Jade Starling is someone who has always filled her career with lots of excitement, gusto, and drama. Her cooking is equally as bold, as this incredible recipe for Jade Lasagna deliciously proves. It is meaty, lightly spicy, and oozing with five different kinds of cheese. The other really nice thing that I like about Jade’s recipe is that includes a really great homemade tomato sauce with meat. I am always skeptical to try lasagna recipes that start with dry uncooked lasagna, for fear it won’t work. However, when I made Jade’s incredibly rich and exciting recipe, I found that it worked perfectly. This is really excellent as a main course for a family dinner or a dinner party. Jade: you rock in the kitchen!
NOTE FROM JADE: “Total Time: 3 hours 25 minutes (Preparation: 30 minutes, Inactive: 10 minutes, Cook: 2 hours 45 minutes.) Yield: 12 to 16 servings.”
Ingredients:
The Meat Sauce:
– 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
– 1/3 pound ground Beef
– 1/3-pound ground Veal
– 1/3-pound ground Pork
– 1 teaspoon Salt
– 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper
– 2 cups finely chopped Onions
– 1/2 cup finely chopped Celery
– 1/2 cup finely chopped Carrot
– 2 tablespoons chopped Garlic
– 2 (28-ounce) can of peeled, seeded and Chopped Tomatoes
– 1 small can Tomato Paste
– 4 cups Beef Stock or Water
– 2 sprigs (one tablespoon of leaves) fresh Thyme
– 2 Bay Leaves
– 2 teaspoons dried or fresh Oregano
– 2 teaspoons dried or fresh Basil
– 1/2 teaspoon of crushed Red Pepper Flakes
– 2 ounces grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese (a/k/a Parmesan Cheese)
The Cheese Layer:
– 2 cups fresh Ricotta Cheese
– 8 ounces grated Provolone Cheese
– 8 ounces grated Mozzarella Cheese
– 8 ounces grated Romano Cheese
– 1 Egg
– 1/4 cup Milk
– 1-tablespoon chiffonade of Fresh Basil
– 1 tablespoon chopped Garlic
– 1/2 teaspoon Salt
– 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper
The Pasta Layer:
– 1/2 pound grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese (a/k/a Parmesan Cheese)
– 1 package of dried Lasagna Noodles
Directions:
The first step to this incredible lasagna involves making Jade’s meat sauce. You must complete the sauce before combining the cheese layer, or creating the lasagna itself. For this you will want to use a very large saucepan. Add the olive oil, the combination of meat, plus salt and pepper. (Jade left the amounts of salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes up to taste of individual cooks. I set the amounts for these three items in the “Ingredients,” and the results were great.) Brown the meat, and then add the onions, celery and carrots.
“Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until the vegetables are soft,” says Jade. “Add the garlic and tomatoes. Continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk the tomato paste with the stock and add to the tomatoes. Add the thyme, bay leaves, oregano, basil and red pepper. Mix well. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 2 hours. Stir occasionally and add more liquid if needed. During the last 30 minutes of cooking, re-season with salt and pepper and stir in the cheese. Remove from the heat and let sit for 15 minutes before serving,” (or using in this lasagna!)
NOTE FROM MARK: When I made this sauce, I kept the lid slightly ajar on the pot, to assure minimal moisture loss. I cooked the sauce on a very low temperature, and I found that this exact liquid content was the perfect amount to also become absorbed in the uncooked lasagna noodles.
Now comes the fun part: the preparation of the cheese filling, and the layering of the ingredients. At this point, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
According to Jade: “In a mixing bowl, combine the Ricotta, Provolone, Mozzarella, Romano, egg, milk, basil and garlic. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper. To assemble, spread 2 1/2 cups of the meat sauce on the bottom of a deep-dish lasagna pan. Sprinkle 1/4 of the grated cheese over the sauce. Cover the cheese with 1/4 of the dried noodles. Spread a 1/4 of the cheese filling evenly over the noodles. Repeat the above process with the remaining ingredients, topping the lasagna with the remaining sauce. Place in the oven and bake until bubbly and golden, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving. Slice and serve.”
