Recipe for Lasagna
Ingredients
- Lasagna sheets (whole wheat) - 9 (I have used oven ready noodles)
- Ricotta cheese - 2 1/4 cups
- Cooked minced meat (lamb) - 3 1/2 cups (recipe follows)
- Mozzarella cheese - 3 cups (cut into thin slices)
- Parmesan cheese - 1 cup
- For mincemeat:
- Mincemeat - 1 1/4 kg
- Onions - 3, finely minced
- Garlic - 5, crushed
- Tomatoes - 5, finely chopped
- Tomato puree - 1/2 cup
- Tomato Sauce - 5 tbsps
- Black pepper powder - 1 tsp (adjust)
- Fennel seed powder - 1 tsp (optional)
- Italian seasoning - 2 tsps
- Salt to taste
- Olive oil - 4 tbsps
- Parsley - 2 tbsps, finely chopped (substitute with fresh coriander leaves)
Cooking Directions
Heat 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Turn off heat.
Pour the hot water into a rectangular baking dish. Place 9 lasagna sheets in the hot water for 5 mts.
Drain the water and lay the lasagna sheets on a tray. Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed vessel.
Add crushed garlic and saute for few secs.
Add finely chopped onions and saute for 6 mts.
Add black pepper powder and fennel seeds powder and mix.
Add chopped tomato and cook on low to medium flame for 6 mts.
Add tomato puree and tomato sauce and cook for another 6 mts. Add mincemeat and mix on high flame. Cook for 5 mts, mixing once in a while.
flame, place lid and cook for 20 mts. Add 2 cups water, salt and Italian seasoning and place lid and simmer till the meat is cooked and you have a nice saucy mincemeat.
It should take approx 40 to 45 mts to cook over stove top. Once the mincemeat is cooked, turn off heat. Add chopped parsley and mix. Keep aside.
Start layering the lasagna in a oven dish (9X13 inch). Spread 2 ladles of minced meat in the dish.
Over the mincemeat, place 3 lasagna sheets next to each other with 1/2" gap between each sheet. The lasagna sheets should not touch the walls of the oven dish (keep a gap of 1/2" all around).
The lasagna sheets expand on cooking and hence we need to place them at a distance from the walls of the oven dish.
Spread 1 cup of minced meat over the lasagna sheet. Over the mincemeat layer, place dollops of ricotta cheese with a spacing of 2" to 3".
Next place mozzarella slices evenly and finely sprinkle a little parmesan cheese.
Repeat the same process by a second layer 3 lasagna sheets, topping again with mincemeat, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese slices and little parmesan.
Repeat with a final layer of 3 lasagna sheets, topping again with mincemeat, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese slices and a generous layer of parmesan on top.
Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil taking care that the foil does not touch the lasagna sheets and cheese.
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 C for 25 mts with foil and remove the foil and bake for another 25 mts.
Cool for 15 to 20 mts and serve.
by Pak101.com (few years ago!) / 1235 views