Lasagna for Days
Mar. 3rd, 2021 09:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerLast night I made lasagna. Home-made, of course. Yes, I've tried store-bought frozen lasagna. I bought a whopping 6-pounder from Costco a year ago. It was... okay... in kind of a school-cafeteria-food-is-okay way. That inspired me to make my own lasagna. I made one (home-made) last April for the first time in... possibly ever. Since then I've made lasagna a few more times. As much as the result is delicious I only do it once every 2 months or so because a) it does still take time to put one together and b) a pan of lasagna gives us enough dinner for 3 days.
...Actually, as I reassess what's leftover tonight, it looks like this one's gonna last 4 days.
![Lasagna [Mar 2021]](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/canyonwalker/33413618/708278/708278_original.jpg "Lasagna [Mar 2021]")
I made a few tweaks to my lasagna recipe last night. First, I knocked out a whole layer. Instead of 4 sheets of pasta I used just 3. The main reasons I did this were to make the dish less carbohydrate intensive and shift the balance of flavors more toward the fillings— meat, sauce, and cheese— than the pasta. That definitely worked, and having fewer layers stacked vertically also brought the benefit of better structural integrity when I sliced it. No "sploosh!" out on all sides when I served it onto plates this time.
![Lasagna [Mar 2021]](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/canyonwalker/33413618/707972/707972_original.jpg "Lasagna [Mar 2021]")
One thing that did not change was the quantity of ingredients— other than the pasta. I still used 1 pound of ground beef (pre-cooked weight), 1 pound each of mozzarella and ricotta cheeses, and about 1.5 pounds of tomato sauce. (Sauce weight is approximate because I judged by desired consistency and appearance, not measured amounts.) This lasagna was probably also a 6-pounder. One of these times I'll weigh the baking pan before & after.
The second change I made was mixing an egg in with the ricotta cheese. That gives it a stiffer, fluffier texture when cooked. That likely helped with the lack-of-Sploosh! factor.
The third change I made was switching back to boiling the pasta. That's the classic way of making lasagne. I'm well aware of the modern alternative approach of using uncooked pasta. I've tried it once or twice and I've disliked the results. The lasagna comes out too dry, and the uncooked pasta bends around in weird shapes while baking, making the finished dish look like it was slapped together carelessly. For me it's not enough that food tastes good; it needs to look good, too. I taste with my eyes before my tongue.
...Actually, as I reassess what's leftover tonight, it looks like this one's gonna last 4 days.
I made a few tweaks to my lasagna recipe last night. First, I knocked out a whole layer. Instead of 4 sheets of pasta I used just 3. The main reasons I did this were to make the dish less carbohydrate intensive and shift the balance of flavors more toward the fillings— meat, sauce, and cheese— than the pasta. That definitely worked, and having fewer layers stacked vertically also brought the benefit of better structural integrity when I sliced it. No "sploosh!" out on all sides when I served it onto plates this time.
One thing that did not change was the quantity of ingredients— other than the pasta. I still used 1 pound of ground beef (pre-cooked weight), 1 pound each of mozzarella and ricotta cheeses, and about 1.5 pounds of tomato sauce. (Sauce weight is approximate because I judged by desired consistency and appearance, not measured amounts.) This lasagna was probably also a 6-pounder. One of these times I'll weigh the baking pan before & after.
The second change I made was mixing an egg in with the ricotta cheese. That gives it a stiffer, fluffier texture when cooked. That likely helped with the lack-of-Sploosh! factor.
The third change I made was switching back to boiling the pasta. That's the classic way of making lasagne. I'm well aware of the modern alternative approach of using uncooked pasta. I've tried it once or twice and I've disliked the results. The lasagna comes out too dry, and the uncooked pasta bends around in weird shapes while baking, making the finished dish look like it was slapped together carelessly. For me it's not enough that food tastes good; it needs to look good, too. I taste with my eyes before my tongue.
no subject
Date: 2021-03-04 08:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-03-04 07:11 pm (UTC)Man, I love lasagna, and if it wasn't such a pain in the butt to make, I'd be more than happy with eating lasagna leftovers for a few days...
no subject
Date: 2021-03-04 09:37 pm (UTC)But here's the thing: lasagna is not that hard to make. I learned that when I finally made a lasagna on my own last year. (I'd been deterred for a long time because I'd internalized my mom's complaints.) Yeah, it takes more effort than grilling a basic hamburger. Or unwrapping a pre-made meal and popping it into the microwave or oven. But if you've got a) prep space in your kitchen, b) the ability to break down a complex whole into a few simpler steps, and c) a mindset of enjoying making something nice, then making lasagna is totally manageable... and the delicious result that can last for days makes the effort worthwhile.
no subject
Date: 2021-03-16 12:00 am (UTC)