Man Friendly Lasagna Recipes

Steps:

• To assemble:
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cover the bottom of a deep baking dish with a layer of Bolognese sauce. Lay out the uncooked pasta sheets over the sauce until they cover the baking dish entirely. Cover the pasta with another generous layer of Bolognese sauce. The liquid from the sauce will cook the dried pasta so be sure to add enough sauce. Drizzle the bechamel sauce and sprinkle the mozzarella on top, until both are distributed evenly. Add another layer of dried pasta, laying the sheets in the opposite direction. Repeat the process of adding sauces, mozzarella, and pasta for another 2 to 3 layers or until two-thirds of the baking dish's depth is filled. Top off the last layer of sauces and mozzarella with a generous sprinkle of the Parmigiano cheese.
• Place the pan in oven for approximately 40 minutes and let rest for 20 minutes before serving.
• In a hot saucepan, melt the unsalted butter with the olive oil, and add the carrots, onion, celery, and chili pepper. Cook the ingredients over medium heat, until they are soft. Add a sprig of rosemary. Add the ground beef and pork, and cook until golden brown. Remove the rosemary sprig, and add the white wine. Let reduce. Add the tomato sauce or La Salsa di 5 Minuti, and let simmer on low heat for 1 hour. Before serving, add basil leaves and salt to season. Serve immediately.
• Salsa di 5 Minuti:
• Heat olive oil in a saucepan and add onion, garlic, and chili peppers. Gently fry ingredients together. Add pureed plum tomatoes to saucepan. Simmer on low to medium heat for 10 minutes.
• Season with salt to taste. Add basil leaves at the very end.
• Bechamel:
• In a saucepan, heat up the milk, and bring to a gentle simmer. In another saucepan, melt the butter and immediately add the flour.
• Lower the heat, and mix until the butter has absorbed all the flour and is the consistency of thick dough. Make sure the butter-flour mixture does not burn or brown.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat, and whisk in a couple of ladles of heated milk into the butter-flour mixture. Whisk until the flour has absorbed all of the milk. Put the saucepan back on the burner over medium heat, and whisk in the remainder of the milk.
• Continue whisking until the sauce thickens and becomes a creamy velvety consistency.

Steps:

• Brown meat in a skillet. Drain fat from meat (I usually rinse it under warm water.).
• Meanwhile, boil noodles according to package directions (its OK if they're a little underdone.).
• Meanwhile mix the egg and cottage cheese in a bowl, and set aside.
• Spray a 9x13 pyrex. Coat the bottom with a very thin layer of pasta sauce. Layer about half of the noodles on top of the sauce. Layer the meat on top of that, followed by another thin layer of sauce. Layer the cottage cheese mixture on top of that, followed by the remaining noodles. Add the remaining sauce on top of the noodles (I prefer it thin on top, so that the noodles get crispy-chewy.) Sprinkle all of the cheese on top of the lasagna.
• Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes depending on how crunchy you like your noodles.
• I have found that half of a container of cottage cheese is perfect, so I usually go ahead and mix the remaining half with an egg, and freeze it. It defrosts quite easily in the fridge next time.
• I also usually buy the meat on sale in bulk, and freeze it in pre-cooked portions. If you do that, you can easily put this meal together quickly. It's also easy to make 2 lasagnas at once, and freeze one for later. You can reheat it in the microwave, or in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes, covered.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Sauté the mushrooms, onions, celery and garlic over medium heat in 2 tbs. water until tender. Remove from heat. Add the spaghetti sauce, Italian seasoning, seasoning salt and TVP granules - set aside.
• Place the tofu and spinach in a food processor and blend briefly. Add remaining filling ingredients and process until smooth.
• Pour half of the spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 11x13-inch, prepared pan. Place a layer of uncooked noodles over the sauce.
• Spread half of the tofu mixture on top of the noodles. Drop by spoonfulls and then spread it evenly. Sprinkle 1/2 of the soy cheese blend on top of tofu mixture.
• Cover with another layer of noodles. Spread the remaining tofu mixture over the noodles as before. Sprinkle remaining soy cheese on top of tofu mixture. Top with a final layer of noodles.
• Pour on the remaining tomato sauce and spread evenly. If desired sprinkle sliced olives on top. Cover the dish with aluminum foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes. The noodles will bubble up making the top look uneven when done. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before cutting.
• This dish freezes very well.
• TVP can be found in most grocery stores where the "Bob's Red Mill" organic foods are sold; or you can purchase it online.