As long as I remember Lasagna has been my ultimate comfort food. And I’m not the only one, the grumpy orange cat himself loves the dish. When I first found out Garfield loved Lasagna, I decided to make my first one. It wasn’t great. Over the years I’ve developed the recipe taking inspiration from various Garfield films, tv shows and comics. It’s worth noting that in the film staring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Breckinridge Meyer and Bill Murray; that Garfield eats premade fresh lasagnas. However, that felt a little too easy. So I went with a basic vegetarian recipe that is sure to please.
Leftover Pasta Sauce, FREEZE IT!!!
If you’ve ever got too much pasta sauce, freeze it. This will save you time from prepping sauce for your Lasagna. I’ve always got leftover Pasta Cheese sauce and some kind of red sauce just hanging out in my freezer. Just remember to defrost it before you assemble your dish.
I’ll include my ricotta sauce recipe, it doesn’t need precooking. If you want to make it little richer, add a few eggs. This will also hold the layer together better. Alternatively you can stir in some pre-grated mozzarella.
Mandolin to Cut time
As terrifying as those utensils are, they can actually help you save time. Just place the mandolin over your cooking pot and use it to slice through your vegetables in seconds. If you’re struggling to get the last piece sliced up, just throw it away. It’s not worth risking your finger.
Make sure to use the finger guard. Honestly, I’m truly terrified of my mandolin, think every horror movie killer merged into one. So I rarely use it. Alternatively you can dice the vegetables using a knife.
Meat or Veg?
People will fight over which is better… to each their own. I’m going with a vegetarian recipe since I prefer it. If you want to make a meat version, half the vegetables and add as much mince meat as would make Garfield happy.
Water, Stock or Wine?
Rinse out the passata jars with additional liquid you intend to use. Personally, I use a cheap Italian red wine for additional flavour. You can swap it out for a stock/broth of your choosing. Alternatively you can just use water. It’s up to you. The reason behind this is because you’ll be cooking the sauce for a while before layering. The excess water will help cook the lasagna sheets in the oven.
Pet Safety
Obviously this recipe isn’t going to be pet safe. Always consult with your vet before feeding anything to your pet. There’s a reason why pet food has it’s own aisle in the supermarket.
Ingredients
Red Sauce
700g Passata
1 Large Onion, diced
3 Bell Peppers, cubed
2 Zucchini’s, diced,
1 Tablespoon Dried Oregano
1 Tablespoon Dried Basil
3 Garlic cloves crushed
1 Tablespoon Capers (Optional)
Parmesan Rind
A drizzle of Olive Oil
300ml Water/Stock/Wine
Salt to taste
White Sauce
500g Ricotta
125g Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 Eggs (Optional)
120g Chopped cooked Spinach (Optional)
Salt to taste
Other Layers
500g Grated Mozzarella (pre-grated to save time)
1 box of Lasagna sheets
200g Grated Parmesan Cheese
Directions
- In a sauce pan sauté the garlic in olive oil until fragrant. The moment it becomes fragrant add the passata and Parmesan Rind. Add the remaining Red sauce ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes or until the Parmesan rind is flexible like pasta.
- In a bowl mix together the white sauce ingredients. Set aside.
- Add a thin layer of Red sauce to the bottom of a casserole dish.
- Begin layering with Lasagna sheets, Red Sauce, Grated Mozzarella, Grated Parmesan and Ricotta mixture. Use about a quarter of each mixture for each layer. For the final layer place the grated cheese on top. Cover with baking paper and then with foil.
- Bake in the oven at Gas Mark 6 for about 35-40 minutes. Remove the baking paper and foil and cook for another 10 minutes or until golden brown.
- Once cooked, remove from the oven and let it sit for 30 minutes before serving,