Lasagna, Two Ways

A great way to feed lots of people without having your guests stand around and watch you sweat bullets in the kitchen is lasagna. It's a highly versatile dish that you can assemble ahead of time. The possibilities are limitless -- you can raid the fridge/pantry to create unique combinations and still have time to gussy up for the dinner party.


Recipe
Pesto Lasagna
1 16oz container of ricotta
1/2 cup of pesto
1 rotisserie chicken
3 eggs
1 cup grated parmesan
1 1/2 pound shredded mozzarella
1 jar pasta sauce
12 sheets of no-cook pasta sheets


Acorn Squash Lasagna
1 16oz container of ricotta
3 eggs
1 large acorn squash
1 lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1 cup grated parmesan
1 1/2 pound shredded mozzarella
1 jar pasta sauce
12 sheets of no-cook pasta sheets 
salt and pepper to taste



First, preheat the oven to 400º. Cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Put in a baking tray and pop in the oven for 30-35 minutes, depending on the size of the squash. Test for doneness by piercing the flesh with a fork. The squash should give easily, but not mushy or completely fall apart. When done, take out of the oven and let cool.

Next, we shred the chicken. I used a Costco rotisserie chicken. I call it the gift that keeps on giving -- cheap, delicious and good for a million things. Make sure it's cool enough to handle before digging into the chicken and when you took off the meat, you can use the chicken carcass to make broth. Cut the chicken meat into large dices and set aside in a large bowl. When the baked squash has cooled, peel the skin, which should come off easily. Also cut into large dices and put into a separate large bowl.

Now, we have everything that we need to make the filling for the lasagnas. Before I forget, preheat the oven to 375º. For the pesto version, combine the diced chicken, pesto, ricotta, eggs, half the parmesan and mix well. The pesto should have enough salt that the mixture does not need extra salt. For the squash lasagna, stir together the diced acorn squash, eggs, ricotta, half the parmesan, the zest of one lemon and the nutmeg. Mix well and season with salt and pepper. 

Chicken pesto

Acorn squash

Now, prepare two baking trays. I used disposable aluminum trays that's around 12"x9"x2". Deposit a ladle of sauce onto the bottom of the tray and turn the pan to make sure the entire bottom is coated. Place three pieces of the no-bake pasta sheets on the bottom. Spoon 1/3 of the pesto ricotta onto the pasta sheet and spread evenly over the pasta. Take around 1/5 of the shredded mozzarella and sprinkle over ricotta mixture and spoon some more pasta sauce over the mixture. Top with three more pasta sheets and repeat.

The bottom layer

On the top layer of the lasagna, pour the remaining of the pasta sauce and spread evenly over the pasta sheets. Deposit the rest of the mozzarella and parmesan. Tear off a large sheet of aluminum foil and seal the tray tightly. Repeat with the squash lasagna. I had a bit of left over parsley so I chopped up the leaves to sprinkle over the top of the squash version before I put on the foil. The parsley makes it look pretty and if you're doing a dinner party, the guests can use that to distinguishing which is which. Pop both into the oven for 50 minutes in the middle rack. Remove the foil after 50 minutes, turn the oven up to 425º and move the trays into the top oven rack. Bake for 10 more minutes until the cheese starts to brown. Let stand 15 minutes before serving, that will help the lasagna set so it's easier to cut. 

I love to sit and watch the cheese bubble

Here's to a successful dinner party!

Reflections
I still haven't learned the secret to the perfect lasagna cutting and distribution technique yet. Maybe I didn't wait long enough and dig into the suckers before they've set up enough. No matter how pretty the pieces look, they taste great and it's the no-cook, easy way to entertain.