Throwback Thursday: Spinach and mushroom lasagna roll-ups

This recipe for rolled single serving lasagna was originally posted in May 2005. Interestingly, I haven't prepared the dish since. My plan was to prepare it at a Dutch oven cookoff, but plans changed.

I learned that it's best to leave the last inch or so of lasagna noodle free of filling. The starch in the pasta will bond so the roll-ups don't fall apart as two did for me during the test run. I'll lay them on their side next time I bake the lasagna roll-ups in the Dutch oven.

SPINACH AND MUSHROOM LASAGNA ROLL-UPS WITH MARINARA SAUCE

16 cremini caps, cleaned and finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
Salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups part skim ricotta
8 curly edge lasagna noodles, cooked to al dente (12 to 14 minutes)
2 cups prepared marinara sauce
8 slices mozzarella cheese

In a 10-inch Dutch oven over moderate heat, saute mushrooms, chopped onions, and garlic in oil until mushrooms give off their juices and darken and onions are tender, about 7 or 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; the salt will help draw water out of the vegetables as they cook.

Add dry chopped spinach to the pan and heat through for 1 minute. Adjust seasonings with salt, pepper, and a little nutmeg. Add ricotta and stir into mixture to heat cheese through, 1 minute longer. Remove pan from heat but leave in the warm skillet. Place lid on Dutch oven and place about 5 hot coals on lid to keep warm.

Heat marinara sauce in a small pan over moderate heat. Place cooked lasagna noodles on a large work surface or cutting board. Spread lasagna noodles with a layer of spinach-mushroom filling. Leave the last inch of surface free of filling. Roll up pasta and arrange the 8 bundles in a 12-inch Dutch oven. Pour warm sauce over roll-ups and top with mozzarella.

Place lid on Dutch oven and bake at 350-degrees (17 coals on lid and 8 under oven) for 15 minutes or until heated through. At the last minute place about 10 extra coals on lid. Watch closely and remove from heat when cheese starts to brown.

Elizabeth’s Easy-Bake Dutch Oven Lasagna

I posted this recipe to Suite101.com in February 2001 ...

Who says that cooking Dutch oven lasagna has to be a laborious process? With all those layers of meat, cheese and pasta, it's a small wonder that anyone builds lasagna while camping. You have to cook tomato sauce, boil the pasta and layer the whole thing without trying to use every pan that been sitting in the chuckbox all week. It's one of those dishes that’s easily left for the home kitchen.

My oldest child, Stephanie, inadvertently brought the answer home last summer after a month-long visit to my sister's house in San Jose, Calif. My sister, Elizabeth, and Stephanie share the family's love for cooking. So each time she visits, Elizabeth sends her home with a few more recipes to try. Elizabeth must have taught Stephanie how to prepare easy-bake lasagna during her visit last June.

Elizabeth's easy-bake lasagna assembles quickly because it uses bottled spaghetti sauce and lasagna noodles that don't require boiling (Ronzoni calls them "oven ready"). You'll also notice that she uses a simplified list of ingredients. This lasagna is just as flavorful as traditional lasagna that calls for three or four cheeses and several herbs. Easy-bake lasagna uses ricotta and mozzarella cheeses and basil. Its flavor is simple, yet exquisite at the same time. You’ll enjoy it.

ELIZABETH'S EASY-BAKE DUTCH OVEN LASAGNA

Although Elizabeth doesn't cook this lasagna in a Dutch oven, it's one that she often at home for her family. She often divides this recipe in two and freezes half for quick meals or to give to friends or those in need from her church.

1 8-ounce box Ronzoni Oven Ready Lasagna Pasta
1 pound cooked Italian sausage
1 28-ounce jar meatless spaghetti sauce (about three cups)
1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
3 cups grated mozzarella cheese (about 12 ounces)
1/2 bunch fresh spinach, rinsed

Use a 12-inch Dutch oven for this recipe. Ignite 25 charcoal briquettes and let them burn until they're barely covered with ash, about 20 minutes. For a 350-degree oven, you'll need 8 briquettes underneath and 17 on top of the oven.

Brown sausage in a skillet over medium heat. Break up meat as it cooks. Drain fat and spoon meat into a bowl. Evenly spread 3/4-cup spaghetti sauce in the bottom of the oven. (I used Prego Traditional Spaghetti Sauce when testing this recipe. You may use different flavors of bottled spaghetti sauce, but note that you may change the flavor slightly.) In a medium bowl, mix ricotta cheese, egg and garlic powder.

To prepare each layer, lay 4 lasagna noodles flat on the bottom of the oven. Break noodles into smaller sizes as needed. Spread 1/2 ricotta mixture over the noodles. Spread 1-cup spaghetti sauce over the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle 1/2 of the parsley and basil over sauce. Sprinkle 1-cup mozzarella cheese over the sauce. Spread 1/2 of sausage over cheese. Lay all the spinach leaves over sausage (there will only be 1 layer of spinach). Repeat one more time to form a second layer.

