Lasagna is a classic Italian dish that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. It is typically made with layers of pasta, cheese, and meat sauce. However, there are many variations of lasagna, including one that features basil and fennel. This unique combination of flavors creates a delicious and aromatic dish that is sure to please everyone at your table. If you are looking for a new and exciting way to enjoy lasagna, then this recipe is for you.
Let's cook with our recipes!
LASAGNA WITH BASIL AND FENNEL
I've never been a big lasagna fan, but this particular version has such interesting, wonderful flavors to it that I've been known to eat an entire pan in 3 days. I've found that the amount of sauce these proportions make to be a just barely inadequate -- once or twice, I didn't have enough at the end, so my top layer of noodles was a little dry. you can remedy this by being really careful about how much sauce you use for layering, erring on the skimpy side, or you can do it my way and double the sauce recipe :) the leftover sauce is soo delicious on pasta, pizza, etc. I also like to add a few cloves of garlic to the sauce since I'm a garlic fiend.
Provided by enigmused
Categories Cheese
Time 1h40m
Yield 8 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Mix 1 cup mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, egg and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese in medium bowl.
- Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and fennel seeds; sauté 5 minutes. Add beef; sauté 10 minutes, breaking up meat with fork. Mix in seasoning, then tomatoes, broth and wine. Cover and simmer 8 minutes. Season sauce to taste with pepper.
- Spoon 1 1/3 cups sauce over bottom of 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Place 3 noodles over sauce. Drop half of ricotta cheese mixture by tablespoonfuls evenly over. Top with half of basil leaves, 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Continue layering with 3 noodles, 2 cups sauce, remaining ricotta cheese mixture, remaining basil, 1 cup mozzarella cheese and remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Finish with 3 noodles, 2 cups sauce and remaining mozzarella cheese (reserve remaining sauce for another use). Cover with foil; place on baking sheet.
- Bake lasagna until heated through, about 1 hour. Uncover; let stand 15 minutes. Cut lasagna into squares.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 619.2, Fat 40, SaturatedFat 19.8, Cholesterol 168.1, Sodium 897.5, Carbohydrate 15.9, Fiber 2.9, Sugar 2.8, Protein 46.9
LASAGNE WITH BASIL AND FENNEL
Categories Pasta
Number Of Ingredients 21
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix 1 cup mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, egg and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese in medium bowl. Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and fennel seeds; saute 5 minutes. Add beef; saute 10 minutes, breaking up meat with fork. Mix in seasoning, then tomatoes, broth and wine. Cover and simmer 8 minutes. Season sauce to taste with pepper. Spoon 1 1/3 cups sauce over bottom of 13x9x2" glass baking dish. Place 3 noodles over sauce. Drop half of ricotta cheese mixture by tablespoonfuls evenly over. Top with half of basil leaves, 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Continue layering with 3 noodles, 2 cups sauce, remaining ricotta cheese mixture, remaining basil, 1 cup mozzarella cheese and remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Finish with 3 noodles, 2 cups sauce and remaining mozzarella cheese (reserve remaining sauce for another use). Cover with foil; place on baking sheet. Bake lasagna until heated through, about 1 hour. Uncover; let stand 15 minutes. Cut lasagna into squares. This recipe for Lasagna With Basil And Fennel serves/makes 6.
LASAGNA ALLA BESCIAMELLA
Provided by Valerie Bertinelli
Categories main-dish
Time 3h30m
Yield 8 to 10 servings
Number Of Ingredients 21
Steps:
- To make the meat ragu: Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until soft and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Add the ground beef, sausage, salt, basil, Italian seasoning, oregano and pepper to taste and increase the heat to high. Cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned all over. Add the tomatoes. Pour some of the wine into the empty tomato boxes to rinse out the last bits of tomatoes and add to the pot, along with the remaining wine. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the sauce thickens and the flavors come together, about 1 hour. Add a healthy amount of black pepper.
