Zucchini Lasagna

I found this recipe on Skinnytaste.com.  I'm always looking for something new and gluten free.  It's delicious!  Well, let me try again.  It was delicious the next day.  I'm not sure if we were starving and couldn't wait for it to "set up" before slicing in, but it was runny and "okay" the night I made it.  I was about to put it in the "probably never make again" pile, when I reheated the leftovers for the kids and I for lunch the next day.  To myself I thought, this tastes great.  Then I started to hear the kids "mmmmmm" and knew they felt the same.  I would DEFINITELY make it again, just let it set over night.  The flavors developed, it wasn't runny and held up fine when you sliced into it.  Just plain YUM!

Click on the above link to get the full recipe.  I pretty much stuck to the recipe this time.  I know, shocker.  I toyed with the idea of not even blogging this recipe, but decided you needed to know about it.  Give it a try!

Vegetable Lasagna

In a quest to try something different, I found this vegetable lasagna recipe.  It was in the latest Everyday Food cookbook, "Everyday Food:  Fresh Flavor Fast:  250 Easy, Delicious Recipes for Any Time of Day."  The family loved it, so I decided to share it with you.

Mix cheese, spinach, egg, salt and pepper for the filling.

The recipe said to use store bought marinara, but those who know me know I NEVER buy marinara.  I have a favorite recipe I like to use, but I used the Basic Tomato Sauce recipe in the back of the cookbook and it was perfect.  VERY SIMPLE too.  Here is the sauce recipe:

Basic Tomato Sauce
1 T olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (28 ounces each) whole peeled tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Course salt and freshly ground pepper

In a saucepan, heat oil over medium.  Cook onion and garlic, stirring frequently, until translucent, 2-4 minutes.  Add tomatoes with their juice and the oregano.  Simmer, stirring occasionally and breaking up tomatoes with the spoon, until thickened, 20-30 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Sauce can be refrigerated up to 4 days or frozen up to 3 months; let cool completely before storing in airtight containers.  

Makes 6 cups.

Add a thin layer of the sauce to the bottom of the casserole dish.  Arrange 4 of the noodles on top.  Spread 1/3 of the cheese mixture on top of the noodles.  Then add 1/3 of the tomato sauce and 1/3 of the fontina cheese.  Continue layering.

Cover and bake for 30-40 minutes.  Remove foil and cook another 15 minutes.  Enjoy!

Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients

• 4 cups (32 ounces) whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 2 large eggs
• Salt and fresh ground pepper
• 2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove excess moisture
• 6 cups store-bought or homemade tomato sauce (Basic Tomato Sauce listed above)
• 12 no-boil lasagna noodles (8 ounces)
• 1 pound fontina cheese (4 cups), shredded

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese, eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add spinach, and stir well to combine.
   
   
2. Spread a small bit of tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish or dishes. Arrange a layer of lasagna noodles on top. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, followed by 1/3 of the remaining sauce; sprinkle with 1/3 of the grated cheese. Repeat to make two more layers, ending with cheese. If freezing, cover tightly with plastic wrap. Before baking, defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
   
   
3. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil; continue baking until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Let cool slightly before serving.
   
   
   

Green, White and Red Lasagna

Um, we ate this so fast, there was hardly a chance to take a picture.  It is so yummy.  I usually make my own polenta, but in this case I used the tube.  It is easier and less to clean up, but you could definitely substitute homemade.

This is for my friends who are fans of the deep covered baker.  :)  The recipe in full is at the end.
 

 

Mix the cooked turkey sausage, zucchini, bell pepper and one cup of the marinara.

Add italian cheese, and garlic to melted cream cheese.

Add a half cup chopped basil.

Slice polenta into rounds to use as layers in your lasagna.

Pour remaining sauce over bottom of the baker.  Arrange polenta rounds over sauce (do not overlap). Scoop one-third of the cream cheese mixture over polenta, spreading evenly. Top with one-third of the sausage mixture. Repeat layers two times. Microwave 15 minutes in your baker with lid on top.

Let set 10 minutes and dive in!

The Pampered Chef ® Green, White & Red Lasagna Recipe  1 1/4 lbs (625 g) bulk hot Italian turkey sausage or sausage links, casings removed   1 medium zucchini   1 medium red bell pepper   1 1/2 cups (375 mL) marinara sauce, divided   6 oz (175 g) cream cheese   1/2 cup (125 mL) loosely packed fresh basil leaves    2 cups (500 mL) shredded Italian cheese blend, divided   2 garlic cloves, pressed   1 1-lb (450-g) tube prepared polenta, room temperature  In Classic Batter Bowl, microwave sausage on HIGH 5–6 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles halfway through using Mix ‘N Chop. Drain using small Colander and Bowl. Blot sausage well with paper towels; return to batter bowl. Meanwhile, coarsely chop zucchini with Food Chopper. Dice bell pepper using Santoku Knife. Add zucchini, bell pepper and 1 cup (250 mL) of the marinara sauce to sausage; mix well. In Small Batter Bowl, microwave cream cheese on HIGH 1–2 minutes or until soft. Coarsely chop basil. Add basil, 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) of the cheese blend and garlic pressed with Garlic Press to cream cheese; mix well. Slice polenta crosswise into four even pieces. Slice pieces with Egg Slicer Plus® to create rounds. Pour remaining sauce over bottom of Deep Covered Baker; arrange polenta rounds over sauce (do not overlap). Scoop one-third of the cream cheese mixture over polenta; spread evenly with Small Spreader. Top with one-third of the sausage mixture. Repeat layers two times. Microwave, covered, on HIGH 14–16 minutes or until center is hot. Carefully remove baker from microwave using Oven Mitts. Sprinkle with remaining cheese blend; cover and let stand 10 minutes. Yield: 8 servings Nutrients per serving: Calories 370, Total Fat 24 g, Saturated Fat 9 g, Cholesterol 85 mg, Carbohydrate 17 g, Protein 22 g, Sodium 1120 mg, Fiber 2 g Cook's Tip: To prepare in oven, preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Cook sausage in (12-in./30-cm) Skillet 4–5 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles. Drain; blot excess moisture and place into Classic Batter Bowl. Proceed as directed through Step 3. Bake, covered, 40–45 minutes or until center is hot.

