Unique Lasagna Recipes

Meat Lasagna

Prep Time: 30 minutes Bake: 45 minutes

8 ounces hot Italian-sausage links,
casings removed
8 ounces lean ground beef (90%)
1 medium onion, diced
1 can (28 ozs.) tomatoes in juice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
12 lasagna noodles (11 ozs.)
1 container (15 ozs. part-skim ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (8 oz.)

1. In a 4 qt. saucepan, cook sausage meat, ground beef, and onion over high heat, stirring frequently, until meat is well browned and onion is tender, stirring to break up sausage with spoon. Spoon off fat if any.

2. Add tomatoes with their juice, tomato paste, salt, and sugar to saucepan; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Meanwhile, in large sauce pot, prepare lasagna noodles in boiling water as label directs, but do not use salt in water; drain. In bowl, mix ricotta, egg, and parsley.

4. Preheat oven to 375 F. In a 13" by 9" glass baking dish, arrange half of lasagna noodles; top with all of the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with half of mozzarella; top with half of meat sauce. Layer with remaining noodles and meat sauce; top with remaining mozzarella.

5. Cover lasagna with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes longer or until lasagna is not and bubbly and top is lightly browned.

Makes 10 servings.

Spinach Lasagna

Prep Time: 50 minutes Bake: 40 minutes

12 lasagna noodles (about 11 ozs.)
Salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 medium bunches spinach (about 1 3/4 pounds,),
tough stems removed
1 container (32 ozs.) part-skin ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 3/4 cups low-fat (1%) milk
1/3 teaspoon ground white pepper

1. In large sauce pot, prepare lasagna noodles in boiling salted water as label direct; drain.

2. Meanwhile, in a nonstick 12 inch skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until hot. Add onion and cook until tender but not browned; add spinach and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook over high heat until spinach wilts; set aside

3. In a medium bowl, mix ricotta, Parmesan, nutmeg, eggs, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; set aside.

4. In a 3 quart saucepan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat until hot. Add flour and cook 1 minute. Gradually stir in milk, white pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce boils and thickens slightly. Remove saucepan from the heat.

5. Preheat oven to 375 F. In a 13" by 9" glass baking dish, arrange one-third of the lasagna noodles, overlapping to fit. Spread half of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Drain off liquid from spinach if any; spoon half of the spinach over the ricotta mixture; then top with one third of the sauce. Repeat layering. Top with remaining noodles, then remaining sauce.

6. Bake lasagna, covered, 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Makes 10 servings.

White Lasagna (Meatless)

Prep: 45 minutes Bake: 45 minutes

4 tablespoons margarine or butter (1/2 stick)
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 quart low fat (1%) milk
1 container (15 to 16 ozs.) part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 large eggs
2 cups shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
8 ounces Fontina or Swiss cheese, shredded (2 cus)
1 package (8 ozs.) no boil lasagna noodles
1/2 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (no salt added

1. In a 3 quart saucepan, melt margarine or butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and nutmeg until blended; cook 1 minute. Gradually stir in milk; cook, stirring constantly, until sauce boils and thickens. Remove saucepan from heat.

2. In a small bowl, mix ricotta, Parmesan, parsley, and eggs. In a large bowl, combine mozzarella and Fontina.

3. Preheat oven to 375 F. In a 13" by 9" ceramic or glass baking dish, evenly spoon 1 cup of white sauce. Arrange one third of the lasagna noodles over the sauce, overlapping to fit. Spoon half of the ricotta mixture over the noodles; spread with 1 cups sauce; top with half of the remaining noodles. Place half of the shredded cheese over the noodles, then sprinkle with sun dried tomatoes and spread with 1 cup of sauce. Arrange remaining noodles over sauce; top with remaining ricotta mixture, remaining sauce, and remaining shredded cheese.

4. Cover baking dish with foil and bake 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 15 5o 20 minutes longer or until the lasagna is hot and bubbly and the top is lightly browned.

