My 52 Weeks With Christie

This Week’s Recipe: Make Ahead Lasagna

Not a groundbreaking dish I know but one I love al the same – and its one of the ones that’s evolved the most over the years from my great-grandmother’s original recipe. But here’s the thing, I’ve made this recipe so often its one of the rare few I eyeball the measurement into and taste as I go until it’s perfect (well perfect for me).

So here’s the recipe these are the general measurements of where I start – then adjust later if I want it spicer, smokier, sweeter or herbier.

Throw into a pot: a pound of (cooked) ground beef, a jar of pasta sauce; a 14 oz can of tomato paste; a can of fire roasted chopped tomatoes; chopped: bell pepper, a carrot or two, three cloves of garlic and half an onion

This is where your adjusting takes place (more or less depending on preference – this is where I usually start): 1 tsp. each of: paprika, red pepper flakes, basil, & salt; 1/2 tsp. of black pepper; 2 Tsp. sugar and dried parsley

I mix everything together and let it simmer on low for an hour or two or three.

Then I take it off the heat and let it cool.

Now here’s where things make a left turn. Because I’m only making this ahead of time for two or three people, I buy those foil disposable loaf pans at the grocery store and use them as my pans. And Barilla recently came out with an oven ready noodle that doesn’t require boiling before using (they also fit perfectly in a loaf pan, no trimming required).

Then I layer – 1st sauce, 2nd noodle, 3rd small curd cottage cheese (I am not a fan of ricotta), 4th shredded mozzarella, 5th shredded parmesan. Then repeat the layers once more and you’re done.

(This iteration of lasagna only has two thick layers rather than three and along with my use of cottage cheese I realize is blasphemous – but delicious.)

In any case, wrap the entire bottom tin with cling film then fix the plastic loaf top to the pan and pop it in the freezer! Though be warned, you can take the lasagna from the freeze straight to the oven – but at 350 degrees it takes about an hour and a half to cook thru!

Agatha Christie: This is a meal I can see Miss Marple making as its easy and allows her (a spinster often eating alone) to have a great dinner without having to eat leftovers for three or four days afterward! It’s also a meal (not the make ahead, shortcut filled style of mine) I can see Hercule Poirot ordering in a restaurant – along with a good wine, fancy bread and a shaved salad!