Lasagna

You will have 3 layers of Lasagna.
What you put Between each layer is described below.

Ingredients needed.
Prep all ingredients before you cook the Lasagna Noodles.

• 2  -  32 oz  Containers of Cooking Sauce.  (look under Sauce for recipe)

• 1/2 Can Small Peas  Optional - divide into 2 = portions.

• 2 Boxes of Lasagna. There are 20 per box. You will need 1 box PLUS 13 from the 2nd box.  Cook Lasagna in an x-tra large Deep pot with 1 Tbs salt and 1/3 cup oil.  (oil doesn't make the Lasagna stick to each other.) Cook Aldente (hard). (You will be baking the Lasagna so, you don't want it to become very soft)  Drain out and cool off. Lay it over the collander or pot so they won't stick together.
• 15 Meatballs. (look under Meatballs for recipe) Mashed up.
•   3 Cups Ricotta  mixed with a pinch of Black Pepper, Garlic Powder,                                                2 Tbs Grated Cheese, 2 eggs
• Fresh Mozzarella log - Sliced 
•  4 oz Grated Cheese Romano Peccorino
• 1 lb whole milk mozzarella.
• 1/2 lb shredded Provoloni
• 2 links Sausages. Squeeze out of casing and sauté until cooked then chop them up. 
• 11 x 17 pan 2 " high.  Must be at least 2" high otherwise lasagna won't fit.                                       If you can find 3"in height that would be better.

 

Put everything in its own bowl and divide into portions I have listed.  This way you can make sure you have enough for each row.

 1.   Ricotta mix.  In 3 = portions

 2.   Mashed up Meatballs.  in 2 = portions                                     

 3.   Sausages 2 = portions.

 4.   Grated Cheese. You will just be sprinkling a 
       small amt ea. time. Approx. 2 Tbs.

 5.   Mozzarella Cheese in 3 = portions.

6.    Fresh Mozzarella

7.    Provolone
 8.   Sauce.  1 bowl. Large ladle full each time.

                       



A. 1st Row.

1.  Pour 2 Cups Sauce in bottom of pan. (you need a lot of sauce on the bottom of the pan, so it won't burn when you cook it. and only a little bit in between the layers.)

2.  Lay out Lasagna 8 horizontally.
     2 vertically.  Lay overlapping 1/2 way on top of each other.

3.  1st Portion:  1 Tbs Ricotta mix and fresh mozzarella in rows across the whole pan.

4.  Add in this order: Grated Cheese, Meatballs, Sausages, and Mozzerella. 



Ricotta, Fresh Mozzarella, Grated Cheese, Meatballs, Sausages, Mozzarella.



5.  Pour a little bit of Sauce.  As shown above.
Wave the ladle across the pan. Don't need to much.





B.

6.  Add another layer of Lasagna.

7.  With your palm, push down slightly on top of the Lasagna.



8.  Lay down Ricotta and Fresh Mozzarella as you did in Step A.

                  Next, in this order:  Grated Cheese 1 Tbs, Meatballs, Sausages, Sauce then Mozzarella. 

This is your last layer.

  9.  Add another layer of Lasagna.  

 10. With your palm, push down slightly on top of the Lasagna. 

11. Add Sauce. Smooth Sauce over lasagna completely.  Any 

      uncovered spots will burn.          

12.  Add Tsp full of Ricotta and pieces of fresh Mozzarella.  As shown above.

13.  1 tsp grated cheese.

14.  Add Mozzarella and Your done.

1.   Place aluminum foil over top. Making sure it doesn't touch the cheese.

2.  If cooking the next day place in fridge and take out 1 hour before cooking.  When Lasagna is from fridge it take approx. 50 - 60 mins to cook.

If cooking now.  Put oven on 400 degrees. Keep Lasagna covered.

Cooking time will vary 30 - 45 minutes.

When cheese is melted lasagna is done.  Nothing is raw.  So, all you have to worry about is to make sure the Middle part of the Lasagna is hot.

 

Yup!  That's right! to find out if it is hot, the Italian way is to Stick a knife in it and make a small opening then stick your finger in it. ha! ha! But, watch out you can burn your finger!  If it is hot it is Ready.  A better way is to use a food thermometer to check the temperature.  Once you determined it is hot then take the cover off and bake until cheese is lightly golden brown or to your liking.

LASAGNA MUST SIT FOR 5 - 10 MIN.

TO SETTLE BEFORE SERVING.

Enjoy!! 

FYI:  Lasagna is a big project and timely.
You can cook the Sauce and Meatballs up to 3 days before. Keep it in the fridge. Grate the mozzarella, slice the fresh mozzarella and put it into a ziploc bag to keep it from drying out place in the fridge.
I cook my Sauce one day then the Meatballs another day so, it doesn't take up too much of my time.
Better yet!!  Always keep a few containers of Cooking Sauce in the freezer so, you can always have it ready when needed.  I freeze 6 containers of sauce at a time.  Sauce can stay frozen up to a year.  Mine never last that long.