Lasagna question?

Question

My cousin’s husband and I were talking one day about the lasagna we had at the house. It was the kind that you buy at the store then heat at home. Of course it was the normal recipe that neither of us really likes because we don't like ricotta cheese. I'm wanting to make lasagna(it would be REALLY cool if I could do it from scratch) but replace the ricotta with another type of cheese, we discussed putting in provolone instead. Is that possible, will it hold up right? Do you have any suggestions and/or good recipes for it? Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Replace the ricotta with firm crumbled tofu and use mozzarella cheese on top. The tofu has the same texture as the ricotta, but less fat and more protein. You'll be surprised!

Answer 2

Besides having a good meat sauce (bolognese ready) make a good Bechamel sauce:
5 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano
In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat until melted. Add the flour and stir until smooth (This is a roux). Over medium heat, cook until the mixture turns a light, golden sandy color, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Boil the milk in a separate pan, add the hot milk to the butter mixture whisking continuously until very smooth. Bring to a gentle boil stirring constantly 5 minutes, then remove from heat. Season with salt and nutmeg, and set aside to cool a bit. Grate 1 cup of Parmiginao Reggiano and add it to the bechamel, save the rest for layering the lasagna. Layer the lasagna alternating the meat sauce, bechamel, grated parmigiano, pasta sheets, repeat steps until done and top with more grated parmigiano and a few flakes of fresh butter. Buon Appetito.

Answer 3

I seem to remember seeing a recipe that suggested dry curd cottage cheese as an alternative. Ricotta is a dry, crumbly cheese, so you might was something with a similar texture and a mild flavour.

But cheese is one of those things you can often mix and match to suit your tastes.

Answer 4

Lasagne, Bolognese-Style
Lasagne alla Bolognese
SERVES 6 TO 8

WHITE SAUCE:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
4 cups hot milk
Fine sea salt to taste
Ground white pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat; do not let the butter brown. Whisk in the flour and cook it until a uniform paste is formed and no streaks of flour remain. Slowly whisk in the milk in a steady stream. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring slowly until the sauce coats the back of a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper.

BOLOGNESE SAUCE:

Leftover sauce freezes well.
1/4 pound pancetta in 1/4-inch slices
1 small red onion, peeled and quartered
1 medium carrot, peeled and quartered
1 medium rib celery, quartered
2 tablespoons Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 pound skirt steak or chuck blade steak, coarsely ground
1/2 pound boneless veal shoulder, coarsely ground
1/2 pound boneless pork loin, coarsely ground
1/2 to 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Pinch ground nutmeg (Optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup milk or cream

Mince the pancetta, onion, carrot, and celery together and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy-duty Dutch oven type pot. Cook the pancetta and minced vegetable mixture over low heat uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the ground meats, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and brown completely. Stir the tomato paste into the wine and add it to the meat mixture. Simmer the ingredients uncovered for 45 minutes, adding the milk or cream a little at a time to keep the mixture from sticking while it cooks. The milk also lends richness and creaminess to the sauce, which will be quite thick.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9 by 13-inch lasagna pan.

Place a layer of pasta in the pan and cover them evenly with a layer of the cream sauce. Spread a layer of the ragu sauce over the cream sauce and sprinkle the top with grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Add another layer of lasagna noodles and continue as above until all the ingredients have been used, ending with a layer of cream sauce and a sprinkling of cheese.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until heated through. Let stand 10 minutes, covered, before serving.

Note: You may use store-bought no-boil lasagna noodles in this recipe with excellent results.

Answer 5

The only recipe I use any more is this one:

2 lbs hot turkey Italian sausage, casings removed
1 28 oz can tomato sauce
1 15 oz can diced tomatos
1/2 yellow onion, diced
3 T dried Italian herbs
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (opt.)
1/2 cup good olive oil
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 6 oz package Italian cheese blend shredded cheese
1 8 oz package Velveeta cheese, cut into 1/2 inch squares
1/2 cup parmesan cheese for the top
12 - 16 lasagne noodles, cooked and drained (don't use the no-cook variety or it will suck up all your sauce!)

Saute onion and sausage until cooked. Drain. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatos, herbs and olive oil. Stir in pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes. Make pasta according to package directions. Layer: sauce, pasta, sauce, velveeta, shredded cheese, pasta etc. ending with sauce and cheese. Sprinkle with parmesan and cover. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before cutting. Serve with green salad and garlic bread. My guests rave about this recipe!

Answer 6

Provolone would work but you can replace the ricotta with cottage cheese and you'll get a milder flavor

Answer 7

the recipe is on the side of the box of lasagna noodles, just use anykind of cheese you want. thats what I do.

Answer 8

Use any cheeses you want. Do you like cottage cheese?