When preparing lasagna, the choice of ingredients is almost endless. You can cook a vegetarian pie, the classic lasagna with meat sauce or prepare them with any other food, enriching them for example with your favorite cold cuts, cheeses and vegetables. Lasagna is a delicious and nutritious dish, perfect as a first course at dinner. It might seem pretty tricky to find a way to keep all the ingredients in their place without creating a shapeless mess, but you don't have to worry. Arranging the lasagna layers is quick and easy. Once you master the technique, you can be as creative as you want, even without following a precise recipe.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Preparation
Step 1. Prepare all the ingredients
You need to have cold items, such as cheese, and hot preparations, such as meat, grilled vegetables, and sauces on hand. Make sure you have an uncluttered, clean workspace and everything is close at hand.
- Try to organize all the ingredients, separating them into separate bowls arranged on the kitchen counter.
- If you have decided to make lasagna with meat, try a mix of ground beef, chicken and pork flavored with bacon and herbs. Make sure the meat is fully cooked before adding it to lasagna.
- For vegetarian lasagna you can use mushrooms, sliced zucchini and fresh spinach.
Step 2. Choose the pasta
You can use the sheets that do not need to be boiled or the traditional ones. The latter must be pre-cooked in boiling water, while the dry ones will be cooked in the oven. If you prefer, you can also lightly sear the dried sheets to soften them before composing the layers.
Choose the type of pasta according to your tastes and how much time you have available. If you don't have much experience with this type of dish, you will be able to cook it much faster using dry sheets
Step 3. Get the right type of pan
To make the layers properly, you need to use a deep, wide baking dish, whether it's metal or glass. Choose the deepest pan you have and large enough to hold all the lasagna you want to cook.
- If you use a deep dish, cooking times will be longer than with a shallower dish.
- Glass is a bad conductor of heat, but it distributes it more evenly. If you use a glass dish, the lasagna will cook more evenly and will stay warm in case you have to wait for a few diners before serving dinner.
- Metals, especially aluminum, are generally better heat conductors. They heat up quickly, but cool down just as quickly once they are taken out of the oven. In addition, metal pans make the edges and bottom of the lasagna crispier than glass pans. Finally, consider that the metal pans will not keep the dish warm if you have to wait too long before serving dinner.
Part 2 of 3: Overlap the Layers
Step 1. Prepare the pasta sheets
If you have decided on dry ones, take them out of the package and place them next to the other ingredients. In case you have purchased the traditional pasta sheets, follow the instructions on the box regarding the boiling times and remember to drain them thoroughly. Finally, wait for them to cool for a few minutes, as they will be too hot to handle. You can also cool them under cold running water, but once they are cold don't wait too long to use them, otherwise they will stick together.
- If you are using a smaller dish than the one indicated in the recipe or you have decided to halve the doses of the ingredients, then you can cut the sheets to fit the pan. You can also carefully break up the dried sheets and arrange them according to the shape and width of the pan.
- Before putting lasagna in the oven, be sure to turn the edges of the sheets down as they may burn or become dry and crumbly if left exposed.
- To make it easier to transfer portions from the pan to the plates and to give the lasagna golden edges, lightly butter the inside of the pan before arranging the layers. If you are using a non-stick pan, this step is not necessary.
Step 2. Start composing the first layer
Pour a small amount of sauce into the bottom of the pan to keep the pasta moist and prevent it from sticking to the pan. Then take a blanched and drained sheet of pasta (or a dry sheet) and arrange it well flattened over the sauce; place all the sheets you need to cover the bottom of the pan, overlapping them slightly. Your goal is to make a layer of pasta that covers the whole pan.
- Remember that you can cut the sheets to fit the shape and size of the pan.
- If you use the dry sheets, you should break them and not overlap them, otherwise the edges that are on each other will remain hard even after cooking.
Step 3. Add the filling
This varies according to the recipe, you have to follow its instructions to prepare it and then spread it on the first layer of dough. Pour about 1/3 of the filling to cover the sheets on the bottom.
Don't make the layers too thick, or the lasagna will separate when you cut them for serving
Step 4. Sprinkle some cheese
Again you have to follow the directions of the recipe you have chosen to create the cheese mixture. This must cover the surface of the filling with a thin layer, so use enough to not leave areas "uncovered".
If the recipe calls for using a ricotta mixture alternating with a separate layer of mozzarella, put the soft cheese first and then the stretched curd cheese
Step 5. Pour more sauce
With a spoon, coat the cheese layer with more sauce until it is covered. Depending on the size of the pan, you will need different amounts of gravy.
- Try not to overdo the sauce or you'll have liquid-filled lasagna.
- When using dry sheets, you need to spread more sauce on them, as this type of pasta needs to absorb moisture as it cooks in the oven.
