This was a bit of a whirlwind weekend. We threw a party for
Nina’s birthday, and we did it home style (big Shout out to Oriental Trading,
for making the entertainment so easy—we did a carnival theme, and it worked out
very well).
With all the party planning, hosting, and cleaning up to do,
I didn’t do much cooking around the house. Still, we had to eat, and not being
the sort to want to eat out right now, that meant doing the meal home style,
too.
Knowing that I needed to conserve my energy for the party, I
looked in the freezer for something. On Friday, I mentioned Bon Appetit’s tips
for family dinner, and one of their recommendations was to learn to use the
freezer. They are so right. If you stock it well, there will never be a day
when you go hungry, or worse even, have to order from a take-out menu.
I was lucky to find a lasagna that Santa Maria had made a
few weeks ago when she was out visiting her folks. Lasagna is a good dish for
families because you can make a bunch at once, eat some that night, and then
freeze the rest for another night when you are too tired to cook.
Lasagna is easy. I’m sure if you poke around the web, you
can find specific directions, but I’m too tired to write out a proper recipe.
Shout out to Oriental Trading, again, for making the party as easy as it was.
(If you’re getting the sense that I’m punch-drunk right now, you’re not far off
the mark—having kids and throwing a party is a bit like going twelve rounds
with George Foreman).
So to make a lasagna, first find your spouse and ask him or
her if he or she has one up his or her sleeve (or freezer), and if he or she
does not, then do the following:
Boil up some pasta, and cook it to just this side of being
done.
Sauté up some mushrooms, long strips of zucchini, and/or any
other vegetable of your choice.
Make a pot of tomato sauce or open a couple of jars of your
favorite commercial marinara.
Brown up some ground beef with a bit of garlic, or not.
Get a bunch of ricotta assemble thusly:
Bottom layer = sauce
Next layer = pasta
Next layer = cheese
Next layer = veggies/beef/or nothing
Next layer = sauce
Repeat until you’ve reached the top of your pan.
Cover with a layer of sliced mozzarella and some more sauce.
Bake at 350 for forty-five or so minutes, until the cheese
is bubbly.
Eat.
If you are making extra for freezing, use a foil pan and do
all of the above (including cooking it). Let it cool, then cover with foil, and
put in the freezer. When it is time to cook it, put it back in the oven,
covered, for about one hour or so (depending on the size of your pan; a large
pan may take longer), until it is heated through.
Your post inspired me to have a look in my freezer instead of ordering a pizza…score, red beans, cajun style! Put on low, cook some rice, make a salad, voila – dinner!
Just another thought here – when I do mass lasagna production, I freeze them unbaked – thaw and bake as usual. Much less chance of dry, overcooked, etc. Just like new!
I love freezing lasagna…I freeze it unbaked as well, and use “no-boil” noodles. The only thing I cook is some crumbled italian sausage (no extra seasoning required)and add 2 jars of sauce. I don’t even do anything with the ricotta, just slap it on from the container and sprinkle some cheese on it. The less pots/dishes to wash, the better!!
I’m a single father of three who’d be dead without my freezer. I pre-chop fruit for smoothies and keep them bagged by individ serving. The kids toss a bagful into the blender with soy or oj and that’s breakfast some mornings. I reserve soups and stocks and resurrect them frequently as new dishes days/weeks later. Mash potatoes keep well, as do any casseroles, etc.