Intermediate Recipes: Delicious Cheesy Cheese Lasagna! A Great Comfort Food Side Dish!
8:55:00 AM
For Christmas this year my mother didn't want Macaroni and Cheese and we needed another dish to compliment our eclectic menu. So my mom suggested we make an all cheese lasagna. I was skeptical at first but I went ahead and made the lasagna anyway and it turned out GREAT! Especially when I added a great marinara sauce. It was absolutely awesome!
Ingredients
2 Boxes Lasagna Noodles
4 c Colby Jack Cheese
4 c Mozzarella Cheese
2 c Jack Cheese
Cheese Sauce
3 c Milk
3 tsp Black Pepper
3 tsp Parsley
3 tsp Salt
2 1/2 c Flour
1 Stick of Butter
Directions
Follow the instructions on the box for the noodles. Create the cheese sauce.
Cheese Sauce: Create a rue in a large pot (use whatever fat you like bacon, olive oil, butter, etc.) Cook your fat in the pan for 5 minutes. Then add the flour. Once the flour has cooked a little bit, slowly add the buttermilk. You need to do this with a whisk. It is very difficult to incorporate the flour without it. The sauce will be thick and slightly chunky just continue to stir. You should end up with a nice béchamel sauce; add the cream cheese and butter to the mixture. Constantly stir this mixture until everything is fully combined. Then add the Mozzarella and Colby jack cheese. Whisk the cheese into the sauce 1 cup at a time. This will allow the cheese to fully blend with the béchamel until it begins to bubble. Add your seasonings and let simmer, constantly stirring to keep the cheese mixture smooth. This is very tiring so be prepared to do some work. The work is hard but the payoff is creamy cheesy goodness!
Cheese Sauce: Create a rue in a large pot (use whatever fat you like bacon, olive oil, butter, etc.) Cook your fat in the pan for 5 minutes. Then add the flour. Once the flour has cooked a little bit, slowly add the buttermilk. You need to do this with a whisk. It is very difficult to incorporate the flour without it. The sauce will be thick and slightly chunky just continue to stir. You should end up with a nice béchamel sauce; add the cream cheese and butter to the mixture. Constantly stir this mixture until everything is fully combined. Then add the Mozzarella and Colby jack cheese. Whisk the cheese into the sauce 1 cup at a time. This will allow the cheese to fully blend with the béchamel until it begins to bubble. Add your seasonings and let simmer, constantly stirring to keep the cheese mixture smooth. This is very tiring so be prepared to do some work. The work is hard but the payoff is creamy cheesy goodness!
Then begin a layering process. Alternate between a layer of cheese sauce, noodles, and cheese. Or cheese sauce, cheese, noodles. Which ever way works for you. Once you've reached the top of the pan place a full layer of cheese on top and put in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Or until the cheese on top is bubbling brown. Let it rest for 10 minutes. Then Serve!
*Additions: Add some veggies to the cheese sauce. Roast some summer squash, acorn squash, broccoli, onions, bell pepper, etc. Whatever you like. Blend it in a nutra-bullet or blender or food processor until you have a smooth puree. Once your cheese sauce it cooked add the veggie puree and layer as a normal sauce. It will add a unique flavor and give you a heartier heavier "cheese" lasagna. Or you can add spinach, asparagus, fresh green beans, or broccoli to each layer. Just make it your own! Its a blank canvas get creative! Marinara sauce is a great addition. It will help cut through the richness of the cheese lasagna and add a strong layer of flavor to the overall dish. Its how I enjoy it check out the picture! It was DELICIOUS!!!!----------->
*Additions: Add some veggies to the cheese sauce. Roast some summer squash, acorn squash, broccoli, onions, bell pepper, etc. Whatever you like. Blend it in a nutra-bullet or blender or food processor until you have a smooth puree. Once your cheese sauce it cooked add the veggie puree and layer as a normal sauce. It will add a unique flavor and give you a heartier heavier "cheese" lasagna. Or you can add spinach, asparagus, fresh green beans, or broccoli to each layer. Just make it your own! Its a blank canvas get creative! Marinara sauce is a great addition. It will help cut through the richness of the cheese lasagna and add a strong layer of flavor to the overall dish. Its how I enjoy it check out the picture! It was DELICIOUS!!!!----------->
~MARINARA SAUCE~
1 Jar of Sauce (Your Choice)
2 tbsps Sugar
2 tbsps Garlic Powder
2 tbsps Onion Powder
3 tbsps Italian Seasoning
2 tbsps Parsley Paste or Flakes
2 tbsps Salt
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a pot and cook over a low flame. Simmer for 10 minutes then serve. Just spoon over the lasagna and enjoy!
*Substitutions: To make this lighter use a fat-free cheese. Use ricotta to thicken your cheese sauce instead of flour and butter.
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