Are you ready? It's time to start our little cooking experiment. If you're new here, you're going to want to read this post first. We'll wait...
OK! Are you psyched? I've read her cookbook cover to cover and there are roughly 60 recipes. That means 5 recipes a month/1-2 a week, with a finish date of November 2010.
Let's begin: Lasagna, found on page 184 of Ree's new cookbook. You can also access the full recipe on her website.The best thing about this recipe? I had everything on hand, except sausage and basil. Gotta love that.
Ingredients
- 1-½ pound Ground Beef
- 1 pound Hot Breakfast Sausage
- 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
- 2 cans (14.5 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes
- 2 cans (6 Ounce) Tomato Paste
- Parsley
- Basil
- Salt
- 3 cups Lowfat Cottage Cheese
- 2 whole Beaten Eggs
- ½ cups Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1 pound shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- 1 package (10 Ounce) Lasagna Noodles
- (add 1/2 Teaspoon Salt And 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil To Pasta Water)
There's a little olive oil and salt in that water. That's why it's "golden." Wouldn't want you to get the wrong idea.
I don't know why I've never set the noodles on foil before, but it keeps them from sticking together. Plus, I used the foil to put over the lasagna later, when it was ready for the fridge. Little tip for ya'... very little.
After I wrestled with the garlic a little, I remembered I had one of those chopper things from Pampered Chef. So if you have one, use that. No one wants a big chunk of garlic in their teeth.
You gotta stir and stir, because it wants to stick and burn and we can't be having that.
OK, this is why you have to read the recipe before you start. I had no idea the sauce needed to simmer for almost an hour. With time to kill, and sweat beads on my brow, I opened the fridge and grabbed an ice cold diet pepsi... Or so I thought... Now, you tell me this wasn't an honest mistake:
Silver can and silver can! Luckily, I was near the sink and was able to do a spit-take to get rid of that foul brew.
OK, that only took 5 minutes. Forty minutes left. Let's check in on our boyfriend, Don Draper:
OK, Mad Men is actually 60 minutes. So, it's possible that the sauce was over-simmered. Totally worth it.
Let's get back to business:
We're about half a day into the project,
but it's finally time to layer this thing:
but it's finally time to layer this thing:
Noodles + Cottage Cheese mixture + Mozzarella + Meat Sauce; repeat.
What do you think? Pretty good for a terrible cook, wouldn't you say? Just goes to show Ree has a gift with cooking for dummies. Meet your dummy:
OK, on to the ratings:
ThatGirl gives the recipe 3 out of 4 stars. It was great, but I think it needed even more sausage -- that's what gave it the unique taste. I would increase the sausage and maybe add onion or some other veggies to the mix. Overall, it was the best lasagna I've made.
TheHusband gave the recipe 3 out of 5 stars. I told him that wasn't the scale -- everyone picks 3 when given a 1-5 scale, because 3 is smack in the middle and noncommital. So, when I changed it to a 1-4 scale, he still gave it a 3. He thought it held up well.
TheTeen gave it 8 out of 4 stars. OK, I guess I wasn't clear enough on the rating system. She said it was better than any lasagna TheHusband had ever made.
TheTween wouldn't try it because he only eats quesadillas and mac & cheese.
TheLittles both liked it, but thought it was "spicy," because of the sausage.
It tasted even better the next day as a leftover, after the tastes had mixed and mingled like the cast of Big Brother.
Ready to try it? Click Here.Disclaimer: ThatGirl Blogs is not affiliated with The Pioneer Woman blog or related publications. ThatGirl Blogs has received no compensation for this post, real or imagined. All recipes are the property of Ree Drummond, aka Pioneer Woman.
