This is getting to be very bad. Again for lunch this weekend, something creamy and fattening. What is wrong with me?
Anyway, this is how I made my lasagne this time round. The basic meat sauce is like how I always do – sautee garlic in olive oil, add meat, add bottled tomato sauce (I used the half that I had left over from last week’s cottage pie). I also added to small tins of tomato puree (not paste) and, this is the killer difference, chipotle peppers. Remember I used chipotle peppers to make my sweet potato mash? I had leftovers and this is the perfect time to make use of it (read: get rid of leftovers!) I did not make a bechamel sauce for my lasagne. In fact, a lot of recipes for lasagne do not use bechamel sauce. They call for layering of cheese, pasta and meatballs. So … I got rid of the mozzarella cheese and extra tasty cheddar cheese that were close to the expiration date. The end result of ‘want not and waste not’ motto I’m trying to live by? Tasty, creamy, cheesy lunch special at home!
Chop some chipotle peppers. Chipotle peppers are simply smoked dried jalapeno peppers so they aren't spicy at all. However, they have loads of smoky flavour.Make the meat sauce. Make sure it's very saucy - lots of tomato sauce because you do not want a dry lasagne.Grate cheeses.Soften pasta sheets. They don't have to be thoroughly cooked. If you read at the back of the boxes, they always always say not to boil them. Hah! I tried many times raw and my pasta were always not properly cooked. Especially the edges. So this time round, no way am I going to bite into undercooked pasta. Boil them in boiling water till they are just pliable.First layer is cheese and meat sauce.
And then the pasta sheets.Do as may layers as you can. I only always do two. And then top with sauce and cheese. Make sure to tuck in any defiant pasta sheets back into the sauce.Bake till golden and bubbly.Enjoy!
Loves eating...too much.
Pottering about in my kitchen is a joy.
Loves culture and different cuisines; loves buying food books and trying them out.
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The Occasional Cook 