Homemade Lasagna from Scratch!

I've always wanted to make a lasagna from scratch. And by from scratch, I mean noodles, sauce, the whole darn thing, from scratch. And it ended up being a lot easier than I thought it would be...although a bit time consuming. But let me tell you, it is worth it! Next time I make it, I'll make double maybe even triple, and freeze them for later use. Best lasagna I've ever had! 

For the sauce:

• 4oz pancetta, chopped
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 bell pepper, diced (I used an orange bell)
• 1 to 2 pounds ground beef (I only used a pound, but felt it could have been a little meatier)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 Tablespoon fresh basil (chopped)
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup milk

For the Bechamel Sauce:

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 1 ¼ cup milk
• Pinch nutmeg
• ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese

For the pasta:

• 3 cups flour
• 4 eggs
• Water as needed

Additional items needed:

• Freshly grated mozzarella
• Fresh parsley or basil (if desired)
• Freshly grated Parmesan 

In a large pot, over medium heat, heat up 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil. The olive oil add the garlic. Let cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant. To the garlic add the chopped onion and bell pepper. Cook until tender, about 5-8 minutes. Add the pancetta and cook for 5 more minutes. Add the ground beef and cook until browned. Add the remaining ingredients for the sauce and set on a low simmer and cook for 2-3 hours. This process can be done days in advance and kept in the fridge until ready to use. Or even frozen. This meat sauce also tastes great on spaghetti, just FYI. :)

Make the pasta: in your stand up mixer fitted with the hook attachment: mix flour and eggs together, adding water until it comes together into a ball, should be slightly sticky but not stick to your fingers. But not overly dry! Knead for 5 minutes, or until soft and springy. On a floured surface, cut ball into 4 pieces, place each ball into a plastic bag and set aside to rest for 20 minutes. 

Once you're ready to assemble the lasagna, grease a 9x13 baking dish and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Make the Bechamel sauce: melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and nutmeg and whisk for 1 minute, until slightly browned. Add the milk in a slow and steady stream, while whisking. Cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add Parmesan.  Set aside to cool, slightly. 

Start assembling your lasagna: take one of your pasta balls and roll it out on a floured surface until it's as thin as you can get it. It should be thin enough that you can almost see your hand through the other side, but not too thin that it breaks. Cut into long strips. Put a small amount of the meat sauce on the bottom of your greased pan. Top with  one layer of lasagna noodles. Top noodles with ⅓ of the Bechamel sauce, ½ of the meat sauce, more noodles, another ⅓ of the Bechamel sauce, the rest of the meat sauce, more noodles, the rest of the Bechamel sauce, the mozzarella cheese (I used about 1 ½ cups), and some freshly grated Parmesan. Cover and bake for 45-50 minutes. Remove cover and bake 15-20 minutes longer or until bubbly and brown. Let sit for 15 minutes before cutting.

Freezer Directions: layer lasagna ingredients in a freezer friendly 9x13 pan. Cover and freezer for up to 6 months. Bake as usual.

Tips:

The pasta ended up making quite a bit of pasta, and I just froze the left over balls that weren't used. Next time I need fresh pasta, I'll just thaw and roll out and use as needed. Maybe make some stuffed ravioli? 

The meat sauce recipe also makes a lot! I ended up freezing some of it for later use...

Taste your meat sauce while it's cooking. Mine was a little bland, so I added more salt. 

Southwest Chile Stew

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 onion
• 1 small can tomato soup
• 1 large can of chopped green chilies
• 1 small can chopped tomatoes (or 1 cup chopped fresh)
• 2 cups (or more) pinto beans
• 1 small can of black beans
• 1-2 cups of beef broth
• 1 small can of mexicorn (corn with bell peppers)

Brown meat with onions. To a big bowl add the meat mixture along with the rest of the ingredients. Cook on low for 10-15 minutes or until heated through and bubbly.
Freezer directions: before adding it to the pot to cook separate the soup into two gallon size freezer bags. Freeze up to 6 months. Thaw and cook.

Italian Meatloaf

½ onion, finely diced
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tomato, diced
1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 eggs
¾ cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¾ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 Tablespoons Parmesan
1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Saute onions in 1 Tbsp butter until tender. Add garlic, saute until fragrant; add tomato and italian seasoning, saute 3-4 minutes. Set aside to cool. Mix egg, 1/3 cup tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Add ground meat, bread crumbs, black pepper, parmesan and sautéed mixture. Add in 1 cup mozzarella. In a large, greased roasting pan form the meat into a loaf.  Bake at 400 about 40-45 minutes or until no longer pink in the middle. Let cool. Then cover with remaining sauce and ½ cup mozzarella. Cover and freeze. To reheat, keep covered and bake at 350 degrees 40-45 minutes or 70-85 minutes if frozen.

Adapted from: http://www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com/2011/04/italian-meatloaf.html

Slow Cooker Beef Brisket

If my wallet, and waist, could afford it; I would eat this brisket every single day for the rest of my life. It's THAT good. It takes a lot of time and prep to make it, but trust me, it's totally worth it.

• 2 cans beef consomme
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 5 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons liquid smoke
• 10 lbs beef brisket

Combine everything but the beef in a very large roasting pan (I try to buy disposable for easier clean up). Put the brisket in the marinade, fat side up. Cover tightly with foil and marinate in fridge for 24-48 hours. When ready to cook, place covered pan in preheated 300 degree oven for 40 minutes per pound.

I've also cut the brisket in half, after marinading, placed half with some of the marinade in a freezer bag and frozen it for later. Then put the other half in my slow cooker and cooked for 10-12 hours on low, or even over night. 

Then just shred it and serve it on a tortilla, on a bun or just how it is.

SO GOOD!

Thank you Pioneer Woman for this amazing recipe:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/brisket_baby/

Salisbury Steaks

This is one of my family's favorite dinners. We love to eat it with mashed potatoes but you could serve it on some egg noodles or pasta as well. 

• 2 Tablespoons oil
• 1/2 of a medium onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 Tablespoon grill seasoning, I use the montreal grill seasoning from McCormick
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 large egg
• 8 ounce package of mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 1/2 cups beef broth

Heat 1 Tbsp of the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and saute until soft and brown, about 6-8 minutes.  Put the cooked onion in a large bowl. Add to the onion: the beef, bread crumbs, grill seasoning, Worcestershire sauce and the egg. Mix to combine everything well and from the mixture make 5 patties. Heat the remaining oil in the same pan over medium high heat. Cook the patties until they are well browned, about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove steak and place on a paper towel lined plate and keep somewhere warm. Still over medium high heat cook the mushrooms in the drippings from the steaks for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the beef broth and bring to a boil. Add the beef patties back to the gravy, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the sauce has thickened and the steaks are cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Freezer directions: Cook through to the end of the recipe and let the steaks cool. Then place steaks w/ gravy in a freezer friendly container and freeze for up to 6 months. When you are ready to eat, just pop out of the freezer, thaw and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes or until the steaks are heated through and the gravy is boiling. 

Recipe adapted from:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/salisbury-steak-with-brown-gravy-recipe/index.html