Description
This recipe comes from a book titled "the best make-ahead recipe." from the book's jacket: ". . . America's test kitchen uncovers the secrets behind truly great make-ahead dishes by reengineering recipes from the ground up to withstand storage and reheating, so your food always tastes fresh and flavorful." i haven't yet tried this recipe but put it here for safe keeping.
Ingredients
- Olive Oil
- Onion
- Garlic Cloves
- Meatloaf Mix
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Heavy Cream
- Tomato Puree
- Diced Tomatoes
- Ricotta Cheese
- Parmesan Cheese
- Basil Leaves
- Egg
- Ground Black Pepper
- Lasagna Noodles
- Mozzarella Cheese
Instructions
- For the sauce: heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering
- Add the onion and cook until softened but not browned, about 3 minutes
- Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds
- Stir in the meat loaf mix, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper and cook, breaking the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until the meat loses its raw color but has not browned, about 4 minutes
- Stir in the cream, bring to a simmer, and cook until the liquid evaporates and only the fat remains, about 5 minutes
- Stir in the tomato puree and drained diced tomatoes, bring to a simmer and cook until the flavors are blended, about 3 minutes
- Season with salt and pepper to taste
- Set aside
- For the ricotta filling: stir all of the ingredients together until combined
- Set aside
- To assemble the lasagna: spread 1 cup of the sauce over the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch baking dish
- Place 3 of the noodles in a single layer in the baking dish
- Spread 1 / 3 cup of the ricotta mixture over each noodle, then sprinkle the layer with 1 cup of the mozzarella
- Spoon 1 cup of the sauce evenly over the cheeses
- Repeat the layering of the noodles, ricotta, mozzerella, and sauce twice more
- Place the remaining 3 noodles on top, cover with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella and the parmesan
- To store: wrap the dish tightly with plastic wrap and then foil and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month
- To serve: adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees
- Unwrap the dish and cover tightly with foil that has been sprayed with vegetable oil spray
- Bake until the sauce bubbles lightly around the edges, 30 to 40 minutes
- Remove the foil and continue to bake until hot throughout and the cheese is browned in spots, 25 to 30 minutes longer
- Let cool for 10 minutes before serving
- To serve right away: bake as directed, reducing the covered baking time to 15 minutes