the bag in the photo (apples, pears, oranges and bananas). Have fun with your own kitchen treasure hunts!

1 comment :

  1. i love you and i dont want you to over do it becareful baking, and hope i get to try some food when i get to see you again. hope you let your wings relax,and remember i always be holding you with love enjoy baking and hope i see you soon p.s. lasagne looks and sounds so good hehe .. can you make a vegetarian one??

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for the feedback!