- To make the besciamella: Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until just simmering, then turn off the heat. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour to the butter and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and then loosens again, about 2 minutes. Add the hot milk, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil. Add the nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook, whisking almost constantly, for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and use immediately.
- To make the lasagna: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spread an even layer of the meat ragu over the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles over the sauce lengthwise across the short side of the pan. Avoid overlapping or allowing them to touch the sides of the pan because they will expand as they cook. Press down slightly to let the sauce spread around them. Cover with one-quarter of the besciamella and sprinkle with one-third of the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Add another layer of ragu. Add 3 more noodles, arranging them in the opposite direction from the first layer and breaking 1 of the noodles in half if necessary to fit. Add one-quarter of the besciamella and half of the mozzarella. Make a third layer of ragu, noodles (alternating directions again), besciamella and one-third of the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Add another layer of ragu, then the remaining mozzarella, noodles (alternating the noodles again), besciamella and ragu.
- Cover the pan with foil and bake until heated through, about 35 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the top is brown and bubbling, about 20 minutes more. During the last 10 minutes of baking, scatter the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano all over. Let the lasagna stand for 10 minutes before serving.
RIGATONI WITH SAUSAGE & FENNEL
Steps:
- Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset, over medium heat. Add the fennel and onion and saute for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add the sausage and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, crumbling it with a fork, until nicely browned. Add the garlic, crushed fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper and cook for one minute. Pour in the wine, bring to a boil, and add the heavy cream, half-and-half, and tomato paste. Bring back to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 2 tablespoons salt, and cook the rigatoni according to the directions on the package. Drain and add to the sauce, stirring to coat the pasta. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes to allow the pasta to absorb the sauce. Off the heat, stir in the parsley and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan. Serve hot in shallow bowls with the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan on the side.
FENNEL & ROAST TOMATO LASAGNE
Vegetarian dish and very tasty - originally by Mat Follas, BBC MasterChef champion
Provided by marypalmer53
Time 2h
Yield Serves 4
Number Of Ingredients 0
Steps:
- Haet the oven to 160c fan. Place the fennel in a large roasting tray, season and drizzle with 2tbsp of the oil. Place the tomatoes in a separate roasting tray. Season and drizzle with the remaining oil and balsamic. Roast both for 30mins
- Stir the cream into the fennel and return to the oven for a further 10mins. Meanwhile lightly mash the tomatoes with a fork. After 10mins remove the fennel from the oven, grate over most of the cheese and stir to melt - it should make a little sauce that clings to the fennel - add more cream if you need to. Reduce oven temp to 140c fan.
- To assemble the lasagne, spoon a thin layer of tomatoes into an oven proof dish. Top with a layer of pasta, followed by a layer of fennel, then another layer of pasta. Repeat, finishing with a layer of fennel. Grate over remaining cheese and bake for 45mins until golden and the pasta is cooked
BASIL LASAGNA
This is a free form lasagna which is a tasty variation of a typical lasagna. It is a modification of a recipe found in Simply Perfect Italian magazine.
Provided by Luvfood
Time 1h50m
Yield 5 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Notes: I purchase store bought fresh pasta. For the Roasted Tomato Sauce the ingredients are listed from the tomatoes line. Having extra sauce on hands is suggested, when cooking with fresh pasta it dries out and gets chewy. I double the sauce recipe. Do not over-bake this recipe. Due to the cheese it will burn and get chewy.
- Variation: Add garlic to taste to the sauce, roasting it with the tomatoes is good. I also tried this with 1 pound of browned lean ground beef. I added a can of tomato sauce until the sauce was the right consistency to cover the lasagna with.
- For the filling stir together the cheeses, basil, oregano, thawed and completely drained spinach, black pepper to taste.
- Set aside filling.
- For the roasted tomato sauce preheat oven to 350.
- In a large roasting pan add all ingredients and bake for 1 hour until skins are slightly charred.
- Once cooled, blend quickly in a blender to coarsely chop (30 seconds).
- Cover and chill until ready to use.
- Place about 2/3 cup of the cheese filling on each pasta sheet.
