This recipe is adapted from Gourmet’s Lazy Lasagne with Tomato-Basil Sauce. The original version does not have meat, has barely a drizzle of sauce, and is laid out extremely thinly in a 13×9 baking dish. This version is much more substantial and is covered with a layer of mozzarella cheese…comfort food at its finest. Makes 4 servings. (And yeah…sorry about the horrible picture. My photography skills are lacking.)
Equipment
Chef’s knife
2 large saucepans
Medium saute pan
Medium shallow dish
Cutting board
Spoon for stirring
Can opener
Medium bowl
Sturdy mixing spoon
Paper towels
9×9 baking dish
Slotted spoon
Ingredients
1/4 lb. ground beef
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
3 1/2 cups canned crushed tomatoes with puree (28 oz.)
4 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped
1 tablespoon orange juice
3/4 cup whole-milk ricotta
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 teaspoons fresh oregano, finely chopped
8 won ton skins
Salt and pepper, to taste
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Fresh basil for garnish
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and bring large saucepan to moderate heat. Fill the other large saucepan with water and a little salt, 3/4 full, and set it on high to boil. Set medium saute pan on medium heat. Fill shallow dish with cold water. Grease 8×8 baking dish.
The Sauce:
Slice off your butter and toss it in the pan. Mince garlic cloves and add to pan. Stir for about a minute, making sure the garlic doesn’t get too done. (Burnt garlic can ruin a dish faster than you can say “disgusting”). Open can(s) of crushed tomatoes and stir into the mix. Finely chop your fresh basil and add half of it to the sauce. Let simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring every once in a while.
Brown ground beef in saute pan while moving on to the next step. (Hurrah for multi-tasking!)
The Cheese Filling:
While sauce and ground beef are cooking, finely chop the oregano. Stir together ricotta, parmesan, oregano, remaining basil, and salt and pepper to taste.
The Noodles:
Separate won ton skins and add to saucepan of salted boiling water, 2 at a time. Immediately transfer to shallow dish filled with water. (”Immediately” means absolutely AS SOON as you put them in the boiling water. Otherwise, you will end up with a mushy dough that has no identifiable form.) When all the noodles have been cooked, transfer to paper towels.
Putting It All Together:
First, stir the orange juice and browned ground beef into the sauce and add salt and pepper, to taste. Spoon 1/3 of sauce into greased 8×8 baking dish. Layer 4 won ton skins over sauce. Follow it up with 1/2 of the cheese mixture, another 1/3 of the sauce, and another layer of won ton skins. Finish with the remaining cheese mixture, topped with the last 1/3 of the sauce. Get out your cheese shredder to top with plenty of shredded mozzarella cheese.
Bake, uncovered, in the middle of oven until bubbling and heated through, about 10 minutes.
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