I have mastered lasagna

[Jeekinz]

I had an idea lingering around my brain for the past week or so and brought it to life last night. The final product was very light and tasty.

Jeeks Lasagnetta


Tomato Sauce


2 T. Olive oil
½ c. Finely chopped onion
1 Clove of garlic, minced
1 28oz. Can of crushed tomatoes
Salt & pepper

Sauté the onion in the olive oil over medium heat until translucent, do not brown. Add the garlic and continue to cook for another minute to minute and a half. Add the crushed tomato, stir and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.




Béchamel Sauce


2 T. Unsalted Butter
2 T. Flour
2 c. Whole milk
¼ t. Fresh grated nutmeg
Pinch of salt & pepper

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat, then whisk in the flour. When all lumps are gone, add the rest of the ingredients slowly whisking until creamy. Set aside.



Meat Filling


1 lb 90% lean ground beef
1 T. Dried oregano
Salt & pepper
About 1 ½ c. Tomato sauce

Brown the meat in a skillet and drain of f any extra fat. Add the oregano along with a teaspoon of salt & pepper. Ladle in some of the tomato sauce until you have a nice thick ragu. You want the meat filling to hold together so be careful when adding the sauce.

Miscellaneous Ingredients


2-3 T. Olive oil, plus extra if needed
1 Zucchini, thinly sliced rounds
1lb Whole milk ricotta cheese
2 c. Grated mozzarella
1 c. Grated Parmesan
2 T. Fresh basil, chiffonade
1 Roma tomato, seeded & diced
1 Package square wonton wrappers

Preheat oven to 375.

In a small skillet, heat 2-3 T of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add one layer of the zucchini. You want to quickly sear the zucchini on both sides keeping it mainly fresh in the center. Each side should only need about 30-45 seconds. Remove and set aside.

Cook individual sheets of wonton wrappers in the same pan using the same method as the zucchini. Add 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil if needed. You will need 4 sheets per dish.

Prepare a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Order of assembly is as follows:

Wonton wrapper, ground beef, wonton wrapper, ricotta, mozzarella, wonton wrapper, zucchini, tomato sauce, wonton wrapper, tomato sauce, mozzarella, sprinkle top with diced Roma.

Do not overload the layers, keep each layer to about ½”. Place in the oven for 5-7 minutes or until cheese has melted. While in the oven, reheat the béchamel sauce.

To plate, spoon on 3-4 tablespoons of the béchamel sauce in the center of a plate, place one lasagna on top of the sauce and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.


Frying the zucchini


Then the wonton wrappers in the same pan. You'll need to add about 1 T. of olive oil before each batch of wrappers.


Pay close attention not to burn or make them too crispy.


Just about ready for assembly.


The meat layer. Note the amount of filling I used, there's only about a 1/4" to 1/2" of meat.


Ricotta and mozzarella layer. I actually used Fontina this time...either or. Here is where a very thin layer of spinach would be good, or mixed in with the ricotta.


The zucchini and sauce.


Topped with some more sauce, grated cheese and diced tomato. Ready for the oven.

[buckytom]

jeekinz, i like the idea of individual lasagnas. you fry the wontons? don't they get too hard?

[Jeekinz]

......continued

Lasagna is almost done, time to reheat the bechamel and get the plate ready.


Be careful placing the lasagna on top of the bechamel. Top with fresh basil and grated parmesan.



Enjoy.







No. You want them just a tad crispy.

It was so amazing. The DW was like:

You get the crisp wontons and the creamy bechamel and the acidic tomato, aaaagh YUM!

I thought a good 30 minutes on and ingredient I would change and couldn't come up with one.

[Maverick2272]

I actually have won ton wrappers in the freezer... gonna have to try this out!
Thanks!

[kitchenelf]

Great, just great! ...so much for the "diet"........

[Maverick2272]

Originally Posted by kitchenelf

Great, just great! ...so much for the "diet"........

"I feel your pain!", so many recipes so little time....

[Jeekinz]

Thanks for everyone's compliments.

The shocker is how light the dish is. You honestly don't feel like you "just had lasagna".

I hope you get to try it out. Remember not to fry the wontons or zucchini too long and you'll be ok.

[suziquzie]

The layers don't slide off each other all over onto the pan?
(enough prepositions in 1 sentence?)

[Jeekinz]

Originally Posted by suziquzie

The layers don't slide off each other all over onto the pan?
(enough prepositions in 1 sentence?)

Umm, no. Don't be going in there with a 1/2 a pound of ground beef for one portion though. The width of your index finger MAX. If you do it right, you'll have a nice delicate lasagna.

[GotGarlic]

Originally Posted by Jeekinz

I thought a good 30 minutes on and ingredient I would change and couldn't come up with one.

Sounds good I like to make lasagna with Italian sausage rather than ground beef, so there's an option.