Ever since, I have made only a few lasagna and I really haven't grasped the idea of it. I don't know why but I'm just not a fan of it, though I have been curious. Before, I used to complain about the taste of the lasagna, on how cheesy it tastes. Then I tasted one of the best lasagna, there everything changed. I realized, the taste of the lasagna mostly relies on the type of cheese and the taste also of the bolognese sauce ( meat sauce ). So I've been searching some great cheese to pair with my lasagne and found most of the cheese they use are Mozzarella, Ricotta and Parmesan. Got me thinking, I should change things up a bit and so I used Brie and Camembert, mixed together in one layer, Mozzarella and Parmesan mixed on the top most layer. This is just an experiment of mine using a combination of two similar cheeses. The only difference is that Camembert originated from the Isle of France while Brie is from Normandy. Yes, I googled it and Normandy is roughly 5% French territory. .
Now back to topic, I used it since there's a slight difference in the taste if both cheese. The concept of this recipe is to portray the simplest recipe there is, it's just the cheese that is different.
Bolognese sauce:
Cheese:
Pasta:
So first I made the bolognese or meat sauce. Just saute the onions for a couple of minutes until it's a bit clear then add the finger chilies, garlic, ginger and red and green pepper. Saute for a 2 minutes then add the beef. At this stage you should make sure that the beef is cooked perfectly ( I like my meat brown ) can be medium to high temp.
Once the beef is cooked add salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne, I just want to add this at this part, you can still adjust it on the latter part if the sauce tastes a bit bland. Then add the tomato puree, I used the canned tomato puree that can be bought at your local grocery stores. Bring it to a boil then simmer. You can even add a little bit of water if you want then reduce it. My way is just a bit quicker though. ;)
Now once the sauce is a bit thick and all the flavors have been blended well, you can add the chopped basil and rosemary to give it that fresh herb flavor to it, then voila! the meat sauce is done. It only takes 15 minutes to make.
Now for assembling the Lasagna ( I used the oven-ready pasta for this ), since I didn't use the bechamel sauce, I just placed straight on to the baking dish the pasta and that served as the first layer, then, I added the meat sauce, then another layer of pasta, then the brie/camembert cheese mix, then the mixture. I only did one layer of the cheese since I made it thick so you can really taste it. Cover with foil and cook it for 50 minutes at 170-180 degrees celsius ( 350 degrees Fahrenheit ), the steam will cook the pasta. For a quick meal with no hassle, use the oven-ready pasta, so much better than the one where you need to boil it first.
Now you must be wondering where the H is the mozzarella and parmesan, well, I added them at the last 10 minutes of cooking. That's why I set the cooking time on 50 minutes is because the you need to remove the baking dish from the oven and remove the foil and add the mozzarella with parmesan then bake it for 10 minutes. If 10 minutes is too long for you well, just keep a close eye on it until the cheese melts and browns perfectly.
There you go, a simple and easy yet tasty recipe of lasagna. My own take of the popular lasagne, hope you guys like it! Til next time, Hugs and kisses from the Self Proclaimed Chef!
Cheers!
Now back to topic, I used it since there's a slight difference in the taste if both cheese. The concept of this recipe is to portray the simplest recipe there is, it's just the cheese that is different.
Bolognese sauce:
- 453 g Ground beef
- a cup of diced onions
- 3 finger chilies, diced
- 4 garlic bulbs, finely chopped
- 1 ginger root, finely chopped
- 2 red and green bell pepper, diced.
- 3 cans of tomato puree, 260 g
- basil and rosemary, chopped
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1/2 tbsp black pepper
- 1/2 tbsp paprika
- 1/2 tbsp cayenne
Cheese:
- Equal parts of Camembert and Brie, about 225 g each.
- 225 g Mozzarella
- 50 g Parmesan
Pasta:
- 2 boxes, unbroken sheets, about 453 g
So first I made the bolognese or meat sauce. Just saute the onions for a couple of minutes until it's a bit clear then add the finger chilies, garlic, ginger and red and green pepper. Saute for a 2 minutes then add the beef. At this stage you should make sure that the beef is cooked perfectly ( I like my meat brown ) can be medium to high temp.
Once the beef is cooked add salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne, I just want to add this at this part, you can still adjust it on the latter part if the sauce tastes a bit bland. Then add the tomato puree, I used the canned tomato puree that can be bought at your local grocery stores. Bring it to a boil then simmer. You can even add a little bit of water if you want then reduce it. My way is just a bit quicker though. ;)
Now once the sauce is a bit thick and all the flavors have been blended well, you can add the chopped basil and rosemary to give it that fresh herb flavor to it, then voila! the meat sauce is done. It only takes 15 minutes to make.
Now for assembling the Lasagna ( I used the oven-ready pasta for this ), since I didn't use the bechamel sauce, I just placed straight on to the baking dish the pasta and that served as the first layer, then, I added the meat sauce, then another layer of pasta, then the brie/camembert cheese mix, then the mixture. I only did one layer of the cheese since I made it thick so you can really taste it. Cover with foil and cook it for 50 minutes at 170-180 degrees celsius ( 350 degrees Fahrenheit ), the steam will cook the pasta. For a quick meal with no hassle, use the oven-ready pasta, so much better than the one where you need to boil it first.
Now you must be wondering where the H is the mozzarella and parmesan, well, I added them at the last 10 minutes of cooking. That's why I set the cooking time on 50 minutes is because the you need to remove the baking dish from the oven and remove the foil and add the mozzarella with parmesan then bake it for 10 minutes. If 10 minutes is too long for you well, just keep a close eye on it until the cheese melts and browns perfectly.
There you go, a simple and easy yet tasty recipe of lasagna. My own take of the popular lasagne, hope you guys like it! Til next time, Hugs and kisses from the Self Proclaimed Chef!
Cheers!
