Lasagna. Everybody loves it. Right?
Wrong.
I don’t like lasagna. I’ve never liked lasagna. I don’t buy it, I don’t order it, I honestly can’t remember the last time I even ate lasagna. I’m just not a fan.
So what is somebody to do when they hear around dinnertime “I’m in the mood for a good lasagna tonight…” when they’re such a non-fan of the dish that, when put on the spot, they’re not even sure how to make it?
Time to look to find that magical Disney recipe. If there was ever a recipe for something that could turn a food I don’t like into something I can make and actually enjoy, it would be a Disney recipe. I’d hoped, hoped, hoped that I had a recipe from Wolfgang Puck Express, but I actually came up with the next best thing. A Wolfgang Puck-inspired dish from Tutto Italia Ristorante.
So, the things I learned about lasagna by making this dish…First and foremost, there is such a thing as a lasagna that I adore, and this is it. It’s apparently very non-traditional in terms of American-style lasagna, but very classic, authentic Italian. Maybe that’s why I loved it so much.
There were a lot of great flavors, not weighed down by heavy ricotta or cheese. I could taste the tomatoes, the meat, all the spices. Seriously, it was awesome. Even the leftovers were spectacular. This was unlike the lasagna I’ve had before. It was hearty, it didn’t fall apart or disintegrate, and it wasn’t oily or greasy… If all lasagna tasted like this, maybe I’d like it more.
The second thing that I learned… Making lasagna from scratch is easy, though complicated, and it makes A LOT of dishes. And it’s a major investment in time. My stove and dishwasher got quite the workout. Just think if I’d made the pasta, like they do on-site. Holy cow.
I really stuck to the recipe on this one, though I did use dried herbs instead of fresh (again, NH in the winter means no good fresh herbs). I’ll admit I ran out of the pomodoro sauce because I over-sauced the meat and the bottom of the pan, so I couldn’t top the lasagna with a decent layer of sauce before I baked, or dress it after I’d cut and plated it.
Next time, I’ll probably make more, or be a little lighter on how I sauce everything. I did, however, sauce the slices I served with some of the sauce drippings from the pan, and that was brilliant and tasty, if I do say so myself.
So this is my exception to my “I don’t like lasagna” rule. It’s time consuming and makes a mess in the kitchen, but I think if I want to impress people with an amazing dish, this is a great choice.
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Lasagna Al Forno – Tutto Italia Ristorante
Description
Lasagna al Forno
As is served at Tutto Italia Ristorante, Italy Pavilion, EPCOT
Ingredients
Pomodoro Sauce
- 4 cans plum tomatoes in tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, fine chopped
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground pepper
- 6 fresh basil leaves, rough chopped
Bechamel Sauce
- 2 quarts milk
- 1 stick butter
- 4 ounces all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
Bolognese Sauce
- 1 yellow onion, fine diced
- 3 ribs celery, fine diced
- 1 carrot, fine diced
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 cups pomodoro sauce
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
Lasagna
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 6 fresh pasta sheets or 2 boxes lasagna noodles, cooked and coated with a little olive oil to prevent sticking
- 1/2 cup pomodoro sauce
- Bechamel sauce
- Bolognese sauce
- 4 cups grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
For the pomodoro sauce:
Crush tomatoes in a large bowl. Set aside.
Cook onions in olive oil until clear over medium heat in a 12 quart saucepan. Add garlic and cook until fragrant and lightly golden. Add the crushed tomatoes, salt, and pepper.
Bring to a gentle boil, then lower heat to simmer. Simmer an hour or more, stirring occasionally. Add basil leaves and over lowest heat for additional 10 minutes. Reserve for lasagna assembly.
For the bechamel sauce:
In a sauce pot, over medium heat, melt the butter being careful to not allow it to brown. Remove from heat, add flour, whisking until completely incorporated and resembles a thick paste. Return to heat, add the milk, and whisk briskly until paste has incorporated in the milk.
Bring to a boil, whisking briskly, then lower heat to a low simmer. Season with salt and pepper and allow mixture to thicken. Lower heat to low and allow to rest, stirring regularly, for 30 minutes. Reserve for lasagna assembly.
For the bolognese sauce:
In a large sauce pot, over medium heat, cook carrots, onions, celery, and garlic until onions are clear and soft and the mixture is fragrant. Add the ground beef and cook until done, breaking meat up as much as possible. Add herbs, pomodoro sauce, wine, cream, salt, and pepper. Adjust seasonings if needed.
Increase heat to high and boil. Allow to boil for 5 minutes, reduce heat to medium-low, simmer for at least an hour. Reserve for lasagna assembly.
To assemble lasagna:
In a deep 13×9 pan, spray or wipe with the olive oil. Add pomodoro sauce and spread evenly across the bottom of the pan. Lay first layer of pasta, pressing firmly into the sauce. Layer 2 cups of bolognese sauce and spread evenly over the pasta. Sprinkle generously with the Parmesan cheese.
Add another pasta layer over the bolognese layer, firmly pushing down but being careful to not squeeze the layers to the sides of the pan. Add 1.5 cups bechamel sauce over the pasta sheet and spread evenly. Sprinkle liberally with Parmesan cheese and top with another pasta layer.
Repeat a total of six times (3 layers of meat and 3 layers of sauce), finishing with a noodle layer. On the top layer, over the final layer of noodles, cover with 2 cups pomodoro sauce. Bake, uncovered, at 250 for 1 hour. Remove from the oven, top with the mozzarella. Return to the oven and cook additional 5-10 minutes or until internal temperature is 165. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before cutting.
Cut and serve, topping with additional pomodoro sauce or pan drippings and Parmesan cheese.
