Lasagne or Lasagna..I did it Myyyy Wayyy

Yes, – I did it MY WAY. The Al Forno way, because who cooks stovetop lasagna? That would be like baking a tetrazzini, or a cake, on the stovetop.

I think I hit the non-traditional lasagna aka lasagne jackpot (for me)! Does Double Cheese Sausage and Caramelized Onion Lasagna/Lasagne with Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Bechamel Sauce sound good? Well, read on, because I think you’ll love this take on lasgana forever!

This month’s Daring Bakers Challenge put me in a bit of a quandary since it would definitely involve long periods in the kitchen due to one of the sauces involved. I can’t make a long, simmering sauce without standing, tasting, and seasoning as I go along, so I knew I had to take a slight detour. The challenge for this month is a lasagne aka lasagna en Italiano, but not just any lasagna or lasagne, one I’ve already blogged about, even though it goes by another name.

Throughout this post I will be alternating between the words lasgana and lasagne. No real reason other than the lasagna I made seeming like a lasagne to me. Plus, it’s the challenge name, and it sounds fancier.

You know, a ‘you say Lasahnyay, I say Lasahnyuh’, type of deal.

That said, I was a little surprised by this challenge since lasagna / lasagne, even though baked, is not something you would think of when it comes to baking.  However, with the impending advent of the new Daring Cooks group, it made sense as sort of a foray into that. Before I continue, I need to add THE PARAGRAPH. Are you ready, DB-BOT?

The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.  Thank you, guys!

If you want the recipe for the full Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna aka Lasagne Verdi Al Forno, click on a link to above to either host’s blog.

 Caramelized Onion and Sausage Lasagne with Roasted Red Pepper Bechamel and Pasta Verde

At first I thought of doing a dessert lasagna since it was a choice offered to us, and even planned it out with notes and ideas of something along the lines of a fruity noodle kugel in lasagna form, but then I remembered a lasagna I used to make quite a bit several years ago. I found it in a friend’s Williams-Sonoma cookbook, and it was for a caramelized onion-pancetta lasagne that people went absolutely bonkers over.

What initially made me think of this lasagna was the bechamel sauce being the one and only sauce, and I could definitely pull off a bechamel in my electric fondue pot. Not to mention, if making a savory lasagna, the hosts maintained that the bechamel sauce was a must, as was the pasta from scratch, which I have a lot of experience with, so yet another plus in that respect. I could once again pull off another DB challenge without having to enter the kitchen. I think I’m gaming the kitchen system.

I swear, I will kiss the kitchen floor once I’m able to work in it again.

Pasta Verde (Spinach Pasta) for Lasagne aka Lasagna

The pasta recipe given to us was made with the addition of spinach (pasta verde). It called for the spinach to be chopped and beaten into the flour volcano with the eggs. Not being one to make things easier on myself, I ended up grinding the fresh spinach into a juicy paste (which took for-ev-er!) in a mortar and pestle so the end result would be a pasta that was uniform green in color. However, I wimped out on the manual rolling. After trying to roll several sheets by hand, it was apparent I wasn’t going to get them as thin as needed without being able to stand up and roll, so I gave in and used my hand crank pasta machine.

As I’ve mentioned many times, I am a horrible super thin dough roller.

In the end, I had about 12 pasta sheets left over, so this does make quite a bit of pasta when rolled super thin.

So, instead of the recipe as is, I decided to use the caramelized onions from the Williams-Sonoma recipe in my lasagne  (I’ll get to that in a minute), but add thinly sliced Italian sausage in lieu of the pancetta, and diced roasted red bell peppers to the bechamel; a sort of kicked up homage to the smells that wafted from the Midway during my teenage August summers in Seaside Heights at the Jersey Shore. I also doubled the bechamel since I wasn’t making the meat ragu, although I didn’t use all of it…just enough to make sure the lasagna sheets cooked through, and the final result wasn’t like biting into a block of Mojave desert.

 Caramelized Onion and Sausage Lasagne with Roasted Red Pepper Bechamel and Pasta Verde

I really need to stop taking photos of lasagna/lasagna after it’s been refrigerated. A solid hunk is nice, but you lose the creamy sauce and hot, gooey cheese factor.

