DIY Network

Pasta Tips and Lasagna Recipe DIY's 'Meals Made Easy' expert shares a great meaty lasagna recipe and some pasta tips. From "Home Made Easy" episode DHME-128

Pasta is one of the most popular and versatile dishes around. There are so many ways to enjoy it and so many different types, that it can be a bit overwhelming. Guest Karen Bussen joins host Stephanie Lydecker and reveals some basic pasta tips and makes a no-fail lasagna with a hearty meat sauce.

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Lasagna

Heavenly Lasagna with Meat Sauce

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil
3/4 lb. ground beef
1 med. yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
One 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes with basil
1 Tbs. oregano
One 15 oz. tub ricotta cheese
8 oz. shredded mozzarella
4 oz. grated parmesan
6 no-boil lasagna noodles
salt and pepper to taste

8 x 8 casserole dish
ladle
mixing spoon
wide skillet
measuring spoons
aluminum foil
hot pad
spatula

Preparation:

Note: This dish is great to make ahead of time—it only gets better over night. Be sure to use the best ingredients possible for best results. And remember—fresh pasta is always best, but no-boil noodles are a great solution if you are short on time. The key to this dish is having all your ingredients ready to assemble. Between making the sauce and the assembling, your preparation time is only about 15 minutes. It also makes incredible leftovers.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

To make the meat sauce, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a wide skillet and then brown 3/4 pound ground beef that has been seasoned with salt and pepper. Then you add 1 medium chopped yellow onion and saute until translucent. Then add 2 cloves of chopped garlic, 1 tablespoon oregano, and one can of crushed tomatoes with basil (or you can substitute you favorite pasta sauce if you like).

To make the lasagna, start with a greased 8 x 8 casserole dish. Then spoon enough meat sauce into the dish to cover the bottom. Then layer the no-boil lasagna noodles on top of the sauce. Cover the noodles with another layer of sauce. Then spoon 5 tablespoons of ricotta cheese over the sauce, followed by two handfuls of mozzarella and two handfuls of parmesan. Then layer two more noodles crosswise and repeat layering the sauce, ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan. Repeat the layer one more time creating a total of three layers of noodles, sauce, ricotta and mozzarella and parmesan. Then on the top layer use the remaining sauce and cheeses. Then you cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. To get the cheese to look golden and brown—remove the foil 5-10 minutes before it is finished.

Serves: 4-6

Pasta Tips:

• Always match your pasta to its sauce—light sauces with garlic and olive oil or fresh herbs are great with angel hair, penne or farfalle or other smaller shapes.

• Rich cream or meat sauces work better with thick spaghetti, rigatoni, etc.

• Always make sure you add salt to your water—Italian chefs often say the water should taste like the Mediterranean.

• Watch your cooking times—no one likes mushy pasta.

• Fresh pastas like gnocchi and ravioli cook very quickly and are done when they float to the top. Test dried pastas for your preferred doneness.

GUESTS :

Karen Bussen
Author, Simple Stunning Weddings
E-mail: Karen@karenbussen.com
Website: www.karenbussen.com