Place lid on oven. Arrange 8 briquettes underneath oven and 17 briquettes on lid. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until sauce is bubbling. Sprinkle remaining cheese over lasagna. Cover; bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes to melt cheese. Remove oven from the charcoal. Cool lasagna 10 minutes.

Note: A 10-ounce package of thawed and drained frozen chopped spinach may be substituted for fresh spinach. Mix spinach with ricotta cheese, egg and garlic powder. Regular lasagna noodles may be used for this recipe without boiling them. If you don't boil the noodles, bake lasagna an additional 10 minutes.

Pasticcio

I don't claim any bit of authenticity in my rendition of pasticcio. Until last night, I had never heard of pasticcio or its Greek cousin, pastitsio. It's one of those dishes that I worked out without looking into its origin. So it may not meet the expectation of an expert in authentic Greek or Italian food.

My rendition quickly evolved after watching the "Timeless" episode of Diners, Drive Ins and Dives. Host Guy Fieri featured the Greek Corner Restaurant in Cambridge, Mass., as the lead diner in last night's show.

Restaurant owners George and Themis Boretos menu a baked pasta with meat sauce that's topped with a custard-like Bechamel and baked. As I watched one of the brothers demonstrate how to make the casserole to Guy, I grabbed my notebook and wrote down the process.

Instead of preparing the meat sauce with the clove and cinnamon, I worked on a simple way to convert the recipe to Italian flavors. I didn't want to introduce the Greek flavors just yet at work. A casserole with the more familiar Italian flavor profile would be more widely accepted.

When I arrived at work this morning, I looked up pastitsio on Wikipedia. It's a "Greek or generally Middle Eastern baked pasta dish including pasta, meat sauce, and a custard or bechamel sauce. The dish comes from the Italian tradition of 'pasticcio (di pasta),' literally mess or scramble."

It's interesting to note that the Greek term "pastitsio takes its name from the Italian pasticcio, a large family of pies often involving pasta and ragu. Many Italian versions include a pastry crust, some include bechamel." Other than to note the similarity between the two dishes, I didn't take the time to look up the Italian version.

I found the brother's recipe on the Food Network after a couple clicks. Their recipe became the basis for my rendition. This helped me work quickly instead of taking time to recreate the dish. The doubled recipe easily fit in a 2-inch deep hotel pan.

I don't think the residents cared about the authenticity of my pasticcio. They enjoyed the flavors. I will prepare the casserole again soon.

CHEF STEVE'S PASTICCIO

This recipe is adapted from one provided to the Food Network by the Greek Corner Restaurant. The pasta and meat mixture fills the hotel pan to the brim. The firm bechamel will fit in the pan without spilling over.

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
Ground black pepper, to taste
4 bay leaves
1-1/2 tablespoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
4 pounds ground beef (80/20 blend is best)
Salt, to taste
1 cup peeled and chopped fresh tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato puree
2 pounds ziti or penne, cooked
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
Bechamel sauce, recipe follows

In a large saucepan over medium heat, add olive oil, onion, garlic, black pepper, to taste, bay leaves, basil and oregano and saute for a few minutes. Add ground beef, stirring continuously, until all the meat is cooked and browned. Stir in salt, to taste, fresh tomato and tomato puree. Let simmer for about 20 minutes, then remove the bay leaves.

Brush a 2x12x20-inch hotel pan generously with melted margarine. Add the cooked ziti or penne, beaten egg, cheese and meat mixture. Mix until well combined. Top with bechamel sauce and sprinkle with more grated Parmesan. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes in a preheated 300-degree F oven. Remove from the oven and cool 15 minutes.

Cut 4 by 6 for 24 regular servings. For hearty eaters, cut 3 by 4 for 12 large servings.

Bechamel sauce:
2 quarts milk
1 pound margarine
1 pound all-purpose flour
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and ground black pepper

Heat the milk in medium saucepan over low heat. In separate medium saucepan over medium heat, melt margarine, then add flour and mix well. Stir in heated milk, beaten eggs, cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg, to taste. Whisk until thickened. Keep warm until ready to use.

Vegetable lasagna with roasted zucchini and mushrooms

I an not a vegetarian, nor do I see myself becoming one. The closest I come most days is with my morning cereal with milk and sugar. Other than an occasional meatless meal, I eat meat every day at lunch and dinner.

(Of course, I'm talking about being an ovo-lacto vegetarian, not vegan.)

A vegetarian meal is one where I simply leave the meat out of the dish that I'm cooking. I don't make any effort to make a special vegetarian dish. Any item without meat, like a slice of cheese pizza or scrambled eggs with hotcakes, qualifies as a vegetarian meal in my mind.

