# ISO Creamy Cheesy Lasagna



## sarah (Dec 6, 2005)

i'm craving cheeses and creamy,buttery things a lot these days,i love lasagna,but have never made it myself,well i have a rough idea,but need an authentic,good tasting recipe.
anybody?


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## Barbara L (Dec 6, 2005)

This isn't buttery, but there is a ton of cheese in it. This is the recipe my mom always made me for my birthday every year, and fortunately she gave me the recipe so I can make it now that she is gone.  

 Barbara

Lasagna
 
Ingredients:​ ​1 can (2 ½ cups) tomatoes (whole or diced)​1 8-oz. can tomato sauce​1 pound lean ground beef​2 cloves garlic, minced​½ cup chopped onion​2 Tablespoons parsley​1 ½ teaspoon salt​¼ teaspoon ground black pepper​9 lasagna noodles​¾ pound mozzarella cheese, shredded​1 pound cottage cheese (I usually use a whole large carton)​¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese​ ​Directions:​ ​Brown beef.  Add onion, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, tomatoes, and tomato sauce.  Cover and simmer 30 minutes.  ​ ​Cook noodles, following directions on package.  Drain and separate.​ ​In 9x12 baking dish (glass or metal) arrange ½ of the sauce, then noodles, mozzarella, cottage cheese, and ¼ cup Parmesan cheese.  Repeat, ending with remaining sauce and Parmesan cheese.​ ​Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.​ ​Serves 8​


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## Constance (Dec 6, 2005)

I use the recipe on the back of the box...I figure they know best...it's their product.  
This is not a 30 mintute dish...This is a dish you want to put your "whole heart into".
I generally doctor up Prego Sauce with Italian Sausage, mushrooms, and a little extra seasoning. 
I mix ricotta cheese with frozen, defrosted chopped spinach (wring all the liquid out in a tea towel), a beaten egg, S&P, and a good amount of shredded parmesan cheese.
I have always cooked the lasagna noodles, then sunk them in cold water, but now I understand that you can actually use uncooked noodles if your sauce is juicy enough. 
So...spray your pan, and preheat the oven to 350. Put a little sauce in the bottom, then aded a layer of noodles. Dollap on some of the ricotta mixture, and spread out. Sprinkle liberally with grated mozzerella and a more tomato sauce. Repeat layers until you get to the top. Top with noodles, mozzerella, and grated parmesan. Cover with foil and cook 45 minutes, then uncover and cook until top is golden and bubbly.
Serve with small salad and garlic bread.


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## sarah (Dec 6, 2005)

Barbara L said:
			
		

> This isn't buttery, but there is a ton of cheese in it. This is the recipe my mom always made me for my birthday every year, and fortunately she gave me the recipe so I can make it now that she is gone.
> 
> Barbara
> 
> ...


 

  serves 8 or maybe just one ,...ok that sounds great,but theres only one thing,i really dont like cottage cheese,so any other cheese that i can substitute?


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## SierraCook (Dec 6, 2005)

sarah said:
			
		

> serves 8 or maybe just one ,...ok that sounds great,but theres only one thing,i really dont like cottage cheese,so any other cheese that i can substitute?


 
Sarah, you can substitute ricotta cheese for the cottage cheese.


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## Constance (Dec 6, 2005)

Sara, you will like the ricotta better than the cottage cheese, but you can always just leave it out. 

Here's a recipe that's a lot easier, and tastes as good as any lasagna you've ever eaten.

Ravioli Lasagna

Ingredients:
1 26 oz jar spaghetti sauce (Prego)
1 30 oz bag frozen cheese ravioli, unthawed
1 10 oz pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry and finely chopped  (opt)
1 8 oz pkg mozzerella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 14x9 baking dish with
cooking spray and spoon in a third of the sauce. Arrange 12 ravioli on
top and scatter the spinach over them. Top with half of each cheese.
Cover with another layer of ravioli and remaining sauce and cheese.
Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes more,
or until bubbly.

*Note: For a heartier dish, add 1 lb. each cooked, drained and crumbled
Italian sausage and ground chuck, to spaghetti sauce.  A can of drained
mushrooms is good too, if you like.


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## sarah (Dec 6, 2005)

Constance said:
			
		

> Sara, you will like the ricotta better than the cottage cheese, but you can always just leave it out.
> 
> Here's a recipe that's a lot easier, and tastes as good as any lasagna you've ever eaten.
> 
> ...


 
 wow my mouth is watering,infact i wanna make something like that right now,but i dont have ravioli or even lasagna noodles right now,but i have fettuccini and some chicken breasts,and mozzrella and parmesan.so maybe i should make my own version of it using the things i have at hand,with the help of all these ideas.... ,and i can top it with some white sauce,what do u guys think?


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## Barbara L (Dec 7, 2005)

I prefer cottage cheese in mine, but yes you can use ricotta instead.   

 Barbara


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## SizzlininIN (Dec 7, 2005)

Sara..........I too don't like cottage cheese....I also don't care for the Ricotta cheese....something about the texture in my mouth.  Anyway I just buy 2 bags of pre shredded Kraft Italian Blend Cheese and use it for the cheese layers.

