Lasagna is an Italian dish made of stacked layers of flat pasta, tomato sauce seasoned with Basil, Oregano etc, cheese, ground meat or vegetable, topped with cheese and baked as this layered dish. One can skip meat to make it as a vegetarian Lasagna. Many versions of lasgna are made but using different types of cheeses such as mozarella, ricotta and parmesan. I have used on mozarella cheese and chicken minced meat in this recipe.
I have also made fresh lasgna pasta sheets. These sheets can be made in advance, dried and stored in refrigerator for later use. While using, just thaw the sheets (if stored in deep freezer), dip for couple of minutes in boiling water until it is just cooked and use to create layers of lasagna.
So, go ahead and enjoy the home baked Lasagna with home made pasta sheets.
Lasagna with home made pasta sheets
Servings: 4-6
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Difficulty: Medium
Freshly baked chicken Lasagna with home made pasta sheets.
Ingredients
For Pasta Sheets :
Maida (all purpose flour) – 2 1/2 cup
Eggs – 4 nos. (at room temperature)
Salt – 1 tsp
For Sauce and Assembling the Lasagna :
Tomatoes – 10 medium size (pureed)
Mushrooms – 8-10 nos. (stems removed and sliced)
Red Peppers – 1 medium
Yellow Peppers – 1 medium
Minced chicken – 250 gms (For vegetarian Lasagna, skip the chicken. Instead can use broccoli, carrot and other vegetables)
Basil – 2 tsp (I used dried one since fresh was unavailable)
Oregano – 2 tsp
Red Chilli Flakes – 2 tsp
Salt – To taste
Tomato ketchup – 3 Tb Sp
Sugar – 1 tsp
Olive oil – 2 tbsp
Chopped garlic – 2 TB Sp
Garlic powder – 1 tsp
Mozarella cheese (grated) – 300 gms
Salt – 4 tbsp (For cooking pasta sheets in boiling water)
Directions:-
For Pasta Sheets :
Clean the work surface and mound the flour on the work surface. Add salt, mix well. Make a well in the center of the mound,
In a bowl, crack open the eggs and beat lightly using whisk until all the yolks are combined
Pour the beaten eggs in the well made in the flour mound
Gradually pull the flour from inner rim of the well and combine with the eggs
When entire flour is mixed with the eggs, knead the dough until it smooth. You can add water (1 tb sp each time) if it is still hard to knead.
Make a ball of the dough, grease it will little oil and keep it in the bowl covered with wet tea towel for 20 minutes.
Cut the dough and take a small portion (double the size of the lemon), flatten it with hand and shape in the form a rectangle
Dust the work surface lightly and roll it evenly using rolling pin until it forms a bigger rectangle around 10 x 12 inches and is around 2-3mm thick. You can dust the dough with little flour while rolling it if it starts sticking to rolling pin or work surface.
Cut the pasta rectangle lengthwise with 3.5 inch wide strips
You can store these pasta sheets in the deep freezer by stacking over one another for upto 2-3 weeks. While, using these sheets, take out of the freezer and allow it thaw completely and the proceed as below
In a large pan, boil water alongwith generous amount of salt.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper and keep a wire rack on the tray
Dip 2-3 pasta sheets in the boiling water for 30 seconds or a minute, take out individually and lay flat on the parchment paper. Allow it to drain
keep the cooked pasta sheets aside until ready to assemble.
For Sauce and Assembling the Lasagna :
Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat
Add finely chopped garlic and saute until raw smell goes off
Add red and yellow peppers and saute for 2-3 minutes
Add chicken mince (if using, else add other vegetables for vegetarian lasagna) and saute until well cooked (3-4 minutes).
Add sliced mushrooms and saute for 2 minutes
Add tomato puree and allow it to cook on high flame for 6-7 minutes. It will change the color and gets little darker as well as it will thicken
Add garlic powder, red chili flakes, basil and oregano. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes
Add tomato ketchup, salt and sugar. Combine well and cook until the sauce thickens
Preheat the oven at 200 degrees centigrade
Take bakeware rectangular glass tray preferably of the size 9″x12″. Grease it well from inside with the oil
Place cooked pasta sheets lengthwise with slight overlap between each sheet
Spread the pasta sauce over the layered pasta sheets evenly into a marginally thick layer
Spread shredded mozzarella cheese over the sauce layer
Place another layer of pasta sheets over the cheese and top it with sauce and cheese layer
Place the third layer of pasta sheets, sauce and cheese. With this lasagna is assembled and ready to be baked
Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the cheese layer is slightly browned. You can also keep it under broil for 3-4 minuets to make the cheese brown.
Take it out of the oven. Slice the lasagna in smaller rectangular pieces and serve