Lasagna???

[jabbur]

Yes it should be okay. My recipe has the meat added to tomato sauce so that eliminates a layer and the ricotta and mozzarella and cheddar cheese are mixed together and spread in a layer. I hope you enjoy it!

 

[GotGarlic]

I'm sure it will be fine. My MIL always makes extra sauce to pass at the table, in case people want extra, or for dipping garlic bread. Can't hurt (assuming you still have time now). If not, have a great Christmas and don't let this discourage you. My first few lasagnas were certainly not my best

 

[xmascarol1]

The way I view it, it really doesn't matter how you layer your stacks, except to start with a little sauce on the bottom. And I never make a lasagna the same twice. sometimes I use sausage, sometimes I like broccoli or spinach in it, sometimes I layer eggplant or thinly sliced cooked carrots, and kale. sometimes I use cottage cheese, if I can't get to the store for ricotta (I live 1/2 from a store and won't run to it to get one item.Lately I've had good luck making stovetop lasagna and as a result we've had quite a few more occasions to have this meal. (use your heavy cast iron Dutch oven) Also, I quite cooking my noodles a few years ago, and that eliminates a whole step. You don't need to buy their "no cook" noodles either. Regular ones work just fine. I like my lasagna zippy so I make sure I make the sauce good and spicy as the cheeses seem to tame regular sauce too much for me.

 

[Callisto in NC]

Well, here's the verdict ~ it's not the best I've ever had but it's not the worst I've ever cooked (because I've cooked boxed frozen). My daughter loved it. That's good. It was dry on top, very dry. And dry on the sides. It was my first and edible so I should be praising the gods and happy I didn't totally ruin Christmas. (apparently my gifts sucked and my DD got gypped.) I did my best. That's all I can do, right??/

 

[Alix]

Ah Callisto, is your DD about 14 by any chance? LOL. No sweat, you made dinner and you did your best. If it wasn't well received that reflects only on the receiver, not you. Merry Christmas, and keep on moving forward. {{{{Callisto}}}}

 

[Callisto in NC]

Oh,Alix, she's 16. Close enough to 14. I made dinner and took her to Sweeny Todd today. I deserve a medal for all I've done the last 5 days. I have cooked and stood more in the 4 days than I have in a month.

 

[oneoffour]

Put your lasagna together, put a sheet of aluminium foil over the lasagna pan and pinch the edges to form a tight seal, and stick it on the bottom shelf of your refrigerator. Then, tomorrow, remove it from the fridge, preheat your oven, and bake it. Take the aluminium foil off about 15 minutes before it's done cooking so the top cheese will get brown and bubbly.

I don't put foil over the tomatoe sauce surface of the lazagna when it is in the refrigerator. Had the experience of taking it out of the refirgerator to heat it up and the acid of the tomatoe had eaten holes through the foil. The area was black from the aluminum. Since that time I've put the prepared lazagna in the refrigerator with plastic wrap over it. I'll remove the plastic and cover with foil for only when it cooks.

I just made a lazagna a week ahead got to the prepared stage and froze it. Put it in a cold oven set temp to 325F and waited for it to get good and bubbly. I thought the lower temp. better since it had to defrost as part of the cooking process and felt a higher temp. might cause more drying and an uneven cooking. Hassle was it took almost 2 hours from closing the oven door to being done. At the table nobody knew it had been frozen.

 

[auntdot]

this may e a little late but grew up in a neighborhood that was half Italian,, half Irish, and half Jewish. OK, it was a crowded neighborhood.

But all of the Italian folks made lasagna. And they all made it a bit differently.

The number of stacks of noodles, the addition, or not, of an egg. Everyone's recipe was a tad different, and I never saw anyone measure anything. And to me it actually never mattered because they all were good.

It is a very forgiving dish.

As for being dry you can add a bit more sauce. Heck, keep a jar of the store bought stuff to add if you need extra moisture. Or a can of tomatoes. Or just a bit of water. Could be dry if you made a small batch.

Sounds like you did great. When I cook I do it for the eaters and if your daughter loved it that is what counts. And I am always the worst critic of any food I prepare.