lasagna

[jenk]

The pan I baked tonight turned out very well, so notes. Of course if you want to do a variant you can change / subtract as needed. This made 2 pans.
Sauce:

2 T olive oil
3 lbs hamburger (10% fat)
3 medium onions, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
10 cloves garlic, minced (thanks to jw1776 for chopping)
1-2 C white wine
Seasonings: Lots of basil, some chili powder, cilantro, oregano, garlic powder, pepper.
1.5 C sliced button mushrooms (I was lazy and bought a box of pre-sliced)
1 10oz can sliced black olives
2 15oz cans diced tomatoes
1 15oz can tomato sauce
1 12oz can tomato paste

Brown hamburger in olive oil in dutch oven (or other sturdy pot) over medium heat. Add onions, peppers, garlic, wine, and seasonings. Once the wine has cooked down and the onions are clear add the mushrooms, olives, and tomatoes. Adjust seasonings to taste.

(Note: This is a thick, meaty sauce so as to facilitate a thick, meaty lasagna. Personally I would not serve this as spaghetti sauce as-is - I'd add much more tomato sauce, paste, and/or puree first.)

Cheeses:

1 package of pre-shredded mozzarella (on sale)
1 package of pre-shredded mozzarella / parmesan mix (also on sale) (I mixed both of these together)
1 lb shredded colby jack (also on sale)
1 15oz tub whole-milk ricotta

Noodles:

1 box dried supermarket lasagna noodles. Specifically I used 24 (3 per layer x 4 layers x 2 pans) but that will vary depending on pan depth and layer depth. Not the no-boil kind (did that last time and the texture didn't work for me.) I boiled them about 8 minutes to rather al dente, 6 or 12 at a time, then drained and rinsed them in cold water.

Assembly:

1. Starting a new pan.
   1. Grease a 9" x 13" pan with olive oil and a paper towel.
      
   2. Add a 1/2 ladle (1/3-1/2 C) sauce to the bottom and shake pan to distribute.
   
   
2. The Routine:
   1. Lay 3 noodles lengthwise in the pan. Don't worry if they don't fill the pan; the noodles will absorb more liquid later in the process and expand.
      
   2. Spread a ladle of sauce (2/3-1 C) on top of the noodles. It's okay if the noodles aren't coated with sauce; we're mostly trying to distribute meat and veggies at this point, not liquid.
      
   3. Evenly distribute 1/4 C or so (I confess I used clean hands) of ricotta.
      
   4. Sprinkle 1/2 C or so (still using hands) of the colby jack on top the noodles.
      
   5. Sprinkle 1/2 C or so (up, hands) of the mozzarella / parmesan mix.
      
   6. (Optional) Do another sauce layer.
   
   
3. Depending on how deep your pan is and how thick you make your layers, you'll go through The Routine 3-5 times. End with a cheese layer.

Baking: If you are baking immediately, preheat your oven to 350F when you start assembly. Put it in for 20-30 minutes; you want the cheese to melt, sauce to become bubbly, flavors to fall in mad passionate love with each other, and the noodles to absorb whatever they're going to absorb.

If you are baking 1 and freezing 1, bake the first while you're assembling the one for the freezer.

If you are not baking immediately, let it cool to the touch. Wrap with aluminum foil and freeze for up to 6 months (well, I've gone a year, but it's rare). It's easiest if you thaw it before baking it (it will bake faster) but I have taken it straight from the freezer, put it into a 325F oven for a few hours, and had tasty lasagna as a result. Oh, and if it's frozen, it's best to leave the foil on it while baking - even after a few days in the fridge the center may still be frozen, and the foil will help keep the sides and top from drying out while the center is cooking. Take the foil off during the last 10 minutes or so; it's done when it's hot in the center (a butter knife is good for checking this) and bubbly.