Need the best Lasagna recipe?

and also ';secret'; tips - like, how do you keep the noodles on top from getting hard? Or in what order do you prefer the layers? Mine always seems so usual, so bland, so dry, like not real tomato-ey and juicy! Help!Need the best Lasagna recipe?
everyone always tells me I make the best lasagne. Just to let you know, this recipie isn't exact because I usually don't measure anything...





1-2 jars spaghetti sauce (depending on how much you're making)


a box of lasagne noodles


ricotta cheese, one of the larger containers, i think its a quart or something.


1 bag of pizza blend shredded cheese (mozzerella and provalone)


shaker of parmesan and romano cheese blend


anything else you want to put in it, i put italian style sausage in it, the kind that's like ground beef. I cook that first with a little garlic before I put it in.





Just to let you know, I do not cook my lasagne noodles. When i do cook them, it always turns out really watery.





cover the bottom of the pan with sauce, put a layer of noodles, then put half of the ricotta cheese down. on top of that, put about a third of the bad of mozerrella, then sprinkle it with parmesan and romano. then i add the sausage. Then, put some more sauce. Repeat one more time. On top of the last layer of noodles, pour the rest of the sauce, but make sure it covers all the noodles or the top ones won't get cooked. then put the rest of the mozzerella and sprinkle some romano and parmesan. cover with foil, bake at 350 for an hour. check to make sure the noodles are done. if they are not, cook it another 15-20 minutes. yummy.





another thing i have tried that turned out really good was using 1 jar of spagetti sauce and 1 jar of alfredo sauce.





also, sprinkle some italian seasoning over each layer of cheese and on the top, that gives it some extra something.Need the best Lasagna recipe?
Olive Garden 5 Cheese Lasagna


Olive Garden Lasagna





***ALFREDO SAUCE***


1/2 pound sweet or salted butter


12 ounces heavy cream


fresh ground white pepper


1 1/2 cups fresh parmesan -- grated


18 slices mozzarella cheese -- 1/2oz ea


***RICOTTA CHEESE MIX***


1 pint ricotta cheese


2 ounces romano -- grated


3 ounces mozzarella -- shredded


2 tablespoons green onions -- sliced


2 teaspoons fresh parsley -- chopped


1/2 teaspoon salt


1/8 teaspoon black pepper


1/4 teaspoon dried basil


1/4 teaspoon dried oregano


1 1/4 cups alfredo sauce -- cooled


***VEGETABLE MIX***


4 cups broccoli florets


2 cups carrots; sliced 1/4'; -- chopped


4 cups mushrooms -- sliced 1/4';


2 cups red bell peppers -- diced


1 cup green bell pepper -- diced


1 cup yellow onion -- diced


2 cups zucchini -- sliced


lasagna strips





Lay out enough dry lasagna strips in a 9x13 pan to ensure you have enough to make 3 full layers, with very little overlap on each layer. Remove the dry strips and cook according to package instructions until barely ';al dente'; and drain.





ALFREDO SAUCE-Heat water to a boil in the bottom of a double boiler. Add butter, cream and pepper to the top pot and heat until butter is completely melted, then stir in Parmesan until melted and blended. Remove top pot and set aside to cool. Divide the sauce into 2 equal portions. Refrigerate 1 portion for use later.





RICOTTA CHEESE MIX- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and blend thoroughly with a rubber spatula.





Set aside at room temp.





VEGETABLES-Combine all veggies and mix well. ASSEMBLY-Coat the bottom and sides of a 9x13 baking dish with vegetable spray. Lay out cooked lasagna strips (about 4) to cover entire bottom. Spread 1-1/4 c of the Ricotta mix evenly over the strips. Top with 8 c of veggie mix and spread out evenly. Lay out 9 of the mozzarella slices to cover the veggie layer. Repeat this layering. Top the second layer of mozzarella slices with lasagna strips and spread them evenly with 1-1/4 c ricotta cheese mix to finish.





COOKING-Spray a sheet of foil with vegetable spray and cover the baking dish tightly with the foil, sprayed side down. Bake in a preheated 375F oven for about an hour or until the internal temp is 165F. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for a few minutes, covered, before cutting and serving. Immediately prior to serving, heat the reserved portion of Alfredo Sauce and ladle the hot sauce over each slice of lasagna as it is served
ok well i cook the (recipe also on back of noodle box)


NO COOK NOODLES LASAGNA





1 lb. ground beef


1 (15 1/2 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce


6 oz. (1 1/2 c. shredded) Mozzarella cheese


2 eggs


1 1/2 c. cream style cottage cheese


1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese


1 tsp. dried oregano


9 lasagna noodles


3/4 c. hot water





Brown ground beef in skillet over medium high heat. (You may also cook it in microwave). Pour off grease. Add jar of spaghetti sauce to ground beef, scraping jar with rubber spatula. Stir with spoon until all blended. Set aside. Shred Mozzarella cheese, put aside 1 cup of cheese.


