Lasagne Cups~my twist

One of the best food e-magazines is one called FoodieCrush and last week it featured seven lasagne recipes--Lasagne Cups being one of the seven.  I thought, "what a great idea...for so many reasons."  Tonight, I came up with my version since in a few days, I leave for a trade show (CHA-Craft & Hobby Association) in Anaheim, California, and I wanted to make sure I stocked the refrigerator and freezer with good food that hubby can fix on his own.

The concept of baking lasagne in a cup, I have to admit, is ingenious.  The first and most important I believe, is portion control.  I'm a very active person, but as I have aged and have gone through the stress of what life has given me, I've added weight that is definitely uncomfortable.  I've found the craze of Zumba to be inspirational for exercise, but need to watch what I'm eating and how much.  I'm not a dietitian, but being a vegetarian and raising a family has made me be responsible with the food I make.  Secondly, serving is easy--which anyone knows, cutting through layers of noodles, cheese, ricotta and sauce, can be messy.  Lastly, I can make this dish up and it's easy to package for later meals (when I'm pulling all nighters in designing) for freezing.

Add a green salad and maybe, a whole-grain roll, and you've got a balanced dinner that your family will enjoy.

Lasagne Cups
12 Lasagne noodles
1-32oz. Marinara sauce (I'm a big Raos brand fan!)
1-15 oz. container of Part-skim Ricotta Cheese
1 large egg
1-16 oz. Mozzarella cheese, grated
8oz. Parmesan cheese, grated

Save the "rind" to add to soup

10 oz. frozen chopped Spinach
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 T. olive oil

4 oz. vegetarian sausage, crumbled and sauteed

Bechemal Sauce:
3 T. unsalted butter
3 T. all-purpose flour
1 cup 1% milk
1/4 tsp. freshly ground Nutmeg
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400F-degrees.  Line 2-6 cup jumbo muffin pans with parchment squares.  I cut a sheet of parchment paper into 6 squares, then used a glass to press the square down in the muffin opening.  (Lining the muffin cups with parchment makes for easy removal from the pan.)


In a medium sauce pan, saute chopped spinach with the diced yellow onion on medium heat until the water from the spinach has been evaporated.  Remove from heat and cool while making up the rest of the filling.


In a bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, egg, 3/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese, and 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese.  Fold in the cooled spinach mixture and set aside.


Make the Bechemal sauce.  In a sauce pan, melt the butter, then, add sprinkle the flour and whisk together.  Turn heat to med/low and add the milk, whisking constantly to make a smooth sauce.  Season with the nutmeg and the salt and pepper to taste.


Cook the lasagne noodles as directed, drain and pat dry.  (I use this fabulous gadget called the "FastaPasta" maker to cook my pasta in the microwave!)

Assemble:
1. Layer one lasgne noodle across the parchment paper and push down.

2. Place a tablespoon of bechemal in the bottom.
3. Add a heaping tablespoon of marinara sauce.
4. Add a heaping tablespoon of the ricotta cheese/spinach mixture.
5. Crumble a few pieces of vegetarian sausage (if using).
6. Sprinkle some mozzarella cheese over the sausage.
7. Fold one of the overlapping layers of lasagne over this first layer.

8. Repeat with more marinara sauce, ricotta/spinach mixture, and another sprinkle of mozzarella cheese. Fold the second side of the lasagne noddle over, pressing down slightly.  
9. Add a little more sauce and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

10.  Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven.  Remove the foil and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes until tops are browned.

Use a small spatula to remove the lasagne cups.  Remove the parchment and serve with additional sauce if desired and more Parmesan cheese.

These were a success!  My husband raved and I ended up placing some in the refrigerator for another dinner and two more bags in the freezer for those times when I'm rushed.  Visit FoodieCrush for other great lasagne recipes (among others). Enjoy!







 

Homemade Gnocchi

Gnocchi are wonderful "little pillows" of pasta served as a main dish with marinara sauce or as a side dish with a browned butter/sage sauce.  Since I was on the browned butter kick today, I made it as a side dish.  The rich, nutty flavor of browned butter, that enhanced the brownies, made these gnocchi melt-in-your-mouth delicious.  All that was needed was a sprinkling of fresh Parmesan cheese.

The word gnocchi may have derived its name from the Italian word "nocchio" meaning knot in wood or "nocca" meaning knuckle.   I actually think they more resemble a knuckle rather than a knot in wood.
Typically, gnocchi is made with semolina, wheat flour or potato, which was introduced to Europe in the 16th century.  I have always made my version with potato; must be the Irish in me!  These are true Italian comfort food and so satisfying.  If you've shied away from making gnocchi because you thought it was too hard, I know you won't anymore when you see how easy they really are.

Homemade Gnocchi
3 large baking potatoes
1 large egg
2 T heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour


Preheat oven 425F-degrees.  Wash and scrub the baking potatoes.  Use a fork to pierce the skin in several places. I use a baking stone, but you can also wrap the potatoes in aluminum foil.  On the baking stone, it took 1 hour 15 minutes.  Pierce the skin with a tip of a paring knife to check for doneness.   Remove from oven and let rest.

Use a paring knife to remove the skin.  Cut potato in half and place it in a ricer (alternatively you can use a masher).  Rice all the potatoes into a large bowl.

Add the egg, heavy cream, salt and nutmeg.  Stir to combine.  Add the flour--it's easier to use your hands to knead the dough, adding a tablespoon of flour at a time, if needed to get to a smooth ball.

I divided the dough into quarters, then eighths for ease of rolling it into a rope.

Use a dough blade or knife to cut the rope into approximately 1-inch pieces.  To achieve the "ridged" look of gnocchi, you can use a fork to roll the 1-inch piece off or if you're lucky enough to find a gnocchi maker, roll your dough off that.

Either technique provides the necessary ridges to hold on to the sauce!  Place the gnocchi on a lightly floured (with all-purpose flour or semolina) pan until you've completely finished making all of them.
Meanwhile, bring a 6 quart sauce pan with two-thirds full of water to a boil, adding 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt to the water.  Drop about 15 gnocchi into the boiling water at a time.

As the gnocchi cooks it will rise to the surface when they're done.  Use a slotted spoon to remove them.
The gnocchi can go into your favorite marinara sauce or into the Browned Butter/Sage sauce at this point.


Browned Butter/Sage Sauce:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 tsp. dried sage

In a sauce pan, heat the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  When the butter stops foaming and browned bits appear, add the dried sage.  Stir to combine.
Add the freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top and put into a 350F-degree oven for 15 minutes to toast the cheese.  
Homemade gnocchi will surely impress your family and friends, not to mention it's a wonderful addition to any meal as a main entree or side dish.  Enjoy!