My first job in the restaurant business was as a dish/pot washer at a local diner. I was encouraged to get my cleaning done quickly so that the owners could teach me to prep and even cook. I was interested in learning.

The chef owner's dad had been a cook in the army. One of the many dishes he taught me to cook is lasagna and it's the recipe I have always used.

Holiday Lasagna

Lasagna is one of the oldest types of pasta dishes. Some people use a bechamel sauce, I like ricotta cheese as the filling with a zesty, tomato sauce and loads of shredded mozzarella and grated parmesan cheese. I  add a pinch of nutmeg, it's delicious.


I used to serve seafood lasagna at my restaurant years ago as a popular special. I added poached lobster, crab, shrimp etc... to this same recipe (no meatballs).

Delicious!

 




Making Lasagna

Prep Time: 60 min

Cooking Time: 30 min

Yield: 6 portions


Ingredients                                          

12  oz.          Lasagna sheets

3 lbs            Ricotta cheese     

3 ea.            Eggs, cracked/whisked

1 Tbsp        Kosher Salt                                       

1/2 tsp        Black pepper     

1/2 tsp.       Nutmeg, grated

2 pints       San Marzano tomato sauce (see recipe in blog)

1 lb.              Mozzarella, shredded

1/2 C.           Parmesan cheese, grated                                       

t.t.                Black pepper     


How to Prepare Holiday Lasagna

Step 1

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, place the lasagna pasta sheets into the water, one at a time to avoid sticking.

Simmer until tender (about 8 minutes) and strain, cool in cold water, strain and reserve.


Step 2

Put the ricotta cheese, eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, 1/2 lb shredded mozzarella and grated parmesan cheese into a bowl. Whisk together.

(I add one egg for each pound of ricotta cheese).


Step 3

Ladle a few ounces of tomato sauce in the bottom of the casserole or tray you will make the lasagna in.



Place 3 or 4 cooked, lasagna noodles onto the sauce slightly overlapping. Ladle a few more ounces of sauce over the noodles. Spoon 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the sauce and spread it out evenly.






Add some sliced meatballs and 1/3 of the shredded mozzarella and 1/3 of the grated parmesan cheese onto the meatballs, then repeat 2  more times building the lasagna.



Note: Lay each layer of lasagna sheets in the opposite direction. This will make the lasagna firm and slice well.

Ladle the remaining sauce on top and sprinkle a little mozzarella for decoration. Bake in a preheated oven for one hour at 300 F.  Let the lasagna cool for 15 minutes to set before slicing.

Place a sheet of foil over the top if the lasagna is browning or drying too quickly.


You can add cooked sausages, mushrooms, eggplants, seafood etc... in between the layers to create a vegetable lasagna or seafood lasagna etc...

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