Cheese and Tomato Lasagne
Serves 4-6
For the sauce
Yield: 1 lb.
Ingredients
Heat the oil and garlic in a 4- to 5-quart pot over medium heat. Cook until the garlic is golden-brown, about 3 minutes. Discard the garlic. Add canned tomatoes (or tomato sauce if using), the crushed red pepper, and 1 tsp. salt; simmer gently, adjusting the heat as needed, until the tomatoes begin to break down. Whisk the tomatoes vigorously to break them up. Stir in the basil and let the sauce cool to room temperature.
Assemble the lasagne
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.
Set aside 1 cup of the sauce and mix the remaining sauce with the ricotta in a medium bowl. Mix the mozzarella and 1/2 cup of the Parmigiano in another medium bowl.
Spread 1/2 cup of the reserved tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9x13x3-inch baking dish. Cover the sauce with a slightly overlapping layer of cooked noodles, cutting them as needed to fill any gaps. Evenly spread 1/4 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle 1/4 of the grated cheese evenly over the ricotta. Add another layer of noodles, and repeat the layers as instructed above, to make a total of 4 ricotta-and-cheese layers and 5 pasta layers. Spread the remaining plain sauce evenly over the top noodle layer. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the top is browned and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Make Ahead Tips
You can assemble the lasagne up to 2 days ahead of baking it. Tightly wrap the baking dish in plastic and refrigerate it. Let the lasagne come to room temperature before baking it.
Variations
Sprinkle 1/4 cup crumbled cooked Italian sausage or browned ground beef and chopped onions over each layer of the ricotta mixture.
Or scatter 1/2 cup sautéed chopped spinach and 1/2 cup sautéed mushrooms over each layer of the ricotta mixture.
Serves 4-6
For the sauce
- 1 Tbs. olive oil
- 2 medium cloves garlic, smashed
- 28-oz. can whole plum tomatoes (or our tomato sauce)
- 1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes; more as needed
- Kosher salt
- 3 large basil leaves, torn by hand into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 cup whole-milk ricotta
- ½ lb. grated fresh mozzarella
- 3 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1 ½ x recipe Fresh Pasta
Yield: 1 lb.
Ingredients
- 12 oz (2.25 cups) AP Flour
- 4 oz (about 2) Whole eggs
- 1 tsp Salt
- 3 oz Water
- Pour the flours and salt in the middle of a clean smooth work area. Make a well in the center of the flour. Mix the egg, yolks, and water and add to the well.
- If the dough is too moist and sticky, sprinkle with approximately one more tablespoon of flour. If the dough is to dry, sprinkle it with 1 tablespoon of water.
- Lightly flour clean work surface and place dough on floured area. Knead the dough by pressing on it with the heel of your hands, pushing it away from you. Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic, from 10 to 20 minutes.
- Gather kneaded dough and form a ball. Cover the ball of dough with plastic or foil and set aside to rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour. If longer than 24 hrs, flatten ball and freeze to keep dough from oxidizing and turning grey.
- Remove dough from refrigerator and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- Using your hands, roll dough into a log, and cut log into egg size pieces, then flatten each piece slightly. Spread pieces out so they aren't touching and cover with plastic wrap.
- Using the widest setting and taking one piece of the flattened dough, feed through rollers.
- Fold dough in half & roll again. Repeat 6 more times, lightly dusting the sheet of pasta in between each rolling if it feels the slightest bit sticky. Finish rolling all pieces at this setting before moving on to the next setting.
- Move adjustment knob to setting 2 and feed each dough sheet through the rollers once.
- Move adjustment knob to setting 3 and feed each dough sheet through the rollers once.
- Continue to increase roller setting until desired dough thickness is reached: 3 for Thick type egg noodles; 4 for standard egg noodles; 4 or 5 for lasagna noodles (these settings are dependent on model of machine).
- Separate sheets once desired thickness is achieved with a thin towel or piece of plastic wrap dusted with flour, so the dough doesn't dry out too much.
- Boil the noodles in batches so they cook evenly and don’t stick together. Let the water return to a boil after each batch and cook until just barely al dente; the noodles will cook more as they bake.
- Rinse the cooked noodles under cold running water. This removes excess starch and keeps them from sticking.
Heat the oil and garlic in a 4- to 5-quart pot over medium heat. Cook until the garlic is golden-brown, about 3 minutes. Discard the garlic. Add canned tomatoes (or tomato sauce if using), the crushed red pepper, and 1 tsp. salt; simmer gently, adjusting the heat as needed, until the tomatoes begin to break down. Whisk the tomatoes vigorously to break them up. Stir in the basil and let the sauce cool to room temperature.
Assemble the lasagne
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.
Set aside 1 cup of the sauce and mix the remaining sauce with the ricotta in a medium bowl. Mix the mozzarella and 1/2 cup of the Parmigiano in another medium bowl.
Spread 1/2 cup of the reserved tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9x13x3-inch baking dish. Cover the sauce with a slightly overlapping layer of cooked noodles, cutting them as needed to fill any gaps. Evenly spread 1/4 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle 1/4 of the grated cheese evenly over the ricotta. Add another layer of noodles, and repeat the layers as instructed above, to make a total of 4 ricotta-and-cheese layers and 5 pasta layers. Spread the remaining plain sauce evenly over the top noodle layer. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the top is browned and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Make Ahead Tips
You can assemble the lasagne up to 2 days ahead of baking it. Tightly wrap the baking dish in plastic and refrigerate it. Let the lasagne come to room temperature before baking it.
Variations
Sprinkle 1/4 cup crumbled cooked Italian sausage or browned ground beef and chopped onions over each layer of the ricotta mixture.
Or scatter 1/2 cup sautéed chopped spinach and 1/2 cup sautéed mushrooms over each layer of the ricotta mixture.