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    Lasagna: the ultimate crowd pleaser done 22 ways

    By | Shine Food – Tue, Aug 5, 2008 5:19 PM EDT

    Few meals are as comforting as a hearty homemade lasagna. Master some basic techniques, and this impressive casserole will become an especially versatile favorite for family-style dining and entertaining. While the traditional baked pasta dish is made up of alternating layers of Bolognese sauce, thin sheets of pasta, and béchamel, the layers, fillings, and variations are infinite. Take inspiration from these recipes, and use the tips below to make the dishes your own.

    Recipes:

    For Meat Lovers
    Three-Cheese Lasagna with Italian Sausage

    Roasted Portobello and Prosciutto Lasagna

    Turkey Sausage-Spinach Lasagna with Spicy Tomato Sauce

    Sausage and Wild Mushroom Lasagne with Red Pepper Tomato Sauce

    Lean Lasagna


    For Vegetarians
    Super-Fast Spinach, Pesto and Cheese Lasagna

    Sweet Pea and Artichoke Lasagna

    Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

    Wild Mushroom Lasagne

    Butternut Squash and Hazelnut Lasagne


    Tempting Twists & Cannelloni
    Lasagne Rolls with Roasted Tomato and Eggplant

    Pumpkin Cannelloni with Clams and Sage Brown Butter

    Ricotta and Red Chard Cannelloni

    Spinach and Cheese Cannelloni

    Salmon Cannelloni with Lemon Cream Sauce


    Variations on the Classic
    Greek-Style Lamb and Eggplant Lasagne

    Vegetable Tortilla Lasagne

    Polenta and Braised Pork "Lasagne"

    Shrimp, Scallop, and Cod Lasagne

    Fettuccine Meatball Lasagne

    Mexican Poblano, Spinach, and Black Bean "Lasagne" with Goat Cheese

    Eggplant Lasagne with Parsley Pesto


    Recipe Tips:

    Perfectly Cooked Pasta
    The term "lasagna" actually refers to the wide flat sheets of pasta. Precook your lasagna by boiling just until it's almost al dente. Run it under cold water quickly to stop it from cooking further, and then lay it out flat in single layers on paper towels to cool and dry. If you do not wish to precook the pasta, use no-boil lasagna sheets.

    Putting Everything Together
    Lay out all of the ingredients, and cook the various sauces and fillings while precooking the pasta. Before assembling, spray the casserole dish with nonstick spray to ensure that nothing sticks to the bottom. The first layer should be sauce, then pasta, then cheese, and so on, repeating in that order until you have run out or filled the dish.

    Baking It All Up
    Cover the dish tightly with foil so that heat is trapped and everything cooks through. Remove the foil only for the last 10 to 15 minutes so that the cheese can bubble and brown.

    Thinking Ahead
    Lasagna is a great make-ahead dish and only gets better as the layers and flavors have a chance to blend together. Make it on the weekend, wrap securely, and freeze in anticipation of a day when you will want a warm, hearty meal but won't have time to cook.


    Heather Tyree joined Epicurious after attending the Institute of Culinary Education and working in the renowned kitchens of New York 's Daniel and Perry St. Born in New York , Tyree grew up mainly abroad, both in Europe and Asia , where she acquired not only a permanent sense of wanderlust but a great curiosity for and love of other cultures and cuisines. Before deciding to pursue her lifelong interest in all things food related, she studied History at Yale and survived a two-and-a-half-year stint in finance.


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