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. 

Sautéed Zucchini w/ a kick!

This is one of my favorite ways to cook zucchini. I've also made it with corn and bell pepper. A family favorite!

• 4 cups diced zucchini
• Olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped into small pieces
• Queso fresco
• Cilantro
• Juice of 1 lime
• Salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat up a tablespoon or so of olive oil. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add zucchini and cook until browned. Add jalapeño, tomato and lime juice. Cook for 1 more minute before removing from heat and topping with cheese and cilantro. Serve immediately.

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

Herb Crusted Chicken with a Creamy Basil Tomato Sauce

Words cannot describe the deliciousness of this recipe! You'll just have to make it yourself and taste! It was even great the next day for leftovers. We enjoyed ours with some Garlic Mashed Potatoes & an Italian Salad. Mmmmm!

• 4 Boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin or cut thinly.
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup Progresso Garlic & Herb Bread Crumbs
• 4 teaspoons Roasted Garlic & Bell Pepper Seasoning
• 3 to 6 Tablespoons butter
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 can of diced tomatoes, drained or about 1 cup of diced fresh tomatoes
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced thinly
• dash of pepper and salt

Place the bread crumbs and the roasted garlic and bell pepper seasoning in a shallow bowl, and mix until blended. Place milk in a separate shallow bowl. In a skillet heat 4 Tbsp butter on medium heat. Dip the chicken in the milk first and then coat in the bread crumb mixture. Fry, until cooked through, about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through, adding more butter as needed. Remove chicken and keep warm. In the same skillet, add garlic and cook for about a minute. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to loosen the browned parts from the pan. Stir in cream and tomatoes; bring to a boil and stir for one more minute. Reduce heat to low and add parmesan, basil and salt and pepper. Stir sauce and cook until heated through and thickened, about 5 minutes. Serve chicken warm with sauce poured on top. If desired, top with grated Parmesan.
Freezer Directions: follow directions through to right before you top chicken with sauce. Instead, let chicken cool completely and then place in freezer friendly bag. Let sauce cool compteletely and add to a freezer friendly container. When ready to eat: thaw chicken and sauce. Place chicken on greased cookie sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes, flipping halfway through, until heated through. Heat sauce on stovetop, or in microwave, until heated through. Top chicken with heated sauce.

Recipe slightly adapted from:

http://hopeandjohnbasher.blogspot.com/2012/05/herb-crusted-chicken-in-basil-cream.html