I just made the best lasagna ever last night. While I still relish an aromatic tomato-based lasagna with three or four layers of quality Italian sausage sandwiched between layers of ricotta and mozzarella, roasted diced zucchini and crimmini slices did a very good job of substituting for the sausage.

I will use this recipe this summer at camp. I'll be able to use vegetables on-hand to vary the layered dish each week or two. I should be able to purchase no-boil lasagna noodles from Sysco.

Pre-cooking the vegetables drives out excess water and adds flavor. The biggest flavor boost comes from the caramelization of the natural sugars in the vegetables.

Pair pre-cooking technique to the moisture content of the vegetable. High-moisture vegetables, like eggplant and zucchini, are best sauteed or roasted. Blanch, chop and saute low-moisture vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower.

Vary the vegetables as desired: Substitute 1-pound diced eggplant for mushrooms. For spinach and mushroom lasagna, saute 1 pound sliced crimmini mushrooms with a small amount of onion. Season and remove from skillet. Add 10-ounces (12 cups) chopped spinach leaves to skillet and saute until wilted. Season and combine with mushrooms.

VEGETABLE LASAGNA WITH ROASTED ZUCCHINI AND MUSHROOMS

You need 16 no-boil lasagna sheets (approximately 3-1/2- x 7-in.) for the recipe. It takes 4 sheets to cover the bottom of a 9- x 13-in. baking pan. Depending on the size of the lasagna sheets and the baking pan, their may be some overlap.

1 pound zucchini, diced small
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
15 ounces ricotta cheese
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup chopped parsley
3-1/2 cups tomato sauce
8 ounces no-boil lasagna noodles
1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

To roast zucchini and mushrooms, toss vegetables with olive oil and garlic. Spread vegetables in a thin layer on 1 or more greased sheet pans. Season with salt and pepper.

Roast vegetables in a 400-degree F. oven for about 35 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown. Yields 3 to 3-1/2 cups roasted vegetables.

Combine ricotta cheese, eggs and parsley until eggs are incorporated in cheese mixture. Season with pepper to taste. Set aside.

To assemble the lasagna, spread 1/2-cup tomato sauce over bottom of 9 x 13-in. baking pan. Lay 4 lasagna sheets so they cover the completely tomato sauce. Spread 2/3-cup ricotta over noodles, 1-cup vegetables evenly over ricotta, 2/3-cup tomato sauce evenly over vegetables and 1-cup mozzarella cheese and 3 tablespoon Parmesan over sauce.

Repeat layering noodles, ricotta mixture, vegetables, tomato sauce and cheeses 2 more times. For the fourth and final layer, lay the final 4 lasagna sheets over the previous layer. Top with remaining 1 cup tomato sauce, 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 2 heaping tablespoons Parmesan.

Cover pan with large sheet aluminum foil greased with cooking spray. Bake covered 40 minutes in 375-degree F oven. Remove foil and continue baking 15 minutes until cheese brown in spots. Remove and let rest 10 minutes. Cut into 8 (2 x 4) or 15 (3 x 5) portions as desired.

Spicy Polenta Lasagna

The El Dorado Western Railway Foundation held its annual Christmas party and pot luck dinner last Thursday. We offered spicy polenta lasagna, made from Italian sausage and store-bought polenta. Spicy polenta lasagna is adapted from an Associated Press recipe in the October 19, 2005 Sacramento Bee Taste section.

SPICY POLENTA LASAGNA

Use a 12-inch Dutch oven for a double recipe.

8 ounces sweet Italian sausage
1 medium onion, diced
1 (14-1/2 ounce) diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
2 tablespoons butter
1 (18-ounce) tube prepared polenta, cut into 1-2-inch thick slices
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook sausage until well-browned in 10-inch Dutch oven medium heat. Break up sausage as it cooks. (Remove casings from meat first if using links.) Remove sausage to bowl.

In drippings remaining in Dutch oven, cook onion until softened over medium heat. Add to bowl with sausage. Stir in tomatoes and their liquid, hot pepper sauce and parsley.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in same skillet. Cook polenta, half at a time, until browned on both sides. Repeat with remaining butter and polenta slices. Set polenta aside on plate.

Spoon half of the sausage mixture into Dutch oven. Top with half of polenta slices and half of mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat layer again, ending with Parmesan cheese.

Bake 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling. Serves 4.

Cookoff Plans for Next Weekend, Part 3

The only thing I haven't talked about yet is my choice for the yeast-risen bread for the cookoff this coming Saturday in Red Bluff, California.

With my choice of the spinach and mushroom lasagna roll-ups at the main dish, it makes sense to produce a bread with Italian flavors. I don't plan on getting overly complex here. My aim is to take a recipe that I'm familiar with and make a few modifications.