Lasagna Rolls

 

This is one of my favorite recipes from Giada De Laurentiis.  I know lasagna is a definite crowd pleaser, and this one does not disappoint!  I'm going to show you how easy it really is!  I took a lot of pictures this round so you will get a step by step for the whole recipe.

Start by preheating your oven to 450 degrees and greasing your 9 x 13 pan with nonstick spray or butter.

Boil lasagna noodles according to box and lay them out on sheet pans to cool.

Make a bechamel sauce by melting two tablespoons of butter and cooking four teaspoons of flour until it is cooked (about 3 minutes).  Add salt, pepper and nutmeg.  (I use fresh nutmeg...it is so much better!).

Mix ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese and egg in a mixing bowl until combined.

Add the chopped prosciutto to the mix.

The recipe called for frozen spinach, but I had fresh on hand and used that instead.  It gets added to the mix too.

Pour the bechamel sauce in the bottom of the dish.

Use a small scoop to put three piles of the cheese mix onto the noodles. 

There should be just enough filling for all 12 noodles.

Use a small spreader to spread the mixture onto the whole noodle.

Roll the noodles.

Place them seam side down into the bechamel sauce in the glass baking dish.

Add one cup of marinara to the rolls. 

I use homemade, but you can use what you like.  I have the homemade recipe on my blog with the meatball recipe.  Check it out...it is really easy!  You can keep it in a jar in the fridge or can it.  http://janiscooks.blogspot.com/2010/05/cherry-tomato-meatballs-spaghetti-with.html

Add a cup of mozzarella cheese and a couple tablespoons of parmesan cheese.  Cover and bake it in the oven for 20 minutes.

 

Let it set for 10 minutes. 

I used leftover hot dog buns from our cookout to make garlic bread.  I put about 1/2 a stick of butter, garlic and season all salt in a dish and spread it on the buns.  I put them in the hot oven for the 10 minutes we waited for the lasagna to set.

Dinner is served with a side salad and green beans.  Enjoy!

I didn't show it in the picture, but I serve it with a side car of marinara (one cup), so everyone can add it to their own lasagna roll.  It is truly a delicious meal!

Here is the recipe online:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/lasagna-rolls-recipe/index.html

Mini Lasagnas with Sweet Corn and Mascarpone

I saw this the other day on Giada's cooking show and printed it out immediately.  We love great pasta dishes in this house, so this was an easy choice.  The sweetness of the corn really makes it delicious!  And you cannot argue with that amount of cheese going into a dish!  Here is what I did:

Boil the lasagna noodles as directed by the box.  You need 12 for the recipe so be sure and do a few extra in case one or two tear or fall apart.  I didn't have a problem with them tearing.  Don't over cook the pasta, that is usually when it starts to fall apart. 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Butter the ramekins and prepare the creamy corn mixture in a food processor while the noodles are boiling.  I have had my black n decker food processor for about 9 years (bought it to make my oldest son's baby food and he is 9 now!).  I love using it to make quick pastry dough too.  I'll get into that another time.

 

Once the noodles are cooked and drained you can layer them into the ramekins.  Lay them across one another in an X. 

You may want to let the noodles cool a bit before attempting this. They are hot!

Add 1/4 of the creamy corn mixture to the ramekin.

 

Next add about 2 tablespoons of shredded provolone.  (I didn't have shredded and couldn't find a block to shred it, so I bought slices and cut them up.)

Fold over one of the layers and push down a little to allow space for the next filling.

Repeat the 1/4 cup of corn mixture and 2 tablespoons of provolone.

Fold over the last two lasagna ends and top with leftover corn mixture, provolone and pecorino romano (I ran out so topped them with parmesan which I always have a block of in the fridge).

Place them on a baking sheet and cook for 25-30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and run knife around the edge of the ramekins to loosen the lasagnas.

I let them sit a few minutes before unmolding them so that they stayed nice and hot until we were ready to eat.

I served them out of the ramekins with homemade garlic bread.

I had leftover bread from making paninis for lunch, so I cut the rest of the bread lengthwise.  I spread room temperature butter, fresh garlic, season-all salt, oregano and olive oil on top.  I placed it in the oven after I removed the ramekins.  Was a perfect addition to the lasagnas.

The recipe can be found at   http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/mini-lasagnas-with-sweet-corn-and-mascarpone-recipe/index.html courtesy of Food Network's Giada De Laurentiis.