Barbara....I'll definetely be trying your recipe with my tweak above.  I usually just buy 2 jars of Ragu 7 Herb Sauce and doctor that up for my sauce mixture but yours sounds really good and I will be trying it.....thanks!


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## Barbara L (Dec 7, 2005)

It is really super easy to make Sizz.  Let me know how you like it.     I have made it with ground buffalo also.

 Barbara


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## SizzlininIN (Dec 7, 2005)

did you just say buffalo.......... .  Okay, I hearby add another thing to my list of things I won't eat.  Well lets just say....as long as I know what it is prior I'm not going to eat it.  If someone tricks me then thats a whole nother ballgame though


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## sarah (Dec 7, 2005)

SizzlininIN said:
			
		

> did you just say buffalo.......... . Okay, I hearby add another thing to my list of things I won't eat. Well lets just say....as long as I know what it is prior I'm not going to eat it. If someone tricks me then thats a whole nother ballgame though


 
 i got tricked into eating rabbit once,yuck....didnt eat after the 1st bite,though i didnt know it was rabit,i just thought this meat tastes weird...


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## Barbara L (Dec 8, 2005)

LOL  Buffalo is just like beef, but much leaner.  It has very little cholesterol.  I like it for meatloaf because you don't lose anything at all to shrinkage.  It is very expensive though, so I usually use regular ground beef.

 Barbara


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## Constance (Dec 9, 2005)

Sarah, you can make a great dish with the ingredients you listed. Go for it!


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## Alix (Dec 9, 2005)

Sarah, if you use a regular lasagna recipe, (like that yummy one Barbara posted) and get rid of the cottage cheese, try upping the mozza and using some bechamel sauce in there too. Put the bechamel on the noodles and then sprinkle them with extra cheese.


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## CharlieD (Dec 9, 2005)

The recipe below was provided courtesy of “chef Rich” back on Food network forum. It is an awesome recipe, especially if you want a lot of cheese. Personally, I do not like lasagna, but his one is really good, probably because there is no meat. And I am a big time meat lover, but this one is really good. 


TRICOLOR LASAGNA 

"Lasagne al Forno Tricolore con Quattro Formaggio" (13 x 9 x 3 baking dish)

~preheat oven to 325 deg. F.~

***********************************************

------- The Filling --------

3 lbs. part skim ricotta
3 C. grated parmigiano reggianito from Argentina (cheaper version of Parmigiano Reggiano if desired)
3 extra large whole org. eggs
2 tsp. sea salt

1 lb. frozen chopped spinach, squeezed very dry
1 lb. roasted red peppers, drained and squeezed very dry

15-16 Barilla brand No-boil lasagna noodles

Blend the ricotta, parmigiano, eggs and salt in a mixer or food processor until light and fluffy. Divide this filling into three
equal portions. Puree the roasted peppers in the food processor bowl and whisk into one of the filling mixtures (red) until thoroughly mixed. Rinse the food processor bowl and dry. Puree the drained spinach and whisk this into another one of the filling mixtures (green) until thoroughly mixed. Leave the third filling mixture white.

-------- The balsamella --------

2 T. butter
2 T. xv olive oil
4 T. org. white rice flour (or AP flour)
6 C. 2% low fat milk
2 tsp. sea salt 
1 1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1 tsp. white pepper

Melt the butter in the olive oil in a heavy 3 Qt. saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and whisk in the milk, slowly at first, until all the milk is added. Return to the heat and bring to a scald, still stirring constantly. Lower the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until thickened, stirring often. Season with the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir, check seasonings and correct if necessary and remove from the heat. Yields about 5-5 1/2 cups.

-------- The topping --------

1 C. parmigiano reggianito
1 1/2 T. dried Turkish oregano
1 1/2 C. shredded fontina cheese
1 1/2 C. shredded asiago cheese

To assemble and bake the lasagna, spray the bottom and sides of the baking dish with Pam olive oil spray. Ladle about 1 cup of the balsamella in the bottom and spread around evenly. Place 3-4 noodles over the white sauce, not overlapping too much as the noodles expand somewhat. Spread the red ricotta mixture over this layer of noodles. Top with another cup of balsamella and a layer of 4 more noodles (typically the sides of the pan slope outward so you can fit more noodles on the upper layers). Spread the white ricotta mixture on this layer and top with another cup of balsamella. Place 4 more noodles over this layer and spread the green ricotta mixture on top of these noodles. Cover with another cup or so of the balsamella.
Top with 4 more noodles and the remaining balsamella. Mix the parmigiano and the oregano and sprinkle over the white sauce. Spread the shredded fontina and asiago evenly over the top and spray with a little more olive oil Pam until glistening.

Place in the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake for about 1 hour until set (knife comes out clean) and top is golden brown and crispy. Cool for 15 minutes before serving or serve at room temp. Cool completely, wrap and freeze for reheating later.

