Fix, Freeze, Feast - Kati Neville [26]
2. Spread 4 cups of the meat mixture over the bottom of each baking dish. Cover the mixture with 6 corn tortillas, overlapping the edges as necessary to fit in a single layer. Spread 1 cup of cheese over the tortillas. Repeat each layer, finishing with a cheese topping.
3. Wrap each dish entirely in plastic wrap. Top with foil, label, and freeze.
FOIL PANS
In our recipes that call for freezing the food in baking dishes, reusable or disposable foil pans work well, and they’re a perfect choice if you’ll be sharing or giving away the food.
TO COOK ONE ENTRÉE
1. Completely thaw one dish in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
3. Remove plastic wrap and foil from baking dish and replace foil. Bake for 40 minutes, or until center is hot and edges are bubbly.
M EXICAN CHEESE BLENDS
Mexican-style cheese blends are available in the supermarket refrigerator case among the shredded cheese products. You can use a simple blend of Cheddar and Monterey Jack, or, for extra spice, choose a more exotic blend of several types of cheese labeled Mexican Blend or Mexican Style.
For years I was told by others that I could bake lasagna without boiling the noodles first. I refused to believe it. Not just set in my ways, I wasn’t willing to take the chance of wasting the food if the noodles turned out chewy—or worse. One day after boiling 108 lasagna noodles for 12 lasagnas, I decided there had to be a better way. To my delight, not boiling the noodles worked out great! Using plenty of red sauce and freezing the entrée first creates the perfect noodles. Lasagna has never been so easy! —LT
CLASSIC LASAGNA: LARGE PAN
MAKES 2 ENTRÉES, 12 SERVINGS EACH
1 (48-ounce) container cottage cheese (about 6 cups)
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups shredded Parmesan cheese, divided into 2 cups and 1 cup
13 cups Basic Red Sauce (page 178)
18 lasagna noodles, uncooked
2 pounds lean ground beef, cooked and drained
8 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (about 2 pounds)
Two 13- by 9- by 2-inch baking dishes (or deeper)
Plastic wrap
Aluminum foil
1. Combine cottage cheese, eggs, and 2 cups of the Parmesan in a large bowl.
2. Lay baking dishes before you and spread ½ cup red sauce in the bottom of each.
3. Assemble both lasagnas at once in layers in the following order:
LAYER 1
3 uncooked noodles
2 cups red sauce
1 cup cooked ground beef
1½ cups cottage cheese mixture
1 cup mozzarella
LAYER 2
3 uncooked noodles
2 cups red sauce
1 cup cooked ground beef—or whatever remains
1½ cups cottage cheese mixture—or whatever remains
1 cup mozzarella
LAYER 3
3 uncooked noodles
2 cups red sauce—or whatever remains
2 cups mozzarella
½ cup Parmesan
4. Wrap each dish entirely in plastic wrap. Top with foil, label, and freeze.
TO COOK ONE ENTRÉE
1. Thaw one entrée in the refrigerator or bake it straight from the freezer.
2. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
3. Remove plastic wrap and foil from baking dish and replace foil. Place dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 1 hour if thawed, 1½ hours if frozen. Remove foil and continue baking until lasagna is bubbling and cheese is browned.
LASAGNA NOODLES
Although “no boil” or “oven ready” noodles are readily available, they aren’t necessary in our lasagna recipes. The regular lasagna noodles are much less expensive and cook up perfectly when assembled uncooked in the lasagna.
You will notice that the lasagna recipes do not use an entire tray of ground beef. You could certainly triple the recipes to use the entire tray, or use the rest of the ground beef for another recipe. These smaller lasagnas are the perfect size for giving away. —LT
CLASSIC LASAGNA: SMALL PAN
MAKES 4 ENTRÉES, 4–6 SERVINGS EACH
1 (48-ounce) container cottage cheese (about 6 cups)
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups shredded Parmesan cheese, divided into 2 cups and 1 cup
13 cups Basic