From the author:
For years I was told by others that I could bake lasagna without boiling the noodles first. I refused to believe it. Not just set in my ways, I wasn’t willing to take the chance of wasting the food if the noodles turned out chewy—or worse. One day after boiling 108 lasagna noodles for 12 lasagnas, I decided there had to be a better way. To my delight, not boiling the noodles worked out great! Using plenty of red sauce and freezing the entrée first creates the perfect noodles.
Lasagna has never been so easy!
Classic Lasagna: Large Pan
Makes 2 Entrees, 12 Servings Each
INGREDIENTS
- 1 (48-ounce) container cottage cheese (about 6 cups)
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- 3 cups shredded Parmesan cheese, divided into 2 cups and 1 cup
- 13 cups Basic Red Sauce
- 18 lasagna noodles, uncooked
- 2 pounds lean ground beef, cooked and drained
- 8 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (about 2 pounds)
- Two 13- by 9- by 2-inch baking dishes (or deeper)
- Plastic wrap
- Aluminum foil
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Combine cottage cheese, eggs, and 2 cups of the Parmesan in a large bowl.
2. Lay baking dishes before you and spread 1⁄2 cup red sauce in the bottom of each.
3. Assemble both lasagnas at once in layers in the following order:
LAYER 1
3 uncooked noodles
2 cups red sauce
1 cup cooked ground beef
1 1⁄2 cups cottage cheese mixture
1 cup mozzarella
LAYER 2
3 uncooked noodles
2 cups red sauce
1 cup cooked ground beef—or whatever remains
1 1⁄2 cups cottage cheese mixture—or whatever remains
1 cup mozzarella
LAYER 3
3 uncooked noodles
2 cups red sauce—or whatever remains
2 cups mozzarella
1⁄2 cup Parmesan
4. Wrap each dish entirely in plastic wrap. Top with foil, label, and freeze.
TO COOK ONE ENTRÉE
1. Thaw one entrée in the refrigerator or bake it straight from the freezer.
2. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
3. Remove plastic wrap and foil from baking dish and replace foil. Place dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 1 hour if thawed, 11⁄2 hours if frozen. Remove foil and continue baking until lasagna is bubbling and cheese is browned.
NOTE ON LASAGNA NOODLES: Although “no boil” or “oven ready” noodles are readily available, they aren’t necessary in our lasagna recipes. The regular lasagna noodles are much less expensive and cook up perfectly when assembled uncooked in the lasagna.
Fix, Freeze, Feast
by Kati Neville and Lindsay Tkacsik
Buy groceries in bulk, prepare family-friendly dishes, package in meal-sized freezer bags, then stock the freezer with ready-to-defrost-and-serve tasty homemade meals. This is the winning system of Fix, Freeze, Feast, a cookbook that has already attracted an enthusiastic following among busy families.
Authors Kati Neville and Lindsay Tkacsik offer a complete system for taking full advantage of bulk purchasing and advance preparation to ensure no food is ever wasted. They show how easy it is to get organized, prepare ahead, and be ready to put healthful, satisfying meals on the dinner table (or breakfast table, or even brunch table!) at a moment’s notice.
Cooks will find 125 delicious, healthful recipes to choose from. Each one includes directions for dividing, preparing, and storing raw ingredients; a second set of simple direction is included for thawing, cooking, and enjoying the food. With these innovative techniques and recipes, dinner is always in the freezer!
GET THE BOOK: Amazon | B&N | ebooks.com | Google Play | iBooks | Kobo