Crack eggs and beat lightly. Add cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, and the 1 cup of Mozzarella cheese. Add the 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushing it between your fingers. Mix all ingredients well.





Turn oven to 350 degrees. Place 3 uncooked lasagna noodles in a 12 x 7 1 2/ x 2 inch baking dish. Measure 1 1/3 cups of the meat mixture; using a rubber spatula, spread it over the noodles.





Use a spoon to spread about half of the egg cheese mixture over the meat mixture. Place 3 more uncooked noodles on top of the egg cheese mixture. Measure another 1 1/3 cups of meat mixture and spread it over the noodles. Spread remaining egg cheese mixture over meat. Top with 3 more uncooked noodles and the remaining meat mixture.





Measure hot water. Pour into the baking dish, pouring around all 4 edges of the dish. Cover the dish with aluminum foil. Press foil to sides to seal.





Bake for 1 1/4 hours. Remove, and carefully pull foil off (the steam is hot!). Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Buy Stouffer's frozen lasagna. They even have a family size. It is delicious. You can find it in the freezer section at the grocery store. It comes in three sizes.





Michael Angelo has a good frozen lasagna too.
Italys Pastas.
When creating a lasagna, start with the main ingredient (ragu, vegetables, seafood, etc.), add a layer of bechamel, then one layer of pasta sheets and then the main ingredient again. Continue until the oven dish is full. End with a layer of pasta, spread some bechamel on top and sprinkle the cheese over it.





Some recipes call for the bechamel to be mixed through the ragu or tomato sauce, while others tell you to layer it between the pasta and the ragu. This seems to be based on personal preference and taste.





Besides sprinkling cheese on top of the lasagna, it's also a good idea to mix some through the bechamel sauce, to give the lasagna some cheese flavor throughout, instead of just on top. Turn the heat off under the bechamel sauce before adding the cheese, or the sauce will become rubbery.





When it comes to the pasta dough there is a choice between home-made pasta and store bought dried pasta. Since dried pasta is made with just water and flour and home made fresh pasta usually includes eggs, there is a distinct difference in flavour and texture. The main difference, however, comes from ease of use. Making pasta from scratch can be a lengthy process and takes some practice to get it right. Fresh pasta also needs to be precooked before assembling the lasagne. See the pasta page for a fresh pasta recipe.





Dried pasta is usually precooked, so it can be put in to the oven dish straight out of the packet.





In the US, pasta sheets generally have a curvy surface. Outside the US, they are almost always flat.





*************************





Here is a recipe for traditional lasagna.





Ingredients:





2 tbsp olive oil


1 large onion, finely chopped


3 lbs Minced beef


4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or crushed


1 can chopped plum tomatoes


10-15 basil leaves, chopped or torn (or 1 tsp dried basil)


1/2 tsp dried oregano


5 crushed black peppercorns (or to taste)


1 tsp sea salt (or to taste)


1/2 tsp sugar


One pack of lasagna sheets


1 1/2 pints Bechemel Sauce *


Finely grated parmesan





* Bechemel Sauce:





1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) butter


1/4 cup flour


2 cups milk


Salt, white pepper, and nutmeg, as desired





Melt the butter in a sauce pan. Add the flour and whisk together over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Do not allow to brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool nearly to room temperature.





Add hot milk and whisk to combine.





Add the salt, white pepper, and nutmeg, and heat till just simmering.





If desired, you may bring the sauce to a boil; once the b茅chamel sauce has come to a boil, lower the heat to low and very slowly simmer for about 45 minutes. Stir it often with a whisk to avoid sticking to the bottom. Do not allow the sauce to brown. The longer the sauce is simmered, the smoother it becomes due to the cooking and swelling of the starch grains





Preparation:





Heat the olive oil in a heavy base or non-stick pan over a medium-high heat. If the oil browns, turn the heat down. Add the onion and fry until golden brown.





Increase heat to high and add the meat and garlic. Fry until brown. Minced/ground beef takes some time to cook well. Fry until there is little moisture left in the pan. If necessary, spoon out any excess fat. Add the tomatoes, cover the pan and lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the bechemel sauce.





Pre-heat the oven to 375 f.





Mix the basil, oregano, salt %26amp; pepper in to the ragu.





Place a thin layer of ragu in the base of the ovenproof dish and cover with a single layer of pasta sheets. Spread a layer of bechemel sauce over the pasta. Repeat this until you run out of meat, making sure that you have enough bechemel sauce left to cover the top layer of pasta.





Sprinkle the grated parmesan over the top.





Place the dish in the oven on the top shelf and cook for about 45 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and the sauce is bubbling.