Lasagna with Pesto and Hot Italian Sausage

Like Garfield, I, too, love lasagna. But unlike Garfield, I decided to throw mine a graduation party a let it get a little more sophisticated and grown-up! My creative juices have been missing in the kitchen the last few weeks, hence the decline of posts on here recently. I am not sure if it was the thought of Garfield or lasagna but I got a jolt of excitement when I started working on refining this recipe a couple of months ago.

Here’s how things started: I would add chopped basil, lemon zest, and olive oil to my ricotta for my filling—as I thought about this further I realized I was basically adding pesto. And poof! A thought occurred: make pesto and add it to my ricotta—hello, creativity—how are you?! This got me really excited and the next thing I knew I was making lasagna once a week to perfect my refined and sophisticated lasagna. She’s familiar and new all at the same time! The pesto brings balanced and earthy notes, the lemon adds brightness and freshness, the Hot Italian brings a little heat, the cheese adds plenty of savory, salty flavor, and then the tomato’s acid hits the back of your palate and is like HELLO!! Did I mention I was excited about this recipe?

She’s beauty and she’s grace, she’s lasagna with pesto and spice!

Recipe:

• 1 pound of lasagna noodles

• 15 oz ricotta cheese

• 16 oz of mozzarella, can use fresh or shredded (I cut my fresh mozzarella into halves and then slice into 1/4 inch thick half moons)

• 1/4 cup of parmesan or pecorino for sprinkling on the top layer of noodles

• Pesto

  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves

  • 1/2 cup parmesan or pecorino grated cheese

  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

  • 2 cloves of garlic

  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1/8 cup (or 2 tablespoons) olive oil

• Meat Sauce

  • 1/2 pound ground Hot Italian sausage

  • 1/2 pound ground beef

  • 24 oz jar of your preferred marinara sauce (or if you feeling especially ambitious, try my husband’s amazing sauce recipe is here!)

Method:

1. Let’s kick this lasagna party off with some pesto-making. In a food processor or a blender, add basil leaves, grated cheese, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Blend until broken down into fine pieces. With a blender or food processor on medium-high speed, slowly pour in olive oil until pesto is smooth and thick enough to coat the back of your spoon.

2. In a medium bowl, add ricotta and pesto together, mix until well combined, and set to the side.

3. Now onto the rest! Add enough water to a large pot for noodles, set on high, cover, and bring to a boil. While you’re waiting for that to boil, let’s work on our meat sauce and preheat our oven.

4. Preheat your oven to 375. Onto the sauce!

5. In a large skillet, add a drizzle of olive oil to barely cover the bottom of the pan (to help with heat transfer from the pan to the meat) on medium-high heat. Once the oil is slightly rippling, add your meats. Do not begin to break up the meat until it has begun to brown—this is to help us get a good sear on our meat, which will help extract more flavor. (Hi, Maillard reaction!). Once the meat is browned, add your jar of marinara sauce. Add about a 1/4 cup of water to the jar to get the rest of the sauce and add to the skillet. Mix together, reduce heat to a simmer and allow the sauce to heat through and reduce slightly.

6. Now for the noodles! Add your pasta to your boiling and salted pot. You want these less than al dente because they’re going to finish cooking in the oven. So I go for a noodle that becomes flexible but not cooked through or tender. So look for them to bend over without breaking and then pull them. Probably within 6-8 minutes. Toss them with some olive oil to keep them from sticking and allow them to cool slightly so your little mittens can handle them.

7. Now assemble! In a 9x13 pan, add a few spoonfuls marinara to lightly coat the bottom of your baking dish. You're going to split your prepared fillings into 4 because that’s how many layers this lasagna has. Add enough noodles to cover the bottom of the pan, then add 1/4 ricotta-pesto mix, spread evenly; now add about 1/4 of marinara sauce. Then add 1/5 of your mozzarella (gotta save some of the top!). Okay now go 3 more rounds: a layer of pasta, ricotta-pesto mix, meat sauce, mozzarella, another round, and then one more! Okay, you’re done—great job.

8. Top lasagna with remaining pasta to cover the filling and add your last round of mozzarella and sprinkle of grated parm or pecorino!

9. Now, this last part is so important because if it doesn’t happen, you can say goodbye to that beautiful top cheese masterpiece you just created. You are going to cover your lasagna in foil for baking, but you’re going to spray one side of the foil with nonstick spray so you don’t lose your cheese topping!

10. Okay now with the sprayed side down towards the cheese, cover the baking dish and place in the oven for about 45 minutes. Allow to bake for 30-35 minutes until starting to bubble. Then take off the foil for the last 10-15 minutes for the top to brown. If you want roasty, toasty you can throw the whole affair under the broiler for a minute to two to really crisp up.

11. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes or you can kiss the roof of your mouth goodbye.

