National Lasagna Day: Two Delicious Recipes to Try!
Today is National Lasagna Day, and who doesn’t love lasagna?! We have two fantastic recipes for you to try and the best part is ... there is a vegetarian recipe as well!
Serves: 12
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
8 ounces plant-based hot Italian-style sausage (such as Beyond Meat®), chopped
6 ounces cooked and crumbled ground meat substitute (such as BOCA)
1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
¼ cup water
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
1 tablespoon white sugar
¾ teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt, divided
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
12 lasagna noodles
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
12 ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced
6 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
Cooking spray
Instructions:
Heat oil in a large pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add in your onion and garlic; cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring until tender. Next, stir in plant-based sausage, meat substitute crumbles, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, 1 tablespoon parsley, sugar, basil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, and pepper. Then bring to a boil; reduce heat and let simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally!
Now, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add in lasagna noodles; cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and rinse noodles with cold water.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and begin to stir together egg, ricotta, remaining 2 tablespoons parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl.
To assemble your lasagna, spread 1/3 of the tomato/meat alternative sauce in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over the sauce. Next, spread over noodles with 1/2 of the ricotta mixture. Top with 1/3 of the mozzarella slices. Then, spoon 1/3 of the sauce over mozzarella and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan. Repeat layers and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
Now, cover the dish with cooking spray-coated foil, and bake for 25 minutes! Remove foil and bake until hot and bubbly, about 25 minutes more. Cool for 15 minutes before slicing into 12 equal servings. Enjoy!
Serves: 12
Ingredients:
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
¾ pound lean ground beef
½ cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
½ cup water
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 ½ teaspoons dried basil leaves
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 ½ teaspoons salt, divided, or to taste
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
12 lasagna noodles
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg
¾ pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions:
In a large pan or Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Next, stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally!
Then, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook your lasagna noodles in the boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. When your timer is finished, drain the noodles, and rinse with cold water. Then, In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix well!
Now is a good time to preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C)!
Next, to assemble your lasagna, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Then, arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over the meat sauce. Spread one half of the ricotta cheese mixture over your noodles. Then, top with a third of the mozzarella cheese slices. Now, spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
Bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Clara Busé is a recent graduate from SCAD, Savannah College of Art and Design. She has a BFA in Writing and is currently working from her hometown, Atlanta.