Directions: |
Directions:BEGIN with the meat sauce: In a large saucepan heat the EVOO. Mince the garlic and shallot and add it to the oil. Let the garlic and shallot sweat on low heat until translucent. While that is cooking, begin assembling the meatball. In a medium bowl combine the ground beef, egg, ¼ cup of Parmesan, Italian breadcrumbs, & 1 Tbsp of the Italian seasoning. Form into a meatball, but flatten it a bit so it will be submerged when placed in the sauce, set aside. Add the tomato sauce and paste to the shallot/garlic mixture in the saucepan. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp of Italian seasoning and mix well. Bring to a boil. Add meatball and cover with sauce. Bring heat down to low and let simmer for 2 hours. Take out meatball and mash, add it back to the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste, add more seasoning if needed.
ASSEMBLING cheese layer: Dice all vegetables finely and saute in oil (except spinach). Drain them well. Rinse spinach and fully squeeze out water. In a medium sized bowl add ricotta cheese, sauteed vegetables, spinach, egg, and Italian seasoning. Mix well, cover, and place in refrigerator until ready to assemble lasagna.
In your largest pot, bring water to a boil. Add salt. One by one, put lasagna noodles in the pot, criss-crossing them (in a star pattern) so they don't stick. Once they are all in, let sit for a few minutes before stirring. Stir several times while cooking to ensure they do not stick. Cook until they are limp, but not completely cooked. You want them a bit harder than al dente. Lay out a towel on the counter. Put wax paper on top of the towel. Using tongs and a spoon, gently take noodles out of pot and lay them on the wax paper. Add another sheet of wax paper on top when bottom layer is full and continue to take noodles out of the pot. Continue this until all noodles are out of the pot.
IN YOUR lasagna pan you will begin layering with a layer of meat-sauce lightly coating the bottom of the pan. Add a layer of noodles. Add a 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, next 1/3 of the mozzarella, and 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese, sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper. Next layer the meat-sauce, you want to cover the cheese layer, but if you add too much sauce the lasagna will be very wet. Repeat this layering two more times. Add a final layer of noodles. Add meat-sauce to the top of the noodles.
TENT your lasagna pan with tin foil. Cook for 1 hour at 375º.
IMPORTANT: Give yourself enough time to let the lasagna sit for at least 15-25 minutes once you take it out of the oven to set, otherwise it will be soupy. |
This recipe for Mommy's Lasagna is from