I figure that I can easily modify the basic Dutch oven bread recipe that I baked at the Winter Camp Cookoff in Colusa, California last January. Instead of baking the bread as a loaf, I'll form individual rolls and season the rolls with melted butter, Parmesan cheese, garlic granules and Italian herbs.

After I form each roll, I'll flattened the dough, brush half with melted butter and then season with the Parmesan, garlic and herbs. I'll fold the rolls and repeat the process for the top of each rolls. This'll produce and nice Italian-style roll that'll compliment the lasagna.

Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna Roll-ups

Here's the recipe that I'm going to use for the Cookin' in the Park Dutch Oven Cookoff next Saturday, May 21, 2005, at River Park, Red Bluff, California.

I learned that it's best to leave the last inch or so of lasagna noodle free of filling. The starch in the pasta will bond so the roll-ups don't fall apart as two did for me during the test run. I'll lay them on their side next time I bake the lasagna roll-ups in the Dutch oven.

SPINACH AND MUSHROOM LASAGNA ROLL-UPS WITH MARINARA SAUCE

16 cremini caps, cleaned and finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
Salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups part skim ricotta
8 curly edge lasagna noodles, cooked to al dente (12 to 14 minutes)
2 cups prepared marinara sauce
8 slices mozzarella cheese

In a 10-inch Dutch oven over moderate heat, saute mushrooms, chopped onions, and garlic in oil until mushrooms give off their juices and darken and onions are tender, about 7 or 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; the salt will help draw water out of the vegetables as they cook.

Add dry chopped spinach to the pan and heat through for 1 minute. Adjust seasonings with salt, pepper, and a little nutmeg. Add ricotta and stir into mixture to heat cheese through, 1 minute longer. Remove pan from heat but leave in the warm skillet. Place lid on Dutch oven and place about 5 hot coals on lid to keep warm.

Heat marinara sauce in a small pan over moderate heat. Place cooked lasagna noodles on a large work surface or cutting board. Spread lasagna noodles with a layer of spinach-mushroom filling. Leave the last inch of surface free of filling. Roll up pasta and arrange the 8 bundles in a 12-inch Dutch oven. Pour warm sauce over roll-ups and top with mozzarella.

Place lid on Dutch oven and bake at 350-degrees (17 coals on lid and 8 under oven) for 15 minutes or until heated through. At the last minute place about 10 extra coals on lid. Watch closely and remove from heat when cheese starts to brown.

Cookoff Plans for Next Weekend, Part 2

I enjoyed the pot roast with the red wine and sun-dried tomato sauce. Roasted carrots, potatoes and crimini mushrooms complimented the tender meat.

At this point I saw several options for the sauce. Since electric or battery-powered appliances are banned from the cookoff, a hand-powered food mill seemed to be the most efficient way to puree the vegetables for the sauce. I dropped this idea because I didn't want to purchase another kitchen gadget for the chuckbox.

My other option for the sauce was to thicken the broth with cornstarch or a roux. Flour would add about 30 minutes to the process, making the total time for the recipe from 3-1/2 to 4 hours. This is impractical because contestants only have four hours from the cook's meeting to judging time. Cornstarch is simple, but it doesn't appeal to me.

With pot roast off of my short list of main dish recipes for the cookoff, I turned to my original two selections -- a layered Mexican casserole or a lasagna. The Mexican casserole was quickly ruled out because it's the dish that propelled Bill and DeAnn Johnson into Dutch oven cookoffs some 10 to 12 years ago.

(Their enchilada pie supreme is can be found in IDOS's 5 Year Taste of Dutch IDOS Convention Recipes, 2000 to 2004 on page 79. See http://www.idos.org for purchase details. The unmodified recipe is available at DiscussCooking.com.)

Thursday afternoon I switched the TV to Rachel Ray's 30-Minute Meals on the Food Network halfway through the episode (Family & Company Frendly). Rachel had rolled a ricotta cheese filling with spinach and crimini mushrooms in wide lasagna noodles. She topped the roll-ups with a Garganzolla sauce and mozzarella cheese and zapped the lasagna under the broiler to give color.

Rachel's spinach and mushroom lasagna roll-ups with Garganzolla sauce gave me an idea. Since I favor a rich tomato sauce over the Garganzolla sauce, I'll roll the ricotta cheese mixture in par-cooked lasagna noodles to form the roll-ups.

A couple spoons of marinara sauce and a slab of mozzarella cheese will top the roll-ups. I'll then bake them under intense heat from a pile of charcoal briquettes to melt the cheese and give it some color. Steamed asparagus will make a simple garnish for the dish.

I'll discuss my choice for the bread dish tomorrow ...