When you look at this recipe, I have no doubt most of you are thinking “5 POUNDS  OF ONIONS? WHAT IS SHE SMOKING?”. OK, you have to trust me on this one because as they caramelize, they cook down to about 1 1/2 to 2 lbs of an almost sweet onion jam that’s loaded with mucho flavor. You won’t be getting any chunks of onions in this lasagna, just a sweet, soft, melt-in-your-mouth, silky caress on the palate, and a WOW from your taste buds! Plus, this is just the right amount of caramelized onions for each layer, which could range anywhere from 5-7, depending on how thin you spread them.

Speaking of jam-like onions, there IS a difference between browning or frying onions and caramelizing onions. When you ‘brown’ or fry onions, they still have a bite to them, and the process usually takes no longer than 10 to 15 minutes.. Caramelized onions barely have barely or any bite; and can be almost jam-like in consistency. Plus the process takes at least 30 – 35 minutes because looong and sloooowww is the only way to goooo with these sweet babes. In the recipe for this lasagne, below, it’s a really simple, one paragraph process.

ANYWAY, speaking of THIN, I made sure everything in this lasagna / lasagne was THIN. The pasta was rolled paper-thin (see my creature-feature-chiller photo in the pasta photo montage above), the cooked sausage links were sliced paper-thin, the mozzarella cheese sliced paper-thin, the Bechamel sauce spread very thin, and the onions sliced thin prior to caramelizing them. Believe it or not, this is a very delicate, albeit rich, lasagne, also known as a thin lasagne that makes you fat, if you eat it on a consistent basis, which you won’t.

I kept the Parmigiano-Reggiano in small chunks because it’s Parmigiano-Reggiano; no explanation needed.  (Signor Parmi-Reg, below, nods and smirks). UPDATE: OK!! I changed my mind; shredded is the way to go because it disseminates within the layers better (just realized I preferred this on my third time making it).

 Caramelized Onion and Sausage Lasagne with Roasted Red Pepper Bechamel and Pasta VerdeNext day leftovers served to friends.  Didn’t quite cut as cleanly as I hoped, or brown with extra cheese (This is what happens when you have to use a torch instead of the oven because you can’t get into the kitchen and there’s no one there to help at the time….ARGH!) so I covered each ‘MESS’ with some homemade roasted tomato sauce I had in the freezer. Ugly, but tasty.

Speaking of cheese, you don’t often see mozzarella cheese in a lasagna with bechamel, but as I mentioned in my Lasagna Bolognese entry, the SO loves mozzarella, and realistically, who doesn’t, so why not?  I cannot fathom anyone passing on a lasagna or lasagne with bechamel because it contained creamy, gooey, melty slices of mozzarella between each layer. Well, there are some traditionalists out there, but the hell with tradition!

Finally, I’m in a goofy mood as I type this, so I’ve decided to introduce you to the fillings in my lasagna!!

    Bechamel Sauce with Roasted Red PepperBechamel Sauce with Roasted Red Pepper for Lasagne Verde aka Spinach Lasagna      Bonjour! I am one of zee mother sauces of French cuiseeene, though I am second to none of them, hrmmph! Lisa left me in zee fridge last night, so I am quite thick and chilly!!  Tsk Tsk! Why iz dere leettle red lumps floating in me? I demand an answer!

 Caramelized OnionsCaramelized Onions for Lasagne Verde aka Spinach LasagnaHey there, baby *cue Barry White music*. I was given a day at the beach; a slow, long saute, slathered in olive oil and butter, turning me a gorgeous golden brown. This made made me soooo soft , jammylicious, and sweet that I’m going to melt in your mouth..Uh huhhh.

                                                          Italian Sausage

Ital;ian Sausage for Lasagne Verde aka Spinach LasagnaYou tawkin ta me? How ya doin? I wasn’t going to take dis gig until I heard my old cronies, peppuhs and onions were joinin’ in. Man, she sliced me up pretty @#$%&$# good! I feel like I’ve been whacked with one of Johnny Goomba’s overcooked meatballs. No big whoop since I kinda like being da only meat here.

