Make-Ahead Lasagna
- Unexpected Foodie
- Jun 6, 2017
- 3 min read
Who doesn't love a good pasta dish?!?!
Recipe #19 is a meal you can make ahead when you have a little bit more time on your hands, say the weekend, and have it all ready to pop into the oven when you get home from work on a weekday.
Delicious, AND efficient! It's a win-win!
This picture is the only one I snapped before eating, and it doesn't do it justice.
The recipe calls for San Marzano canned tomatoes, and if you can, don't try to substitute this for another brand. San Marzano tomatoes are jammed packed with flavour, and make for a really great sauce. It also leaves you with quite a bit of left over sauce to freeze and have ready for your next pasta meal!
This may not be the recipe my Italian mom uses on the regular for her traditional lasagna that I grew up with, but it sure is delicious. Enjoy!
*Original recipe from Sarah Copeland's The Newlywed Cookbook.
Ingredients
Marinara Sauce
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- Two 32-oz cans whole, peeled San Marzano tomatoes, with juice
- 2 bay leaves
- Pinch of dried thyme or basil (we used dried thyme and oregano)
- 2 or 3 sprigs of fresh basil
- 1 tsp sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Lasagna
- pinch of sea salt
- 8 oz/225 g dried lasagna noodles
- 1lb ground beef
- One 16 oz/455g whole milk cottage cheese
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 8 oz/225g fresh mozzarella cheese
- 8 oz/225 g shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions
For the Marinara Sauce:
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat
- Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes
- Add the tomatoes, crushing through your fingers as you pour them into the pan (***This step is important! Your sauce will be smoother for it. But be forewarned - you may get sprayed with a tomato, so take precaution)
- Add the bay leaves, dried spices and basil, and cook until the sauce thickens, about 30 minutes, crushing the tomatoes further with a wooden spoon to help them break them down
- Season with salt and pepper
- Pull out and discard the bay leaves and basil
- You should have about 4 cups of sauce - Reserve 2 1/2 cups of it for the lasagna and freeze the rest for your next pasta dinner!
For the Lasagna:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil
- Cook the lasagna noodles until al dente, about 12 minutes (or whatever the package tells you) and drain
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and cook the beef
-Stir occasionally, until browned through
- Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving excess fat behind
- In a medium bowl, mix cottage cheese, eggs, and 1/4 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano and season with a pinch of salt and pepper
- Slice the fresh mozzarella as thin as possible with a sharp knife, season lightly with salt and drain on paper towel
- Lightly brush a 9x13 ovenproof pan with olive oil
- Line the bottom with lasagna noodles (Don't be stingy)
- Add a third of the sauce and half of the cottage cheese mixture
- Sprinkle on half of the meat and top with a layer of shredded mozzarella
- Repeat with remaining noodles, another third of the sauce and the rest of the cottage cheese mixture, meat and shredded cheese
- Finish with any remaining sauce and finally the slices of fresh mozzarella, sprinkling on the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes
- Remove foil and continue baking until the cheese bubbles and the lasagna is warmed through, about 20 minutes more
- Remove from the oven and let cool for about 15 minutes before slicing
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