 |
|
|
|
Lasagna with Mini-Me BallsFrom Carnie Wilson November 1, 2005 Carnie Wilson's latest project is a cookbook called "To Serve with Love." It contains recipes so good that she claims they "made me fat." But Wilson writes about enjoying food -- "just have the real thing and eat less!" Carnie says, "It's Saturday night and my friends Tiffany and Cindy are over. We're sitting around watching "Entertainment Tonight" and getting the latest juice on our favorite celebs. We figure that maybe we'll be starving soon -- after all, all that celeb news would make anyone hungry. It's definitely time for some delish lasagna. A quick trip to the store later and we're regrouping in the kitchen. Everybody has a job: I mix the meat, Tiff blanches the veggies, Cindy beats the eggs. It's not like we don't trust her with bigger jobs, but . . . oh, in between we read aloud the six magazines we bought at the store. In other words, it's the perfect Saturday night with nothing much to do. 
IngredientsDirections 1. Mix together the ground beef and bread crumbs in a medium-size bowl with 1 beaten egg, pepper, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Make meatballs the size of a large pearl onion (we're talking approximately 1-1/2" in diameter). Fry in 2 Tbsp. of the olive oil until browned; drain and set aside. 2. Blanch the noodles. (Huh? Blanching means that you make the noodle water boil and then put each strip of lasagna in it for about a minute. The noodles will become a little bit tender on each side, but won't even come close to cooking through.) Take them out of the water with tongs so that you don't burn yourself, then lay the noodles out on a paper towel to absorb the extra water. While baking, the noodles will also absorb water from the other ingredients and become the perfect, not-at-all-mushy, no-way-gushy, noodles. It's gene. (Or you can save yourself all this trouble and use already-baked noodles. That's what I do.) Now the noodles are ready for the lasagna pan. 3. Prepare the ricotta filling (while doing so, imagine that you're Carmela Soprano). In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, nutmeg, and parsley with the remaining 1/2 tsp. salt and the other beaten egg; mix with a wooden spoon. Take a breath -- you've done a lot so far. 4. And don't eat the raw-ricotta mix out of the bowl. (That would be gross, although it smells so great.) Preheat the oven to 375°F. Rub a 13" x 9" baking pan with the remaining olive oil and use a ladle to spoon some meat sauce on top. Place a layer of cooked lasagna noodles over this, overlapping slightly to cover the bottom of the pan. Drop the ricotta filling by the spoonful on top of the noodles; smooth with the back of the spoon or spread it out with your freshly washed fingers. Scatter a layer of meatballs over the ricotta, followed by half of the sausage, and then sprinkle half of the sliced boiled eggs on top of that delicious deal. Top with half of the mozzarella and Parmesan. Repeat layers, ending with a layer of noodles, top with the remaining sauce, and finish with the remaining cheese. 
5. Bake covered for 45 minutes until golden brown; uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes. (Tip: Try to clean up the kitchen now -- believe me, you'll hug yourself later.) Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Add fresh chopped parsley on top for garnish. Yes, it does look pretty! Gaze at the pan in awe as you marvel, I actually made this thing!This is a very filling meal (in fact, don't wear your new Levi's with this one). I tend to fill up on the meatballs and eat my way around the noodles, which is also good if you're into skipping carbs. By the way, I like to serve this dish with a simple green salad filled with cucumbers, carrots, fresh mushrooms, and tomatoes, with a little light vinaigrette splashed over it. If you feel adventurous when it comes to calories, add some doughy Italian bread. And if you want to throw all caution to the wind, spread some butter, dried herbs (like basil and oregano), fresh minced garlic, and kosher salt on it to make garlic bread. Prepare to spend the rest of the night sacked out on the couch after this meal. It might be an effort to even reach for the remote. If I don't have time to make a lasagna, I might just make the meatballs, which is also what turns this dish into The Skinny. If you're on a low-carb diet, then just eat meatballs for dinner covered with some delicious sauce (either homemade or in a jar). But if you're feeling a little carb hungry, then boil up some of your favorite pasta to serve on the side or under those meatballs. Serves 10 Recipe Copyright ©2005, Carnie Wilson, "To Serve With Love"
Select another recipe from the list at the left or return to Cookin' with Good Morning America Recipes. |
|
|
|
 MORE GREAT PASTA RECIPES  Lasagne Ricce con Ragu di Salsiccia (Lasagne Ricce with Fresh Sausage Sauce)Romanian Sweet PastaButter and Rosemary SauceSummer Baby Vegetable Pasta RagsSpaghetti con Pomodoro CrudoOrecchiette With Broccoli Rabe and SausagePasta with Cauliflower, Pine Nuts and CurrantsPeas, Bacon, and Ricotta Sauce for PastaSummertime FettuccinePasta with Sun-Dried TomatoesPasgetti SpaghettiTagliarini with Roasted Vegetables |
|||
|
| |||||||||||
|
NOTE: This site is not GMA or ABC!
Copyright ©2009, WCHS-TV8 |
