Have A Meat Lasagna For A Great Family Meal Tonight
December 16, 2009 by Mike Sherwood
Filed under Health Fitness
Are you looking for great ideas for this week’s dinners? Try a meat lasagna one night. This delicious dish of Italy is a great meal when combined with a lovely salad and some tasty bread.
What’s in one of these meat lasagnas? A wonderful combination of pasta, a sauce with Italian spices, ground beef, ricotta or cottage cheese and mozzarella cheese. All of the ingredients are layered in a pan and baked until the pasta is done and the cheese is melted.
The difference in lasagna that makes it unique from other pasta dishes, is the fact that you don’t have to cook the pasta before baking. The lasagna noodles can simply be layered along with the wet ingredients. It may take a little longer to bake, but your family need never know that the pasta wasn’t cooked first.
Another great meat lasagna uses chicken and Alfredo sauce. In addition to the sauce and chicken, vegetables are also layered into the pan.
If you are a vegetarian, the lasagna could be made with veggies instead of meat. You could substitute spinach, zucchini and even carrots. Then just make your preference of sauce, whether it be red or white. This alternative is just as great tasting and much healthier than meat.
If you are craving lasagna but are cutting the carbohydrates, try using your traditional lasagna recipe but substitute steamed cabbage leaves for the lasagna noodles. The flavor of this casserole is reminiscent of traditional lasagna and may fool your taste buds.
For baking that lasagna you chose, you are going to need a casserole dish that is about three inches deep. You should also use a square or rectangular pan, due to the shape of the noodles.
A great thing to do if you do not have a deep dish casserole dish, is to find a deep dish disposable aluminum pan. You can get them at most grocery stores and there great for if you want to freeze a few lasagnas for a few weeks in advance. Well, let’s be honest it’s also easier to clean up.
When someone asks me what can I cook with the ingredients I have, I say Meat Lasagna! Fast to make with items that I have in my pantry all the time!