- Spread evenly leaving a one inch border along the sides.
- Fold the two long sides over edges of filling, then with sides in place, roll up to form a packet that encases the filling.
- Place filled packets in a shallow casserole dish.
- Top each with 1/2 cup or more of sauce to cover the packet.
- Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly (at 350 degrees I bake for 20-25 minutes) or lower oven temperature to 300 for 30 minutes.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 339.6, Fat 24.7, SaturatedFat 12.4, Cholesterol 67.8, Sodium 988.2, Carbohydrate 11.7, Fiber 3.5, Sugar 5.5, Protein 19.8
WORLD'S BEST LASAGNA
It takes a little work, but it is worth it.
Provided by John Chandler
Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Italian
Time 3h15m
Yield 12
Number Of Ingredients 20
Steps:
- In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 448.2 calories, Carbohydrate 36.5 g, Cholesterol 81.8 mg, Fat 21.3 g, Fiber 4 g, Protein 29.7 g, SaturatedFat 9.9 g, Sodium 1400.4 mg, Sugar 8.6 g
LASAGNA WITH BASIL AND FENNEL
Provided by Ila Walrath
Categories Beef Pasta Tomato Bake Mozzarella Parmesan Ricotta Basil Ground Beef White Wine Bon Appétit Ohio
Yield Makes 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix 1 cup mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, egg and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese in medium bowl. Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and fennel seeds; sauté 5 minutes. Add beef; sauté 10 minutes, breaking up meat with fork. Mix in seasoning, then tomatoes, broth and wine. Cover and simmer 8 minutes. Season sauce to taste with pepper.
- Spoon 1 1/3 cups sauce over bottom of 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Place 3 noodles over sauce. Drop half of ricotta cheese mixture by tablespoonfuls evenly over. Top with half of basil leaves, 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Continue layering with 3 noodles, 2 cups sauce, remaining ricotta cheese mixture, remaining basil, 1 cup mozzarella cheese and remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Finish with 3 noodles, 2 cups sauce and remaining mozzarella cheese (reserve remaining sauce for another use). Cover with foil; place on baking sheet.
- Bake lasagna until heated through, about 1 hour. Uncover; let stand 15 minutes. Cut lasagna into squares.
SPINACH LASAGNA WITH FENNEL SAUSAGE
Making lasagna from scratch, including the pasta, is a time-consuming project that is absolutely worth the effort, especially for a holiday dinner. If you have a friend to help you in the kitchen, so much the better; or, spread the work over a couple of days. Of course, you may use store-bought fresh or dried lasagna noodles instead of making the pasta yourself, or use a favorite tomato sauce recipe of your own. This lasagna is delicate and rich, best served in small portions.
Provided by David Tanis
Categories dinner, pastas, project, main course
Time 3h
Yield 8 to 10 servings
Number Of Ingredients 23
Steps:
- Make the pasta: Combine spinach, eggs, salt and olive oil in a blender or food processor and purée until smooth. Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in flour. Knead mixture into a soft dough. If sticky, add a little more flour. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic, and set aside to rest while you prepare the other elements.
- Make the filling: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add spinach and let wilt for a few seconds. Drain spinach in a colander and rinse well with cold water. Squeeze spinach dry and chop roughly.
- Put ricotta in a mixing bowl and stir in chopped spinach. Stir in lemon zest and crushed fennel seed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Set a large skillet over medium-high heat and add sausage meat. Cook, breaking up with a spatula, until crumbled. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until just cooked through. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
- For the béchamel, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and let cook for about 1 minute, stirring; do not let mixture brown.
- Whisk in milk 1/2 cup at a time, letting sauce thicken after each addition. Add bay leaf, cayenne and nutmeg and continue cooking over low heat, whisking frequently, for about 10 minutes, to create a smooth sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Thin with a little more milk if necessary; consistency should be that of a not-too-thick milkshake. If needed, strain sauce to remove lumps. Keep warm in a double boiler to prevent thickening.