   Mozzarella CheeseFresh Mozzarella Cheese for Lasagne Verde aka Spinach Lasagna      Yo, I’m Mozzarella, but some people call me ‘Mootz’ or ‘Mootzarell’.  I originally wasn’t invited to dis party, but Lisa’s guy made sure she let me in at the door. I’m sick of being blown off in deez froo froo lasagna lasagne deals. Yeah, I’m lookin’ at you, bechamel!

  Parmigiano-ReggianoParmigiano-Reggiano cheese for Lasagne Verde aka Spinach Lasagna      Bongiorno!  Im-a da KING of Italian hard cheeses! You no believe? I can only be made-a by a cheesemaker who is a member of da Consorzio Formaggio Parmigiano-Reggiano! Justa tasta me and you’ll see! Loook at how beeeyoootiful I am! Molto Bene..MWHAAA!!

Caramelized Onion and Sausage Double Cheese Lasagne with Roasted Red Pepper Bechamel and Pasta Verde

Caramelized Onion and Sausage Lasagne with Roasted Red Pepper Bechamel and Pasta Verde (Spinach Pasta)

 Spinach Egg Pasta (Pasta Verde)

Preparation: 45 minutes

Makes enough for 6 to 8 first course servings or 4 to 6 main course servings, equivalent to 1 pound (450g) dried boxed pasta.

Ingredients

  • 2 jumbo eggs (2 ounces/60g or more)
  • 10 ounces (300g) fresh spinach, rinsed dry, and finely chopped; or 6 ounces (170g) frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
  • 3 1/2 cups (14 ounces/400g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour (organic stone ground preferred)

Working by Hand:

Equipment

A roomy work surface, 24 to 30 inches deep by 30 to 36 inches (60cm to 77cm deep by 60cm to 92cm). Any smooth surface will do, but marble cools dough slightly, making it less flexible than desired.

A pastry scraper and a small wooden spoon for blending the dough.

A wooden dowel-style rolling pin. In Italy, pasta makers use one about 35 inches long and 2 inches thick (89cm long and 5cm thick). The shorter American-style pin with handles at either end can be used, but the longer it is, the easier it is to roll the pasta.
Note: although it is not traditional, Enza has successfully made pasta with a marble rolling pin, and this can be substituted for the wooden pin, if you have one.

Plastic wrap to wrap the resting dough and to cover rolled-out pasta waiting to be filled. It protects the pasta from drying out too quickly.

A sharp chef’s knife for cutting pasta sheets.

Cloth-covered chair backs, broom handles, or specially designed pasta racks found in cookware shops for draping the pasta.

Mixing the dough:
Mound the flour in the center of your work surface and make a well in the middle. Add the eggs and spinach. Use a wooden spoon to beat together the eggs and spinach. Then gradually start incorporating shallow scrapings of flour from the sides of the well into the liquid. As you work more and more flour into the liquid, the well’s sides may collapse. Use a pastry scraper to keep the liquids from running off and to incorporate the last bits of flour into the dough. Don’t worry if it looks like a hopelessly rough and messy lump.

Kneading:
With the aid of the scraper to scoop up unruly pieces, start kneading the dough. Once it becomes a cohesive mass, use the scraper to remove any bits of hard flour on the work surface – these will make the dough lumpy. Knead the dough for about 3 minutes. Its consistency should be elastic and a little sticky. If it is too sticky to move easily, knead in a few more tablespoons of flour. Continue kneading about 10 minutes, or until the dough has become satiny, smooth, and very elastic. It will feel alive under your hands. Do not shortcut this step. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and let it relax at room temperature 30 minutes to 3 hours.

Stretching and Thinning:
If using an extra-long rolling pin work with half the dough at a time. With a regular-length rolling pin, roll out a quarter of the dough at a time and keep the rest of the dough wrapped. Lightly sprinkle a large work surface with flour. The idea is to stretch the dough rather than press down and push it. Shape it into a ball and begin rolling out to form a circle, frequently turning the disc of dough a quarter turn. As it thins outs, start rolling the disc back on the pin a quarter of the way toward the center and stretching it gently sideways by running the palms of your hands over the rolled-up dough from the center of the pin outward. Unroll, turn the disc a quarter turn, and repeat. Do twice more.