Makes 12 servings

Vegetable Lasagna

Prep: 45 minutes Bake: 45 minutes

4 tablespoons margarine or butter (1/2 stick)
2 medium zucchini (8 ozs. each), diced
1/2 bunch broccoli, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
Salt
2 cups firmly packed spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
1 container (15 ozs.) part skim ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
12 lasagna noodles (about 11 ozs.)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 ozs. part skim mozzarella cheese, sliced

1. In a nonstick 12 inch skillet, melt 1 tablespoon margarine or butter over medium heat. Add zucchini, broccoli, oregano, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender-crisp, about 5 minutes. Add spinach and toss until wilted. Remove skillet from heat.

2. In medium bowl, mix ricotta and eggs; set aside.

3. In a large sauce pot, prepare lasagna noodles in boiling salted water as label directs. Drain.

4. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F. In a 2 quart saucepan, melt remaining 3 tablespoons margarine or butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt until smooth. Gradually stir in milk; cook, stirring constantly, until sauce boils and thickens. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in parmesan.

5. In a 13" by 9" glass baking dish, layer half of the lasagna noodles, half of the ricotta mixture, half of the vegetable mixture, and half of mozzarella. Top with half of white sauce, then with the remaining noodles, ricotta, and vegetable mixture. Spoon remaining sauce over vegetable layer; arrange remaining mozzarella on top.

6. Bake lasagna 40 to 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Makes 8 servings.

Salmon Lasagna

Prep: 35 minutes Bake: 55 minutes

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 cups low fat (1%) milk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2 packages (9 to 9 1/2 ozs.) frozen creamed spinach, thawed
4 cups shredded part skim mozzarella cheese (1 pound)
1 container (15 ozs.) part skim ricotta cheese
1 package (8ozs.) no boil lasagna noodles
1 can (14 3/4 to 15 1/2 ozs.) salmon, drained and flaked
1 small tomato, chopped

1. In a 2 quart saucepan, heat vegetable oil over medium heat until hot; stir in flour; cook 1 minute.

2. Gradually stir milk into flour mixture, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens. Stir in Parmesan and pepper; set white sauce aside.

3. In medium bow, mix creamed spinach with mozzarella and ricotta.

4. Preheat oven to 375 F. Spread 1/4 cup white sauce to cover bottom of 13" by 9" glass baking dish. Arrange one-third of no-boil lasagna noodles over sauce, overlapping to fit. Spoon half of ricotta mixture over noodles; top with half of salmon. Repeat layering once. Top with remaining lasagna noodles and remaining sauce.

5. Cover baking dish with foil and bake lasagna 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until lasagna is hot and bubbly and top is lightly browned. Sprinkle with chopped tomato to serve.

Makes 8 servings.

Mushroom Lasagna

Ingredients:

Olive oil
Kosher salt
3/4 pound dried lasagna noodles
4 cups whole milk
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 pounds portobello mushrooms
1 cup freshly ground Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 1 tablespoon salt and a splash of oil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and set aside.

For the white sauce, bring the milk to a simmer in a saucepan. Set aside. Melt 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of the butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture all at once. Add 1 tablespoon salt, the pepper, and nutmeg, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring first with the wooden spoon and then with a whisk, for 3 to 5 minutes, until thick. Set aside off the heat.

Separate the mushroom stems from the caps and discard the stems. Slice the caps 1/4-inch thick. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large (12-inch) saute pan. When the butter melts, add half the mushrooms, sprinkle with salt, and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender and they release some of their juices. If they become too dry, add a little more oil. Toss occasionally to make sure the mushrooms cook evenly. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms and set all the mushrooms aside.

To assemble the mushroom lasagna, spread some of the sauce in the bottom of an 8 by 12 by 2-inch baking dish. Arrange a layer of noodles on top, then more sauce, then 1/3 of the mushrooms, and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan. Repeat 2 more times, layering noodles, sauce, mushrooms, and Parmesan. Top with a final layer of noodles and sauce, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.

Bake the mushroom lasagna for 45 minutes, or until the top is browned the sauce is bubbly and hot. Allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes and serve hot.