(c) Helpfuldaddy - guaranteed to widen you arse
I am going to start off with saying that I hate making lasagna. I love to eat lasagna, but making it seems like such a chore to me. Ironically, as it turns out, lasagna is my wonderful wife's favourite meal. Once a year (maybe, twice a year) I cave in and make her a lasagna. I can't say that this is the healthiest lasagna that you will ever have, because it is loaded with cheese (which of course, makes it so great). So on with the show, here is what you will need:
Homemade Bolognese Sauce - I posted this last year some time. This is where a lot of the time comes from.
1 package of fresh pasta sheets. We like the whole wheat kind
1 250ml tub of cottage cheese
500gm of pizza mozzarella cheese - shredded
2 cups of milk
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Make the Bolognese sauce as per instructions on linked post. Keep over low heat until needed.
Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit. In a saucepan, over medium heat, heat up the butter until it just starts to melt, then whisk in the flour. When that becomes a smooth texture, keeps whisking and pour in the milk. Whisking constantly, keep the sauce at medium heat until it just starts to boil, then reduce heat to a little hotter that low. Add the Parmesan cheese and whisk until it is thoroughly melted into the sauce. Keep at this temperature, stirring occasionally, until needed.
Now for the fun part - assembling the beast. In a 13x9 casserole dish, start by putting a thin layer of sauce on the bottom, just for some moisture for the pasta sheets. Add a layer of pasta sheet. Top this layer with the whole tub of cottage cheese, and a little sauce to boot. Add another layer of pasta sheets. Top this later with a thin layer of sauce and some white sauce. Add another layer of pasta sheets. Top this layer with another this helping of pasta sauce and a generous layer of cheese. Add the final layer of pasta sheets. Top this layer with more pasta sauce and another generous serving of cheese. Cover the lasagna with tin foil and put it in the oven for 30 minutes, the take the tin foil off and leave in for the remaining time, or until the cheese is nice and bubbly and gooey on top.
(c) Helpfuldaddy
Alternatives:
-In the layer with the white sauce, add some thinly sliced zucchini or spinach for some green
-I like to make the sauce a head of time. The last time I made this, I prepared the sauce the night before, and let it simmer while I was watching a movie, then put it away just before bed. Sauce is always better the next day - it gives the herbs and spices more time to infuse their flavours.
-Even if you aren't rather fond of cottage cheese (which we in this house aren't), it is still great when it is melted in with everything else. It adds a bit of creaminess to the lasagna.
-If you make the sauce specifically for this dish, there will be some left over. I like to make a smaller lasagna with all the left overs and freeze it for another time.
-The great thing about lasagna is that you can add just about anything to it to jazz it up and it still will be delicious.
Enjoy,
-d
Linking up with Skip to My Lou
Yummmm!
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