**********************************************

  I usually oven bake peppers, as it is simply easier, and easy to remove skin before chopping them up. Also I add stewed mushroom to the cheese layer. I sauté some onion add mushrooms, when mushrooms let out the liquid I stir and add some sour cream and let it cook till soft, add spices of your liking.  I try to cook till all the liquid is gone, than puree the mixture in the same manner as peppers and spinach. Also I add couple of tablespoons of tomato paste to pepper/ricotta mixture to make it look redder. Also not all of those cheeses are available, so I adapt to what is available. Of course it goes without saying that spices could be adjusted to your taste, i.e. I like some garlic added.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Dec 9, 2005)

Mish, in the ravioli/wonton filling post, asked for our favorite fillings for ravioli, manicotti, lasagna, and other fillable foods.  I posted the following recipe.  It has a lot in it and is very tasty, but a bit more involved.  Hope you like it.  Oh, and shredded Muenster cheese makes a great substitue for cottage cheese that's used in this recipe.  The cooked texture is more like that of a good mozzarella, but with a sweeter, more dairy-like flavor, and not as salty.

Classic Lasagna in my household goes something like this:

2 lbs. ground beef, browned
1/2 lb. medium cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 lb. mozarella or muenster cheese, shredded (depends on my mood)
16 oz. container, large-curd cottage cheese
2 cans sliced black olives
1 yellow onion, diced
3 - 12 oz. cans tomato sauce
1 - 12 oz. can tomato paste
16 oz. sliced mushrooms
2 tbs. EVOO
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 & 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. ground thyme
1/2 tsp. ground rosemary
1 tsp. sweet basil
3 bay leaves
2 packages whole wheat lasagna noodles

Lightly brown the mushrooms, garlic and onions in the olive oil over medium heat in a three quart sauce pan. Add the tomatoe sauce and herbs. Simmer for about 20 minutes while you grate the cheeses and open the olives, get your lasagna pan out, etc.

While the sauce is cooking, place the noodles into a large pot and cook for about 7 minutes. Then drain and cool.

When the sauce is done, ladle enough of it, without the mushrooms, into the lasagna pan to cover the bottom. Place enough noodles on the pan bottom to cover. Spoon on sauce to cover, followed by an even sprinkling of cheeses, including the cottage cheese, and black olives. Try to get the chunky parts evenly distributed. Lay on more noodles and repeat. Finish with a layer of noodles, tomato sauce with no chunks, and a sprinkling of the remaining cheese.

Of course you can substitute Italian sausage for the ground beef, and ricotta for the cottage cheese. You can do it any way you like. But this is our favorite lasagna recipe. With my pan, I can go five layers thick. 

Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake at 325 for 45 minutes.  If you want, you can skip the pre-cooked noodles part and make the sauce very soupy.  The past will absorb the excess liquid and cook until tender, absorbing the sauce flavors.  After the 45 minutes has elapsed, remove the foil and allow the top to brown just a bit.  Serve with bruschetta and a good , leafy salad.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
__________________
"There is no success outside the home that justifies failure within the home."


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## sarah (Dec 10, 2005)

Constance said:
			
		

> Sarah, you can make a great dish with the ingredients you listed. Go for it!


 
 I made it Constance! and it was delicious,actually i was reheating some left overs right now to eat as dinner...


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## sarah (Dec 10, 2005)

Alix said:
			
		

> Sarah, if you use a regular lasagna recipe, (like that yummy one Barbara posted) and get rid of the cottage cheese, try upping the mozza and using some bechamel sauce in there too. Put the bechamel on the noodles and then sprinkle them with extra cheese.


 
 bechamel sauce is what i was talking about,actually where i come from,.we call it a white sauce...


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## sarah (Dec 10, 2005)

thanks CharlieD and Goodweed! great recipes


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## bluespanishsky (Dec 28, 2005)

this is my favorite lasagna recipe it's from Giada DeLaurentiis on the food network. it is so good, however i omit the proscuitto, and substitute cottage cheese for ricotta.

Lasagna Rolls

Sauce: 
2 tablespoons unsalted butter 
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour 
1 1/4 cups whole milk 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper 
Pinch ground nutmeg 

Lasagna: 
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese 
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry 
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan 
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped 
1 large egg, beaten to blend 
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting water 
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil 
12 uncooked lasagna noodles 
2 cups marinara sauce 
1 cup shredded mozzarella (about 4 ounces) 


To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the bechamel sauce. 


Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. 

Whisk the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan, prosciutto, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend. 

Add a tablespoon or 2 of oil to a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil the noodles until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking. 
 Butter a 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass baking dish. Pour the bechamel sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread about 3 tablespoons of ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle. Starting at 1 end, roll each noodle like a jelly roll. Lay the lasagna rolls seam side down, without touching, atop the bechamelsauce in the dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture. Spoon 1 cup of marinara sauce over the lasagna rolls. Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan over the lasagna rolls. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinara sauce in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat until hot, and serve alongside.


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## Brooksy (Dec 28, 2005)

Unbelievable.... 

C&P'd the lot. Thank you all.


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