Lasagna

 

This is a very filling and satisfying recipe from the French Laundry cookbook with some adjustments by my mom and I. My grandmother used to make amazing lasagna. I am not the biggest lasagna fan, but this recipe was so comforting and cheesy. The recipe is very easy to follow. I know we did burn the lasagna a bit, but that was because we left it in the oven for a long period of time so it would not get cold. We also added a little bit of salami on the top for some extra, salty flavor. 

Makes: 16 servings 
About 350 calories each (This is just an estimate- not 100% sure. This recipe does contain quite a bit of fat because of the cheese) 

Ingredients: 

• 1 pound lasagna noodles/ flat pasta sheets 
• 1/2 pound mozzarella, grated
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Red sauce 
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1+1/2 cups minced yellow onions
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/2 cup tomato paste 
• 8 cups cut-up peeled tomatoes (about 12 to 14 medium tomatoes, cut into rough 1-inch pieces)
• 1/4 cup chopped oregano or 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped basil

Filling:

• 1+1/2 pounds whole-milk ricotta
• 3 large eggs 
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley  
• Salt and pepper to taste 

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
• DO NOT DO THESE STEPS IF YOU ALREADY HAVE TOMATO SAUCE: Heat the oil in a large pot and add the onions and garlic. Cook them until they turn translucent. 
• Add the tomato paste and stir for about 10 minutes. The oil should turn a little bit orange. Add the tomatoes. 
• Simmer the sauce for 1-2 hours stirring and scraping the bottom to prevent the sauce from burning.
• Add the oregano to the sauce. Cool the sauce and let it cool. 
• In a large bowl, assemble the filling by whisking the ricotta and eggs until they are blended. Add the parsley, salt and pepper and mix. You can refrigerate the filling. 
• To start assembling the lasagna, spread sauce over the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch baking pan. Place a layer of noodles in the pan and then spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles. Top with another layer of noodles and repeat this process. Top the final layer of noodles  with sauce. Add the mozzarella with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle it over the top. 
• Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.