Lasagna is yummy.

So I switched gears a bit and made lasagna.  I was getting a bit tired of sugary baked goods and the clean up involved in baking.   So I made lasagna, which actually makes more dishes than making cupcakes.  This is one of 2 recipes that I learned from my mother that are actually good.  My mom's cooking is the reason I learned to cook and bake for myself.  But she had this lasagna recipe that she shared with me and in the years since she taught this to me the recipe has grown and changed as my skills in the kitchen have improved with age.  I use the Tinkyada brand of gluten free pasta.  They have many shapes and sizes including lasagna noodles.  They are not my favorite brand, but Bi-Aglut is no longer available in the U.S.  The Tunkyada noodles taste good and hold up well to over-cooking.  They are good enough that you can use them to make pasta with brown butter and cheese.

Anyway here is the lasagna recipe.  All ingredients can be increased or decreased to your personal taste.  I like garlic but some people don't like it a s much as I do.

1 package GF lasagna noodles
1-2 pounds ground beef (or turkey or pork, or a combination of meats)
2 large cans peeled whole tomatoes
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 small can tomato paste
6 cups mozzerella cheese, shredded
1 large container ricotta cheese (I like the low fat, but use what you like)
Basil
1 small onion chopped
dried parsley
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 cups parmesan cheese

Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions.  You want them a bit undercooked so start testing them 3-4 minutes before the packages says they should be done.  You want them cooked slightly less than al dente.  They should still have  bit of crunch to them, this will cook out later.

Once the noodles are cooked, drain them and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.  Leave them to drain.


Combine the ricotta cheese and the egg.  Add 1 cup grated parmesan cheese and about 1 tablespoon dried parsley (the parsley is not essential so if you don't have any you can leave it out)
Brown the meat in a large skillet.  Add some minced garlic (I usually add about 2-3 cloves here) and some dried basil.  Once the meat is cooked, drain it and wipe out the skillet. 

Put the 2 cans of tomatoes into the skillet.  Using your spatula or a spoon break up the tomatoes.  You want small pieces.  I usually break them into quarters and then cut the quarters in half if they are too large.  The size of the tomato pieces is pretty much a personal preference.  If you are cooking for anti-tomato people, use canned minced tomatoes.

You can also use fresh tomatoes, I would use about 6-8 medium tomatoes.  Cut them into 1 inch chunks and saute them in the pan with some olive oil until they are soft.

Add the tomato paste and stir to incorporate it with the tomatoes in the pan.  Once this is smooth add 3-5 cloves chopped garlic and the onion.  Once this is cooking nicely add the meat back in and stir to incorporate.  Let this simmer for 10 minutes or so.  You want it to thicken and cook down a bit to make the sauce.  This also allows the flavors to combine.

Once the sauce is ready you can assemble the lasagna.
In a 9x13 casserole dish put down a layer of the cooked noodles.  Slightly overlap them and cover the entire bottom of the dish.  Spoon about 1/3 of the meat sauce over the noodles and spread it to cover the noodles completely.  Put 3-4 heaping tablespoons of the ricotta mixture over the meat and gently spread it as best as you can to cover the sauce.  Don't worry if it doesn't cover it well, it will melt and spread during cooking.  Cover all this completely with mozzerella.

Cover the cheese with another layer of noodles and continue layering until you run out of meat sauce.  I usually get 2 complete layers in.  Once the top layer of mozzerella cheese is on sprinkle more paremsan cheese over the top.

Put the lasagna in a 350 oven for 30-60 minutes.  You want the cheese to be melted and bubbly.  I like it to be really browned but you can cook it less.  If the lasagna is really full put some foil on the oven rack below it to catch the overflow.  I usually put the foil on the rack below the one I have the lasagna on, this way I can catch everything.  Do not put the foil on the bottom of your oven, you will block the vents if it is a gas oven and if it is an electric oven putting the foil under the heating element defeats the purpose of putting foil down to keep the melted cheese off the heating element.

This is the only picture I got of the lasagna since we ate most of it before I could get pictures.  These are the last 2 pieces from the day after I made the lasagna.  It never stays around very long and there are only 2 of us.  I usually serve this with garlic toast and a nice salad. 

Garlic toast is easy: take gluten free bread (or rolls) and spread it with butter and sprinkle garlic powder on top.  Top with some grated parmesan and put in the toaster oven until the cheese is bubbly and browned.  You can also simply make garlic butter and spread that on the bread.  The cheese is optional but I like cheese even more than I like garlic.

So there it is.  My lasagna.  I apologize if the quantities are not very specific but this is the first time I have written this down and it does change slightly every time I make it.  Experiment with the quantities until you find the way you like it best.   You can make it vegetarian by browning diced eggplant instead of the meat and just make the sauce the same way.  I have also used sliced eggplant as the noodles and then just browned vegetables in the sauce to put on top.  Experiment, find what you like and stick with it.  That is what this cooking thing is all about.