Pasta al Forno a.k.a. Lasanga

Pasta al Forno

         I made a lasagna over the week-end. We call it "pasta al forno" or translated = pasta from the oven. It's a pretty basic lasagna recipe. I saw some Italian ground turkey at the store so I tried that. Wasn't bad.( I don't eat a lot of beef so I substitute a lot with turkey or sometimes pork). I made it for my son, Reid. He goes to college in downtown Chicago. So I thought I could surprise him with a pan of lasagna. He doesn't have a lot of time to cook for himself, poor kid, studying 24/7! I really like the Barilla no cook lasagna. Saves time and tastes pretty authentic.

You're welcome Barilla!

        So this is how I made it:
* saute' chopped onion, celery & carrots in some olive oil (the holy trinity in Italy, almost every recipe starts with it!)
* add your ground meat whatever it is, and brown (beef, pork, turkey, Italian sausage, or mix and match)
* then add some garlic(chopped or pressed) and some chopped green/red pepper (mushrooms, too, if you like lots of veggies!)
* throw in a some cans of diced tomatoes and oregano or Italian spices ( or if you're in a pinch use your favorite ready made marinara sauce)
* simmer it down till a lot of the liquid is gone and the tomatoes start to break down into a sauce ( I like to squish them with a fork to help them along)
* while that's cooking, combine, in a separate bowl, a small tub of ricotta with some defrosted chopped spinach (you won't even know it's there), an egg, and some grated Parmesan cheese.
* when the sauce is done, just build your lasagna. It'll be 3 layers: 2 meat sauce, one ricotta in between
* use a (9"x13" pan), I always use Pyrex or ceramic, spray with some olive oil
* 1st put down a little of the tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan (just so the pasta has something to soak up) then build:
* pasta then meat sauce then grated or sliced mozzarella (never the fresh mozzarella it's too watery)
* next layer more pasta then spread all the ricotta mixture top with more mozzarella.
* last layer same as the 1st. Top off with some grated Parmesan and put into a preheated oven (350 or 375) for half an hour to 45 min. The top should be light golden brown.
Don't start cutting into that right away! Wait about 15 minutes to let it settle and cool off! (and it tastes even better the next day if there are any leftovers) Then enjoy with your favorite red wine, maybe some garlic bread, and all your loved ones.
 Mangia! Buon Appetito!

P.S. In the end Reid ended up coming home for the week-end! Oh the power of the pasta!