12. Cut with a sharp knife and serve. Makes about 8 servings.

Special Guest Recipe: Andrew's Marinara

This recipe was inspired by chef Roy Choi of Netflix’s The Chef Show with Jon Favreau. If you don't have this show on your watch list, give it a try, especially if you're trying to sharpen your skills in the kitchen! Some background: Roy and Jon became good friends when Jon was starring in the movie Chef and Roy coached Jon on how to appear chef-like in the film. Chef is one of my husband’s favorite movies, which is great because his other is The Hunt for Red October and there are only so many times I can listen to Sean Connery’s Russian accent. Sorry, Sean. 

I digress. 

The new season of The Chef Show came out at the end of September and you better believe we were waiting with bated breath and sharpened knives, waiting to see what Jon and Roy were going to serve up this season. Roy's take on marinara was shared along with his meatballs and Andrew knew the recipe was a must-try. But the recipe for the meatballs was not shared, so Andrew had to go back and watch the episode in slo-mo to eyeball the ingredients (talk about dedication) and off we went to Jimmy’s Food Store for the ingredients, projected measurements in hand. If you live in Dallas and do not go to or know about Jimmy’s for your Italian necessities, do yourself a favor and go get a coffee on a Saturday morning and drive to Jimmy’s and walk around. You will feel like you’re in Little Italy—it is fabulous.

With our pilgrimage to Jimmy’s complete—Andrew set about replicating Roy’s recipe. The base of the recipe started close to Roy's, then Andrew just couldn't fight is Italian heritage any longer and started deviating from the recipe—changing the type of mushrooms, then pureeing them, adding tomato paste, blending the onion (not in the original recipe), adding oregano and a bunch of basil. The result? A sauce that brings a tear to the eye it is so good. I am not being facetious. After my first bite, I immediately brought Andrew a piece of paper and a pen to write down his recipe. Roy's meatballs are good, but Andrew's sauce feels like a hug in a bowl. From the mushroom puree that brings the Earthy notes to the savory garlic confit (thank you for this, Chef Roy!) and the addition of tomato paste for depth, everything about this sauce is perfection. If the recipe feels overwhelming at first, (there is a little prep work involved) it is worth it! Once the garlic confit, the mushrooms and mushroom stock are done, the rest of the time you are just pouring ingredients into the pot and bringing them together. 

Note: This makes a lot of sauce! You can cut the recipe in half and still get 8 cups! You can freeze the leftover mushroom stock and bag and refrigerate the garlic confit for later use!

Ingredients:

• 4, 28 oz cans of San Marzano Tomatoes (labeled “DOP” if you can find it!) 

• 1 lb of Porcini mushrooms 

• 1 cup mushroom stock—Don’t worry if you’re scratching your head. We will walk through it!

• 1 1/4 cups garlic confit—yep—walking through this one too!

• 6 oz tomato paste

• 1 tablespoon dried oregano

• Half an onion (place half an onion with a 1/4 cup of water into a blender and blend until smooth)

• 1 bunch of basil (leaves and stem) tied together with twine to form a bundle 

• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

• salt/pepper to taste

• 1 pound of pasta

• grated parmesan (optional) 

Method:

For the mushroom stock:

1.  Wipe down mushroom with a damp towel to remove any dirt. 

2. Add 1 lb of porcini mushrooms to 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer. Let cook for 2 hours. Look for a deep, dark brown color to develop. 

3. Strain mushrooms from stock, catching liquid into a separate bowl (we want to keep it!). Pour mushrooms into a blender and puree—set to the side. 

For garlic confit:

1. Add 2 heads worth of peeled garlic cloves to a skillet with 1 cup of olive oil. 

2. Cook on the lowest heat setting for 2 hours. Stirring occasionally until garlic is a dark, golden color. Set to the side, with the oil! If halving the recipe, just use one whole head worth of garlic cloves.

For marinara, makes about 14 cups: 

1. In a large pot over medium-high heat, add cans of San Marzano tomatoes, with their juice. Bring to a boil. 

2. Add 1 1/4 cups of garlic confit and oil from skillet into the tomatoes and stir. 

3. Add one cup of mushroom stock and half of the pureed mushrooms. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth, add onion, and mix. Allow to simmer and reduce on low heat for two hours. 

4. Taste for salt and pepper and add accordingly. Add basil bundle, tomato paste, and oregano, stir together. 

5. Continue to simmer for about 30 more minutes, check for seasoning, and add to taste. 

6. Take out the basil bundle and if not using immediately, freeze or refrigerate. 

If using immediately:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. 

2. Add your desired pasta and cook until al dente. 

3. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water and drain pasta. 

4. Toss pasta with 2 cups of sauce and add a splash of pasta water and a handful of parmesan. Mix until pasta is thoroughly coated and glossy. Add freshly grated parmesan and toss once more, add more on top for good measure! Serve immediately—with more parm if you please and some fresh cut basil! Dig in!

Say "Pesto-Changeo" & you too can make Pesto!

