Pasta For Everyone
Blog Prompt: Today is National Lasagna Day. Do you like Italian food? What is your favorite Italian dish?
*faints* Pat just had to put more food prompts!!!!! hehehe
I love lasagna so much. I have a pretty basic recipe and it works for us. I don’t make it very often because it makes so much and there is just the two of us. So, I usually end up putting half in the freezer for later. Which is a good thing.
I haven’t found anything Italian that I don’t like. Even the men!!!! *LOL* I am a pastaholic and love it made in any way, shape or form. I just read on a website about the history of pasta. Very interesting and worth a quick read. I have never made home made pasta, but I have a friend down the street that does it all the time. I can truly taste the difference. She is of Italian decent and she really can cook some good stuff for sure. I love it when she throws a party.
But, now adays, I only get wheat pasta. Yes, its brown in color, but I’ve come to enjoy it and you really have to watch it as it cooks. It can turn to mush very quickly.
I fixed my famous Pasta Salad the other day while my brother and his family were down for a visit. He loves that salad. Anyway, you are suppose to use tricolor twisted pasta, but I used wheat pasta. He looked at the salad and asked why the pasta was brown. I told him we only eat wheat pasta now and just eat it. It still tastes the same, it just isn’t as pretty as in the past. My brother is one of those people that if it doesn’t look the same, it can’t possibly be any good. He ate at least half of that huge batch I made.
I recently saw a great recipe on the food network and wanted to try it out. Since these are rolls, I think it will be so much easier to serve. I can NEVER serve lasagna without it falling apart when I take it out of the pan.
Lasagna
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
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.
Everyone have a wonderful pasta meal today,
My son is a pastaholic, too. I like lasagna too but it is a lot of work to make and it does make a lot. That is funny about your brother and the brown pasta. lol
I wonder how the lasagna rolls would freeze? It ould be nice to fix a batch and freeze it for later since I would be the only one eating it now.
I absolutely love pasta too! When we get to meet f2f, let’s go get some pasta. As for food prompts, I can’t help myself – food is just so interesting, motivating, inspirational, fun…I could go on forever! LOL