Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Lasagna!!!!

I remember the first time we went to an Italian restaurant and I looked upon the menu and asked what's lasagna? My husband looked me with a teasing smile, not because I didn't know what lasagna is but because I pronounced it as lasag-na and not lasan-ya. But when I actually saw it, I wondered , How could I eat this without messing up..still couldn't find a way to eat it without a mess. Since it is loaded with cheese, I resist myself from having it often. Only once did we try this at home..It does take a lot of time and effort, but it definitely is worth the effort.
I have posted the recipe of chicken lasagna.You can substitute with a vegetable of your choice or use your favorite pasta sauce.

Things you'll need:
Lasagna noodles - 8 oz (1/2 pack)
ground chicken - 1/2 lb
Olive oil - 1tbsp
Spaghetti sauce or your favorite pasta sauce - 2 cups
Ricotta cheese - 8 oz
Parsley - 1 cup finely chopped  (you can also chop and add some spinach leaves)
Mozzarella cheese - 4 cups, shredded
salt - as required
Ground black pepper - as per taste

Yield - 4 Servings

Method:

Step1:
Boil water in a large pot enough to fit the lasagna noodles (if you don't have a big pot you can evenly break the noodles into two). Add some salt and the noodles. Cook the noodles according to package directions. They will take approx. 8 to 10 mins to cook.

Step2:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl mix the ricotta cheese and the parsley with a couple of pinches of salt.  In a heated pan pour the olive oil and when the is hot add the ground chicken with some salt and pepper. Cook the chicken while separating them with a spatula. When the chicken is almost done, add the sauce and cook for a couple of minutes until the mixture is thick.


















Step3:
Take a baking pan, preferably of 13x9 dimension, spread half of the chicken-sauce mixture evenly in the bottom of the pan, then arrange half of the cooked noodles flat on the mixture. Spread half of the ricotta cheese on the noodles. Sprinkle half  of the mozzarella cheese on top. Repeat this by arranging chicken- sauce mixture, noodles, ricotta cheese and mozzarella.















Step4:
Cover the baking pan with aluminium foil, so that steam doesn't escape. Bake the lasagna for 30 mins, then uncover the pan and bake for another 10 or 15 mins. Viola!! Lasagna!!

No comments:

Post a Comment