Shite, that's the wife just in, she forgot to get the lasagne and now I am stuck with the chicken dippers
Favorite recipe, an I am gonna tweak it up some next time by adding 8 ounce box sliced baby portabella mushrooms to the sauce
to cook down in it.
Lovely recipe.
SAUCE
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup finely chopped peeled carrots
2 tablespoons minced garlic
8 ounces lean ground beef
6 ounces spicy Italian sausages, casings removed
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with added puree
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon golden brown sugar
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
LASAGNA
15 lasagna noodles (about 12 ounces)
2 15-ounce containers part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, squeezed dry
2 large eggs
4 3/4 cups grated mozzarella cheese (about 1 1/4 pounds)
Preparation
FOR SAUCE:
Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrots and garlic; sauté until softened, about 12 minutes. Add beef and sausages to pan; sauté until cooked through,
breaking up meat with back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer until flavors blend and sauce measures about 5 cups, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
Discard bay leaf. Cool.
FOR LASAGNA:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until almost tender, about 7 minutes. Drain; cover with cold water.
Combine ricotta and 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese in medium bowl. Mix in spinach. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in eggs.
Drain pasta and pat dry. Spread 1/2 cup sauce over bottom of 13x9-inch glass baking dish. Place 5 noodles over sauce, overlapping to fit. Spread half of ricotta-spinach mixture
evenly over noodles. Sprinkle 2 cups mozzarella cheese evenly over ricotta-spinach mixture. Spoon 1 1/2 cups sauce over cheese, spreading with spatula to cover (sauce will be thick).
Repeat layering with 5 noodles, remaining ricotta-spinach mixture, 2 cups mozzarella and 1 1/2 cups sauce. Arrange remaining 5 noodles over sauce. Spread remaining sauce
over noodles. Sprinkle remaining 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese evenly over lasagna. (Can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Cover tightly with plastic
wrap and refrigerate.) Cover baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake lasagna 40 minutes; uncover and bake until hot and bubbly, about 40 minutes. Let lasagna stand 15 minutes before serving.
Excellent and doubly good after night or so in fridge and then a warm up
This is better than ketchup !
Red table sauce
2 pounds tomatoes, chopped
1 small white onion, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped – use Serrano peppers for a bit more heat!
2 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ cup chopped cilantro
Juice from half a lime
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon cumin
Salt to taste
Cooking:
Add tomatoes, onion, peppers, garlic, cilantro and lime juice to a food processor. Process until fairly smooth. Heat a large pot to medium heat and add olive oil. Add the salsa and it will sear quickly.
Add cumin and bit of salt.
Bring to a quick boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Season with salt if needed and stir.
Cool and refrigerate until ready to us
