Oven-ready lasagna?

[George K]

I've never used oven-ready lasagna noodles, but, having just made the sauce, I realized that's what Mrs. George bought last time.

What, if anything, should I do different from the standard, boil for 8-10 minutes, lasagna noodles?

[Mik]

Nothing. They're precooked.

[jon-nyc]

They’re great. I use them exclusively now.

[brenda]

Hmmmm

Must try this!

[George K]

I had made a batch of spaghetti sauce a while ago which I had frozen, divided into 3 packets. D4 came for dinner last night, and I thought I'd use that stuff for the lasagna. Unfortunately, I only had 1 packet left and that would not have been enough, so I whipped up a batch to blend with the premade stuff - ground beef, onion, garlic, tomato sauce, bunch of herbs, etc. Mixed with the thawed stuff, and it came out pretty tasty. When I assembled the lasagna, it was the right amount for the big dish I made (we have enough leftovers for 3 more meals).

But the lasagna was just a bit on the dry side. Could have been more moist. I think I remember reading that if you're using oven-ready, you should account for the fact that the noodles will absorb moisture from the sauce. Perhaps that's what happened?

The recipe I used (except for the sauce part):

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

1 pound sweet Italian sausage
¾ pound lean ground beef
½ cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
½ cup water
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 ½ teaspoons dried basil leaves
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 ½ teaspoons salt, divided, or to taste
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
12 lasagna noodles
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg
¾ pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

[jon-nyc]

Here’s mine which is designed around no-boil noodles. Definitely more liquid and only 1lb of meat

[George K]

@jon-nyc that looks like a yuge recipe! Just adding up the weights is about 6 lb!

Can you also share the directions, please?

[jon-nyc]

Some of those are fluid ounces but they contain a lot of moisture so close enough.

It is a great recipe. I always freeze leftovers in single serving packages.

[George K]

@George-K said in Oven-ready lasagna?:

Can you also share the directions, please?

Bump...

Directions, please?

[jon-nyc]

@George-K

[George K]

@jon-nyc thanks!