Dollars to Donuts » white sauce

Lasagna Recipe from The Today Show!

Dawn Welch — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 17:17:57 +0000

Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min

Extra creamy and decadent, this casserole is like macaroni and cheese dressed up for company. Many kids and even adults aren’t fans of ricotta cheese, which is how I came up with this Cheddar and Monterey Jack–loaded alternative to the traditional lasagna. Sautéed onions and a mix of beef and pork give the dish some backbone, while a little Parmesan sprinkled over the top offers up an irresistible golden-brown crust. You could make this even more like macaroni and cheese if you wanted by using elbow macaroni or even ziti in place of the lasagna noodles.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
1⁄2 pound lean ground beef
1⁄2 pound ground pork
3⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1⁄2 cup low-fat or whole milk
3 cups homemade Parmesan sauce or store bought Alfredo sauce
9 no-boil egg lasagna noodles
11⁄2 cups (6 ounces) grated Cheddar cheese
11⁄2 cups (6 ounces) grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1⁄2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese

Make the sauce. Heat the oven to 375°F. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, salt, and pepper and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute longer. Add the beef and pork and cook 2 to 4 minutes until the meat is browned. Pour off the extra fat from the pan.

Assemble and bake the lasagna. Stir together the milk and Parmesan sauce and evenly spread 1⁄2 cup over the bottom of a 13″ x 9″ pan. Lay 3 lasagna noodles in the pan lengthwise. Stir together the Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses in a medium bowl with the egg. Pour 3⁄4 cup of the sauce over the noodles and top with 2 cups of the cheese-and-egg mixture. Pour 3⁄4 cup of the sauce evenly over the cheese, and follow with 3 more noodles, the meat mixture, 3⁄4 cup of the sauce, 3 more noodles, the remaining 1 cup of the cheese mixture, and the remaining 3⁄4 cup of sauce. Sprinkle evenly with the Parmesan.

Bake and serve the lasagna. Cover the pan with foil and bake until the cheese is bubbly and brown, about 30 minutes. Cool 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.

Creamy Parmesan Sauce and The Spin Off: Three Cheese White Lasagna

Dawn Welch — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 16:33:05 +0000

After tasting one too many underwhelming and pricey Alfredo dishes in restaurants, I decided to create my own recipe for a perfectly creamy Parmesan sauce, one bursting with garlic and cheese. Of course, it’s yummiest made with heavy cream or half-and-half, but most of the time I’ll go for what’s in the fridge, whole or 2% milk, for a lighter sauce that’s just as tasty. It’s fantastic simply tossed with pasta and some pan-seared shrimp and steamed broccoli.

Ingredients
11⁄2 sticks (3⁄4 cup) unsalted butter
6 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
1⁄2 teaspoon white pepper
1 quart (4 cups) cream, half-and-half, whole milk, or low-fat milk
1 cup (4 ounces) grated Parmesan-Romano cheese blend or 1⁄2 cup each of Parmesan and Romano
2 cups (8 ounces) grated whole-milk or part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon salt

Make the sauce. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, pepper, and cream or milk, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring it to a simmer (watch the pot—it can boil over in a split second) while stirring often. Stir in the Parmesan-Romano mixture, reduce the heat to medium-low, and let the sauce simmer, stirring often, until the garlic has mellowed, about 12 minutes. Stir in the mozzarella and continue to cook until the cheese is melted. Turn off the heat and whisk the sauce until it is smooth (a blender or immersion blender works great). Stir in the salt.

Divide and store. Cool the sauce to room temperature and then divide it between 2 quart-size resealable freezer bags. Refrigerate it for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 3 months. (After defrosting it overnight in the refrigerator, rewarm the sauce gently over medium-low heat, being careful not to let the sauce boil—boiling it will cause it to separate. If it separates, use a whisk, blender, or immersion blender to smooth it out.)

Spinach and Portobello Stuffed Shells

Dawn Welch — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 22:10:26 +0000

Covered with the creamy Parm sauce, these shells are a great way to get your kids (and green-averse adults) to eat their vegetables. The sky is the limit when it comes to filling the shells. If you’re craving meat, add some shredded chicken or even lump crabmeat. Broccoli, Swiss chard, and asparagus can all stand in for spinach, and if you’re not big on mushrooms, lose them.

Ingredients
12 ounces jumbo shells
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 ounces (about 1 cup) finely chopped cremini mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
6 ounces frozen or fresh spinach, thawed
1 pound whole-milk or part-skim ricotta cheese
4 cups (16 ounces) grated whole-milk or part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1⁄2 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano (from about 1 large sprig)
11⁄2 teaspoons salt
3 cups homemade Parmesan sauce or store-bought Alfredo sauce
1⁄3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Boil the pasta. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bring a large pot of salty water to a boil over high heat. Add the shells and boil them until just shy of al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse under cool water and then set aside. Make the fIllIng. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms get juicy, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook, stirring often, until wilted and most of the liquid is gone, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer the mixture in an even layer to a baking sheet to cool. Meanwhile, stir together the ricotta, 3 cups of the mozzarella, the eggs, basil, oregano, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the cooled vegetables and set aside.

Stuff the shells. Pour a third of the sauce into the bottom of a 13″ x 9″ baking dish. Use a small spoon to fill each shell with 1 heaping tablespoon of the cheese/spinach mixture, and then place it in the baking dish. Once all of the shells are filled, cover them with the remaining sauce, the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella, and the Parmesan. (At this point, the dish can be frozen for up to 3 months; defrost it overnight in the fridge before baking.)

Bake the shells. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake until bubbly, about 40 minutes. Uncover the dish and bake until the cheese is bubbling and golden brown, another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove it from the oven and let the stuffed shells rest for 5 minutes before serving.