17April2016 Lasagne-Fest!

[ppfuf]

My diet program doesn’t leave much space for noodly goodness, so I’ve been a lasagne slacker for the past year and some. But this past weekend I finally got off the couch and made 6 lasagnes. Each (except the vegetarian one, #5 below) got a pound of sausage in the meat layer. Each (except the no-onion one, #6 below) got a share of the 9 sautéed leeks and 2 red ginormous onions. All got some pesto (note to self, buy more pesto next time, you can’t have too much) and most got mushrooms. The bottom ricotta layer was the same for each; a share of the 4 lbs ricotta with 2 oz goat cheese and 3 oz thinly sliced garlic. The meat lasagnes also got a sprinkle of fried salami. I made three pots of sauce, one with extra onions, one with extra dried mushrooms, and one with no onions and extra garlic (for a friend who hates onions with a surprising passion). I didn't get fancy with the cheeses this time, because I wanted to see what the different sausages would be like.
#1, Whole grain noodles, hot Italian sausages from Draeger’s, fresh brown mushrooms.
#2, Whole grain noodles, hot Italian sausages from Dittmer’s, fresh brown mushrooms, 1 lb smoked cheese, fresh basil and parsley.
#3, No-boil noodles, mild Italian sausages from Draeger’s, 2 cups of mushroom duxelles from the freezer, extra-mushroom sauce (we ate this one for dinner).
#4, No-boil noodles, hot Italian sausages from safeway, fresh brown mushrooms.
#5, No-boil noodles, porcini and brown mushrooms, fresh basil and parsley, extra olives, extra-mushroom sauce.
#6, No-boil noodles, sweet Italian sausages from Trader Joe’s, porcini and brown mushrooms, fresh basil and parsley, no-onion sauce.

Click the lasagne tag below if you are wondering about other lasagnes, or look here for general instructions.

Comments

[joycebre.livejournal.com]

You make great lasagne, so I hope you'll continue to post reviews of these.

[lifeofglamour.livejournal.com]

If your diet plan doesn't leave much room for noodly indulgence (mine doesn't either), what are you planning on doing with these lasagnas? (this is an honest question!)

[ppfuf.livejournal.com]

Most of them go in the freezer and are eaten very slowly. Lasagne is Matt's favorite food *ever!* and his body is a lot more carb-tolerant than mine so it works out.
This batch was partly a test to see if the whole-grain lasagne noodles are less hard on my diet than the ordinary ones. There's also only two layers of noodles in these lasagnes, rather than the usual three. I've tried using thinly sliced zucchini in the place of noodles, but then it's just a weird casserole. I'd make a zucchini version again for a friend who was gluten intolerant, but lasagnes need noodles IMHO.
I can eat a small serving of noodly goodness, I just have to plan for it, and not eat a lot of other calories that day. For a plate of homemade lasagne, it's worth it.

[evil-macaroni.livejournal.com]

Sounds delicious!

[ppfuf.livejournal.com]

Baked #4 November 15th. Good, but the noodles were a little softer and less al-dente than I like. GM liked the spicy sausage, no surprise there. :D