Step 6. Repeat the process
When you have placed the second layer of sauce, create another layer of pasta, followed by the filling, cheeses and other sauce. The number of layers depends on the recipe and the size of the dish. Use all the filling you have available.
- Have about four sheets left over or as many as needed to make the last layer.
- You will need some more cheese to sprinkle on the surface.
Step 7. Garnish the last layer
Finish the preparation by putting four sheets of pasta, three lengthwise and one perpendicular (but obviously the number of final sheets can vary according to the size of the pan). Sprinkle some cheese on top of the last layer of dough, so that it forms a delicious golden crust as it cooks. You can also add a sprinkle of sweet paprika as a finishing touch.
If you are using dry sheets or prefer lasagna with more sauce, you can add a layer to the top
Step 8. Freeze the dish (optional)
If you wish, you can cover the pan with aluminum foil and place everything in the freezer, where the lasagna will keep for up to three months; eventually you can bake them and they will still be delicious.
- Before cooking them, remember to defrost them completely; otherwise you will have to increase the cooking times.
- Take the lasagna out of the freezer the night before cooking it and let it thaw in the refrigerator. It is better to cook partially frozen lasagna than to leave it on the kitchen counter.
Part 3 of 3: Layer Layers with Creativity
Step 1. Try different sauces
Tomato-based ones, with or without meat, are the traditional and most popular choice for lasagna, but you can also try the delicious Alfredo sauce.
Step 2. Put several cheeses
If you want to give your lasagna an interesting and new touch, substitute cottage cheese with cottage cheese. You can also use scamorza, which is drier than mozzarella. Remember to sprinkle some Parmesan too!
Step 3. Replace the egg pasta sheets with ravioli
This way you can create a truly personalized baked pie, using your favorite ravioli. Try the mushroom, meat, cheese or vegetarian ones for a different dish than the traditional one, but equally delicious.
Step 4. Don't use pasta
This is an alternative way to enjoy different "lasagna", especially if you are on a low-carb diet or need to avoid gluten. Replace the sheets with slices of zucchini and you will eat healthy without even realizing it.
Step 5. Try some fish lasagna
If you're looking for a preparation to impress someone, try this recipe. Use crabmeat, shrimp, and scallops.
- Tomato sauces easily hide the delicate flavor of almost all crustaceans and molluscs. Use a cream-based sauce.
- This is a dish that you can prepare in advance so you can enjoy the company of diners.
- For really special occasions, try adding lobster to the fish mixture, just when you arrange the crabmeat.
Step 6. Do some experiments
Use leftover chicken or steak from the previous dinner that are now in the refrigerator; don't be afraid to chop them to add them to lasagna. If you have any tomatoes or onions that you need to use before they rot, cut them into cubes and put them in the sauce.
- Be careful when adding "optional" ingredients, because you have to take into account the different cooking times.
- Pre-cooked ingredients are usually fine, as they will only need to be reheated in the oven with the rest of the lasagna. However, when adding raw ingredients, such as courgette slices or grated carrots, make sure they have time to cook.
- If in doubt, cut the ingredients into small pieces.
Advice
- When using the dried sheets, add a slightly larger amount of the sauce. This type of pasta absorbs moisture as it cooks in the oven. You can make the dry sheets cook more evenly by arranging the layers a few hours before baking, so that the dough becomes soft. Otherwise you will have to blanch them briefly.
- Homemade lasagna is excellent when cooked spontaneously and not traditionally. You can add almost any type of leftover from previous meals to create a truly delicious baked pie that's far more appetizing than single reheated leftovers.
- Lasagna is "runny" when the sauce is not thick enough.
- Don't obsess about finding the "right" way to layer lasagna layers. The only basic principle that you must respect is to ensure that each sheet of pasta has a sufficient quantity of liquid to cook (if you use dry pasta) or that the weight of each layer is not excessive (if you use pre-cooked or boiled pasta.). Your goal is that the various ingredients remain "compact", so that the lasagna tile retains its shape once served. The most effective trick for this is not to overdo the amount of ingredients for each layer.
- Do not overlap the sheets of dry pasta with each other because there is a risk that hard bites will form where the liquid has not been able to penetrate properly. You can also break up the sheets and redistribute them "in mosaic" when necessary.
- The first cause of mushy and shapeless lasagna is too moist ricotta. Filter the cheese through cheesecloth or a sieve to remove excess liquid. Ricotta can be filtered for up to 24 hours by placing it in the refrigerator.
- One of the most common mistakes is to overcook lasagna; remember to preheat the oven according to the directions in the recipe you have decided to follow.
Warnings
- A very liquid sauce will ruin the lasagna. Try to prepare thick and full-bodied ragu instead of liquid and mushy ones.
- Check that the meat is well done before adding it to the lasagna.
