Lasagna. The very mention of it is enough to send those salivary glands on an overdrive. A heavenly concoction of meat, tomato sauce and cheese that has layered pasta sheets altered with all the aforementioned toppings. This oven-baked Italian recipe is actually one of the oldest types of Pasta.
Though it may look quite daunting ( as it did to me ), it is quite easy to put together if you are an expert at whipping up a mean pasta sauce. I prefer to use the homemade Marinara sauce ( recipe here ) in my lasgana. Throw in some stir fried/browned meat, onions, veggies, a humongous amount of cheese and those pasta sheets cooked to al-dente, and I am all set. Read on for this super easy and yummy version -
[Sorry about the pics !! With my good old camera sent for the repairs, I had to shoot this with my mobile ]
Preparation Time - 1 hour ( actually I had three burners going at the same time so you will definitely need more if using a single/double cooktop )
Ingredients -
Preparation - Bring 10-12 cups water to a rolling boil. Add a generous amount of salt. Once the salt is dissolved, add the paste sheets one by one. Keep on a rolling boil and give a stir in between to prevent the sheets from sticking to each other.
Heat another wok. Drizzle with olive oil. Throw in the onions. Once they turn brown, add the peppers and stir fry for 2 mins. Finally add the shredded chicken along with the chili flakes/jalapenos, Italian seasoning and some parsley. Cook on medium high for 4-5 mins. Remove and keep aside to cool down a bit. Break the egg and mix in.
Check the lasagna sheets. If they are al-dente( mine took abt 20 mins) , drain the water using a colander and place the sheets under cold water for a few seconds.
[Do not forget to keep an eye on the marinara sauce (if cooking simultaneously). ]
Layering - Rub some olive oil over the bottom and sides of a rectangular dish. Put some marinara sauce at the bottom. Put one of the lasagna sheets. Layer it with some more marinara sauce, then add the meat and veggies mixture. Finally drizzle the cheese over it. Repeat the process till you exhaust the sheets and the meat and veggies. Pour any remaining sauce on the top and drizzle with leftover cheese. Sprinkle some parsley and the leftover seasoning. Cover the dish with a foil.
Heat an oven at 180C (or 375F) for 10 mins. Put in the baking dish and allow it to bake for 35-45 mins at the same temperature. (Remove the foil for the last 10 mins)
Remove carefully and let it sit for 15 mins.
Cut into pieces and serve.
Note - Leftovers can be frozen and reheated when ready to consume.
Though it may look quite daunting ( as it did to me ), it is quite easy to put together if you are an expert at whipping up a mean pasta sauce. I prefer to use the homemade Marinara sauce ( recipe here ) in my lasgana. Throw in some stir fried/browned meat, onions, veggies, a humongous amount of cheese and those pasta sheets cooked to al-dente, and I am all set. Read on for this super easy and yummy version -
[Sorry about the pics !! With my good old camera sent for the repairs, I had to shoot this with my mobile ]
Preparation Time - 1 hour ( actually I had three burners going at the same time so you will definitely need more if using a single/double cooktop )
Ingredients -
- 6 Pasta/Lasagna sheets
- 1 1/2 cup marinara sauce
- 1 1/2 cups shredded chicken
- 1 cup mixed peppers (red & yellow)
- 1 large onion ( chopped into medium sized pieces )
- 6-8 garlic flakes (finely chopped)
- coarsely ground pepper
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1 cup grated mozarella cheese
- 1/2 cup processed cheese ( can substitute with ricotta or cream cheese )
- 1 egg
- chili flakes or chopped jalapenos (as per taste)
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tsp olive oil
- salt to taste
Preparation - Bring 10-12 cups water to a rolling boil. Add a generous amount of salt. Once the salt is dissolved, add the paste sheets one by one. Keep on a rolling boil and give a stir in between to prevent the sheets from sticking to each other.
Heat another wok. Drizzle with olive oil. Throw in the onions. Once they turn brown, add the peppers and stir fry for 2 mins. Finally add the shredded chicken along with the chili flakes/jalapenos, Italian seasoning and some parsley. Cook on medium high for 4-5 mins. Remove and keep aside to cool down a bit. Break the egg and mix in.
Check the lasagna sheets. If they are al-dente( mine took abt 20 mins) , drain the water using a colander and place the sheets under cold water for a few seconds.
[Do not forget to keep an eye on the marinara sauce (if cooking simultaneously). ]
Layering - Rub some olive oil over the bottom and sides of a rectangular dish. Put some marinara sauce at the bottom. Put one of the lasagna sheets. Layer it with some more marinara sauce, then add the meat and veggies mixture. Finally drizzle the cheese over it. Repeat the process till you exhaust the sheets and the meat and veggies. Pour any remaining sauce on the top and drizzle with leftover cheese. Sprinkle some parsley and the leftover seasoning. Cover the dish with a foil.
Heat an oven at 180C (or 375F) for 10 mins. Put in the baking dish and allow it to bake for 35-45 mins at the same temperature. (Remove the foil for the last 10 mins)
Remove carefully and let it sit for 15 mins.
Cut into pieces and serve.
Note - Leftovers can be frozen and reheated when ready to consume.