NOTE FROM MARK: Everyone’s ovens are different, but I decided to go for a whole hour at 350 degrees. Having made lasagna many times, and sensing cheese bubbling everywhere, I put a piece of aluminum foil around my tempered glass lasagna pan to catch any sauce that might run over. It worked perfectly, and the aluminum foil caught the drips. When the lasagna came out of the oven it was bubbling and cheesy, and slightly crunchy on top. I could hardly stand watching the clock for ten minutes while it cooled. But, the wait was well worth it! Jade, you certainly do know your rock & roll AND your lasagna!
Ingredients:
The Meat Sauce:
– 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
– 1/3 pound ground Beef
– 1/3-pound ground Veal
– 1/3-pound ground Pork
– 1 teaspoon Salt
– 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper
– 2 cups finely chopped Onions
– 1/2 cup finely chopped Celery
– 1/2 cup finely chopped Carrot
– 2 tablespoons chopped Garlic
– 2 (28-ounce) can of peeled, seeded and Chopped Tomatoes
– 1 small can Tomato Paste
– 4 cups Beef Stock or Water
– 2 sprigs (one tablespoon of leaves) fresh Thyme
– 2 Bay Leaves
– 2 teaspoons dried or fresh Oregano
– 2 teaspoons dried or fresh Basil
– 1/2 teaspoon of crushed Red Pepper Flakes
– 2 ounces grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese (a/k/a Parmesan Cheese)
The Cheese Layer:
– 2 cups fresh Ricotta Cheese
– 8 ounces grated Provolone Cheese
– 8 ounces grated Mozzarella Cheese
– 8 ounces grated Romano Cheese
– 1 Egg
– 1/4 cup Milk
– 1-tablespoon chiffonade of Fresh Basil
– 1 tablespoon chopped Garlic
– 1/2 teaspoon Salt
– 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper
The Pasta Layer:
– 1/2 pound grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese (a/k/a Parmesan Cheese)
– 1 package of dried Lasagna Noodles
Directions:
The first step to this incredible lasagna involves making Jade’s meat sauce. You must complete the sauce before combining the cheese layer, or creating the lasagna itself. For this you will want to use a very large saucepan. Add the olive oil, the combination of meat, plus salt and pepper. (Jade left the amounts of salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes up to taste of individual cooks. I set the amounts for these three items in the “Ingredients,” and the results were great.) Brown the meat, and then add the onions, celery and carrots.
“Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until the vegetables are soft,” says Jade. “Add the garlic and tomatoes. Continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk the tomato paste with the stock and add to the tomatoes. Add the thyme, bay leaves, oregano, basil and red pepper. Mix well. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 2 hours. Stir occasionally and add more liquid if needed. During the last 30 minutes of cooking, re-season with salt and pepper and stir in the cheese. Remove from the heat and let sit for 15 minutes before serving,” (or using in this lasagna!)
NOTE FROM MARK: When I made this sauce, I kept the lid slightly ajar on the pot, to assure minimal moisture loss. I cooked the sauce on a very low temperature, and I found that this exact liquid content was the perfect amount to also become absorbed in the uncooked lasagna noodles.
Now comes the fun part: the preparation of the cheese filling, and the layering of the ingredients. At this point, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
According to Jade: “In a mixing bowl, combine the Ricotta, Provolone, Mozzarella, Romano, egg, milk, basil and garlic. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper. To assemble, spread 2 1/2 cups of the meat sauce on the bottom of a deep-dish lasagna pan. Sprinkle 1/4 of the grated cheese over the sauce. Cover the cheese with 1/4 of the dried noodles. Spread a 1/4 of the cheese filling evenly over the noodles. Repeat the above process with the remaining ingredients, topping the lasagna with the remaining sauce. Place in the oven and bake until bubbly and golden, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving. Slice and serve.”
NOTE FROM MARK: Everyone’s ovens are different, but I decided to go for a whole hour at 350 degrees. Having made lasagna many times, and sensing cheese bubbling everywhere, I put a piece of aluminum foil around my tempered glass lasagna pan to catch any sauce that might run over. It worked perfectly, and the aluminum foil caught the drips. When the lasagna came out of the oven it was bubbling and cheesy, and slightly crunchy on top. I could hardly stand watching the clock for ten minutes while it cooled. But, the wait was well worth it! Jade, you certainly do know your rock & roll AND your lasagna!