Not Gonna Slide Off the Noodle Lasagna

For years I have tried perfecting my lasagna recipe.  And with so much trial and error, one definite fix I needed to make was that fall off the noodle lasagna.  You know the kind.. no matter how long you let it set after pulling it out of the stove, you cut it and after the first piece is served the ingredients all begin slowly oozing from between the noodles.  Epic fail! 

There is one thing I have learned over the years though - and that is all about moisture content in cooking.  So here are a couple of tips.  First, if you're making a fresh veggie lasagna, keep in mind how much moisture there is in those fresh vegetables.  When varying recipes that have proven tried and true in the past, we often forget that certain ingredients will change the texture completely.  It's important to modify our recipes accordingly.  That being said, what sauce and cheeses we use will also change the consistency of the lasagna too. 

The common errors are typically in the vegetables and sauce.  If you're making your own homemade sauce, make sure it's thickened with some tomato paste.  To cut down on the liquid content, use nice, beefy tomatoes, like a beefsteak or roma.  And be sure to clean out the seeds. 

Veggies that will make your lasagna more wet are squash, eggplant, and zuccini. When I use these vegetables in particular, I modify my cheese mixture to hold it together better.  It's easy once you play around with it a little.  I like to make spinach and mushroom variations of this recipe as well. 

One other trick to keeping your lasagna from getting to wet is not cooking the noodles completely.  And that means, not quite al dente either.  If I am making a homemade sauce for my lasagna in the summer with all the fresh veggies, I make a point not to cook the noodles fully so when cooking they soak up some of the extra moisture and finish cooking. 

Another consideration to make is your cheese.  If you're using an oil-based cheese, you're going to have a runny mess!  Try to keep it to low moisture cheeses. 

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef, turkey, venison (or omit if going veggie only), cooked and drained

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, minced

1 egg, beaten

1 container ricotta cheese (I use low fat versus part skim because it's less fat and calories)

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

2 cups mozzerella cheese, shredded

1 cup parmesan, shredded

Sauce (either fresh or jar is fine)

1 cup mushrooms, cleaned and chopped

5 basil leaves, chopped

8 spinach leaves, chopped

Lasagna noodles

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Brown your beef, adding onions and garlic about half way through the browning.  Once meat is no longer pink, drain thoroughly and set aside.  In a large bowl, mix together ricotta, 1 cup of mozzerella cheese, 1 cup of cheddar cheese, 1 cup of parmesan, chopped spinach and basil and combine well.  Add beaten egg and blend completely. 

Cook your noodles al dente (or a little less if you're using homemade sauce or have loads of veggies), drain and set aside.  Add your veggies to your sauce as well as your drained beef and stir well. 

Layers:  Place a bit of sauce on the bottom of your pan before starting your first layer.  Then place noodles evenly and spread cheese combination over first layer then drop sauce over cheese layer and begin noodle layer again.  Repeat for desired number of layers.  I like to have at least 4 layers in a 9x13 inch dish, and a 5 or 6 layer lasagna in a larger pan.  After last layer is down, top only with sauce mixture and the remainder of your cheeses.  Bake covered for 40 minutes, taking foil off the last 10 minutes.  Let cool 5-10 minutes before cutting so it has a chance to set.  Enjoy!