Lasagna blogging!

I made a lasagna the other day, and oddly enough felt the urge to capture it on video. Now, *I'm* the one holding my little digi-cam, so please don't expect Emeril Lagasse, OK? But, this wild impulse seized my imagination, and so I decided to just go with it.

All right - the first thing you need to realize is that the amounts I give below will probably make TWO lasagnas - or at least leave you with lots of ingredients to use with other recipes. So, if you're making this for a small family, either freeze a lot of it, or share it out with family and friends.

Me, I like to share it out - and one of these days, I'm going to get a commercial refrigerator and freezer in our storage room downstairs, so I can have all sorts of casseroles etc. prepared, assembled, and frozen - ready to go for family, friends and neighbors in need. I love to cook, but even more, I love to share my cooking!

All right - for ingredients you'll need, look at the list below. All amounts are approximate, and feel free to mix-n-match and substitute; this is merely what I had on hand.

• 1 pound box lasagna noodles, uncooked (2 pounds if you're going to fix 2 lasagnas)
• 3 pounds hamburger meat (go ahead and use the stuff that's on sale!)
• 2 15 oz. containers of ricotta cheese (trust me!)
• 12 oz shredded Parmesan
• 12 oz shredded "Italian Cheese Mix" (Parmesan, provolone, mozzarella)
• 1 pound shredded mozzarella
• 4 25 oz jars of spaghetti sauce, divided (I like Prego's basic meat or the garlic and basil)
• 3 cups chopped onion
• 2 TB minced garlic
• basil, oregano, pepper (FRESHLY GROUND!!!) to taste

First of all, you need to cook the meat, so slap it in a fairly large pot and start browning it over medium-low heat. Add in the onions and garlic (see? brainless, here - I'm even going to be really lazy and NOT drain off the fat!), and make sure that the meat doesn't cook up in clumps. After all, you're going to be making a "spaghetti sauce," so to speak, so you don't want it too chunky with the meat.

After the meat is all browned and crumbly, you can drain off the fat (if you feel motivated), put it back in the pot, and add all the spaghetti sauce (except for 1 cup you should keep in reserve). Keep the heat medium to medium-low - we're in no hurry... And you've got a glass of wine to sip on while you're cooking, right? I can't cook properly without a glass of wine to help inspire me... *giggle*

Oh! And rinse out all the sauce from the jars with some water or red wine, adding that liquid into the pot, You want the sauce to be a bit sloppy, so that there's plenty of moisture to soak in to the noodles as they cook.

Now, while that sauce is heating up, put the reserved sauce in the bottom of your lasagna pan (note what I say about the pan in the video which follows). If you're going to fix two lasagnas, make sure you put some in the bottom of each pan, and spread it around fairly evenly. This helps cook the noodles, and also keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

And, from here on out, I'll let the videos tell the story:

I hope you enjoyed it - I had fun, although I doubt that Emeril Legasse needs to feel threatened, LOL. I'm sure I left some stuff out, so please let me know in the comments, and I'll be happy to clarify. However, this is such an easy recipe that it's hard to go wrong!

You can also experiment - why not add some spicy sausage slices in with the meat? Can you figure out a way to make it vegetarian with mushrooms and other alternate ingredients? I can say that TVP - "texturized vegetable protein" - and tofu can work, although you really need to jack up the flavors. It's not a very expensive dish, especially considering how many it feeds. Add some hot, crusty garlic bread and a simple salad, and you really have a good meal!

Oh, and one video I almost forgot to add: the one about cleaning up!

See? It's a snap!

You know, I enjoyed this - I've got to do more of the Café del Gato stuff...

Technorati Tags: cooking, lasagna, how-to, easy

Comments

[Raven]

1.

mmMMmm....now I have a HUGE craving for LASAGNA!!

and what am I chowing tonight? Beef Stroganoff.

[Raven]

2.

Ok thats so does it. TOMORROW nights its lasagna and fries!

LOL