- Make the tomato sauce: In a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and basil and let sizzle without browning, 1 minute or less. Add tomato purée and bring to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, until slightly thickened. Remove from heat, pull out the basil leaves, and whisk in butter. Set aside.
- Roll out the pasta: Set up a pasta machine and divide the dough into 5 roughly equal pieces. Roll each piece into a thin sheet of pasta about 12 inches long. Rolling twice at the second-to-last setting on the machine should give you the right thickness. Set aside on baking sheets, dust lightly with flour and keep covered with a slightly damp kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out.
- Butter a medium-large baking dish, not larger than 9 by 13 inches. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
- Cook the pasta: Have a large pot of salted boiling water on the stove and a large bowl of ice water nearby. One by one, place pasta sheets in boiling water to par-cook for about 1 minute, leaving pasta quite firm. Using tongs or a spider, lift pasta out and plunge into ice water. Lift out and lay on a clean kitchen towel to blot. Cut into two pieces.
- As the pasta is cooked, assemble the lasagna: Place 2 sheets cooked pasta side by side, in the bottom of the baking dish. Spread pasta with 1/2 cup béchamel and dot with one-quarter of the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle over one fourth of crumbled sausage and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Repeat process for each layer. You will have 4 layers. Finish with 2 sheets of pasta. Spread top with 1/2 cup béchamel and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. (The lasagna can be made up to this point up to 1 day in advance, covered and refrigerated.)
- Cover with foil and bake about 30 minutes, until lasagna is bubbling. (If baking a refrigerated lasagna, this will take longer, up to 60 minutes.) Remove foil and bake uncovered for about 15 minutes, until lightly browned on top. Let lasagna rest for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting.
- Just before serving, reheat tomato sauce. To serve, cut lasagna into 3- or 4-inch squares. With a spatula, transfer each serving to individual plates. Spoon about ½ cup tomato sauce around each serving. Garnish with basil leaves.
SPINACH-BASIL LASAGNA
In the kitchen, my husband and I like to use classic ingredients in new ways. I came up with this lasagna one day and haven't made another type since. We love it! -Charlotte Gehle, Brownstown, Michigan
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Dinner
Time 1h5m
Yield 9 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350°. Mix first 7 ingredients., Spread 1/2 cup pasta sauce into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Layer with 3 lasagna noodles, 3/4 cup ricotta mixture, 1 cup spinach, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 2/3 cup sauce. Repeat layers twice. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese., Bake, covered, 35 minutes. Uncover; bake until lasagna is heated through and cheese is melted, 10-15 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. , Freeze option: Cover and freeze unbaked lasagna. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake lasagna as directed, increasing time as necessary to heat through and for a thermometer inserted in center to read 165°.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 292 calories, Fat 12g fat (6g saturated fat), Cholesterol 59mg cholesterol, Sodium 677mg sodium, Carbohydrate 27g carbohydrate (10g sugars, Fiber 3g fiber), Protein 18g protein. Diabetic Exchanges
Tips:
- Use fresh ingredients. Fresh basil and fennel will give your lasagna the best flavor.
- Don't overcook the pasta. Al dente pasta is the best choice for lasagna.
- Use a variety of cheeses. A combination of mozzarella, ricotta, and Parmesan cheeses will give your lasagna a rich and flavorful taste.
- Don't skimp on the sauce. A generous amount of sauce will help to keep your lasagna moist and flavorful.
- Let the lasagna rest before serving. This will allow the flavors to meld together and the lasagna to set.
Conclusion:
Lasagna with basil and fennel is a delicious and hearty dish that is perfect for a special occasion. With its combination of fresh ingredients, flavorful sauce, and rich cheeses, this lasagna is sure to please everyone at your table. So next time you're looking for a new lasagna recipe to try, give this one a try. You won't be disappointed!
Are you curently on diet or you just want to control your food's nutritions, ingredients? We will help you find recipes by cooking method, nutrition, ingredients...
Check it out »
You'll also love