“Abracadabra!” “Alakazam!” No, honey, you don’t need a magic trick to make pesto! Put down your magic wand and save your witch hat for next month. Go look outside!

Is your basil trying to go to seed? Grab those leaves and let’s make some pesto! Seriously though, grab them sooner rather than later because when herbs or vegetables go to seed, they turn bitter. Why you ask? Oh, it is this cool thing that the plant is trying to pass on its genetics, by turning bitter. This adaption keeps animals in the wild from eating them. Thus, their genetics are passed on. Enough about biology—back to Genovese Basil, which is the type that is best suited for pesto!

Okay, wait, one more biology lesson, or it could be considered horticultural. Either way, do you know how many types of basil there are? 21!! I had no idea either! Each has its own distinct flavor profile, so many of the variations cannot be used interchangeably. For pesto making, it’s Genovese Basil, which looks very similar to Sweet Basil-- probably the variation you are most familiar with. My basil grows like a weed in the summer so that means by late summer, it is starting to go to seed. Lucky for me I make a giant batch of pesto to enjoy well into fall. I divide the batch into a few vacuum-sealed bags and freeze them for quick and easy meals! I snuck a few extra greens into this recipe. Spinach for some extra vitamins and minerals and arugula to help give a lovely, peppery bite to the pesto. I love this pesto recipe so much and hope you will too!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups basil leaves

• 1 cup spinach

• 1/2 cup arugula

• 3 large garlic cloves

• 2 cups shredded parmesan

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1 pound of cooked and drained pasta

  • Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water before you drain the pasta

Method:

1. In a food processor, add in all of the ingredients, except the olive oil, and pulse until paste-like.

2. With the processor on, slowly stream in olive oil until pesto is smooth and homogenous. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.

3. Scoop into a large bowl, cover, and set to the side if using immediately. Set in the refrigerator, if not using immediately. A note on flavor development—There are two factors when it comes to building flavor: time and temperature. Like a middle school grade dance, these flavors are standing on opposite sides of the room. As there is no alcohol in this recipe, time is going to be our ice breaker, and let’s give these flavors a chance to get to know each other. If covered and in the fridge, the pesto will keep for 5 days.

   Tip: To keep the top of the pesto from drying out, once in its container, add a drizzle of olive oil to the top, cover, and then, place in the refrigerator.

4. If using immediately, move on to step 5!

5. Bring a large of heavily salted water to a rolling boil.

6. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Scoop out 1/2 cup of pasta water and set it to the side.

7. Drain pasta and put back into the pot. Add pesto and stir it together. If pesto is not spreading easily, add a few drops of pasta water until pasta is covered in pesto!

8. Plate and add a little extra parm on the top!

You’ll notice that there are no pine nuts in this recipe. Nuts are hit or miss with me. It seems that everything but almonds causes an adverse reaction for me, so I steer clear of 99% of nuts. If you are missing them in this recipe, simply toast about 1/4 of a cup of pine nuts on the stove, until you can smell them, add them to the food processor, and proceed with step 1.

Summer Italian Pasta Salad

Meet the fridge-friendly lunch that is reframing how I see my midday meal! I am not a big lunch girl and generally have thought of it as “second breakfast.” As I am trying to add more greens into my lunch routine, the second breakfast mentality doesn’t exactly lend itself to that. So, I came up with this recipe to help meet that need—and it needed to be ready in a flash! This dish checks all the boxes. The only thing to cook is the pasta and you can do the minimal chopping it calls for while the pasta cooks! After the pasta is done, this dish comes together in under 5 minutes! What I love about this dish is that it can be modified to suit whatever you have on-hand or modified to your tastes. Need it to be gluten-free? Use a gluten-free pasta! Want to add olives or capers? Go for it, honey! Want a different type of cheese? Get mad with mascarpone or the ricotta! Watch these flavors come together in no time flat and voila your lunch is ready!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of pasta, cooked and drained

• 1 cup San Marzano tomatoes, quartered

• `1 cup mozzarella (pearl size)

• 2 cups arugula, chopped

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

• 1/4 cup torn basil leaves (I prefer torn rather than chopped basil because the heat of your hand helps release the oils in the basil—making it more fragrant in the dish!)

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 tablespoon of dried oregano

• Optional: shaved or grated pecorino, parm, or grana padano over the top

Method:

1. Rinse cooked pasta with cold water to help remove the starches—this will help keep the pasta from sticking together.

2. In a large bowl combine, pasta, tomatoes, mozzarella, arugula, and basil, toss to combine.

3. Add in olive oil and balsamic and toss again to thoroughly coat the pasta mix.

4. Once coated add in the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. (The oil mixture is going to grab our seasonings and help them stick!)

5. Optional: Add shaved or grated cheese of your choosing. Taste for seasonings and alter to suit.

6. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

7. Congratulations! Your lunch is made for the week! (Also makes a wonderful side dish for dinner!)