Stretch and even out the center of the disc by rolling the dough a quarter of the way back on the pin. Then gently push the rolling pin away from you with one hand while holding the sheet in place on the work surface with the other hand. Repeat three more times, turning the dough a quarter turn each time.

Repeat the two processes as the disc becomes larger and thinner. The goal is a sheet of even thickness. For lasagne, the sheet should be so thin that you can clearly see your hand through it and see colours. Cut into rectangles about 4 by 8 inches (10 x 20 cm). Note: Enza says that transparency is a crucial element of lasagne pasta and the dough should be rolled as thinly as possible. She says this is why her housekeeper has such strong arms!

Dry the pasta at room temperature and store in a sealed container or bag.

Creamy Double Cheese Roasted Red Pepper, Sausage and Caramelized Onion Lasagne


Double Cheese Sausage and Caramelized Onion Lasagne with Roasted Red Pepper Bechamel Sauce
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
 
This lasagna may be a little labor intensive, so it's probably more suited for a holiday or special occasion, or when you've got some extra time on your hands, like on a weekend. However, you can prepare ALL of the ingredients in advance, so it can be a special weeknight meal anytime! That said, trust me, it's more than worth it! It's rich, it's decadent, it's worth every minute you spend preparing it!
If making the lasagne noodles from scratch, the prep time will be longer than listed above.
ingredients:
Spinach Lasagna Noodles
  • Approximately 15 lasagna sheets (recipe above, or your own homemade or store-bought lasagna sheets)
  • 6 quarts water
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
Roasted Red Pepper Bechamel Sauce *
  • 1 stick (4 ounces/120g) unsalted butter
  • ½ cup (4 ounces/120g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour
  • 5⅓ cups (approx 1140ml) milk
  • 4 red bell peppers, roasted, skinned, seeded and diced
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
Cheese, Sausage and Onion Filling
  • ½ cup clarified butter ** or olive oil or a mix of both ¼ cup each **
  • 5 lb. yellow onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 lb. hot and/or sweet Italian sausage, cooked and sliced VERY thin or chopped or crumbled***
  • 1 lb. mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced or shredded
  • 2 cups shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (or any hard Italian grating cheese you like)
  • Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish
directions:
Cook the Spinach Lasagne Noodles
  1. In a large pot over high heat, bring the water to a boil. Add the salt and lasagne noodles and cook until al dente (tender but firm to the bite), about 2 minutes, or if using packaged lasagna - according to the instructions. Drain well, rinse in cool water and drain again. Immediately toss noodles lightly with the olive oil.
Make the Roasted Red Pepper Bechamel Sauce
  1. Using a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter over low to medium heat. Sift in the flour and whisk until smooth. Whisk (without stopping) for about 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk a little at a time, making sure to keep the mixture smooth. Bring to a slow simmer, and whisk 3 to 4 minutes, or until the sauce starts to coat the back of a spoon. Continue to cook, whisking for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens (Take care not to let it burn on the bottom of the pot.) Stir in diced roasted peppers, Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. (size of pinch suited to your taste. I use ⅛ teaspoon.)
Make the Caramelized Onions ****
  1. In a large, heavy fry pan over medium heat, warm the clarified butter. and/or oil. Add the onions, then cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are completely limp, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the lid, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are golden brown and sweet, 35 to 45 minutes. IMPORTANT- Take care not to let them burn, frequently stirring and scraping up any bits that start to form on the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat, cool and use immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 10 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Assemble the Lasagne
  1. Preheat an oven to 350ºF. Coat the inside of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with oil.
  2. Spread ¼ cup of the béchamel sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Cover with 3 lasagna noodles, touching but not overlapping. Spread another layer of the roasted pepper bechamel sauce over the noodles, then top that with some of the caramelized onions, then some of the sausage, then some of the mozzarella cheese and Parmigianno-Reggiano cheese. Top all of the fillings with just a drizzle of the roasted red pepper bechamel, and cover all of the above with three more noodles. Repeat all of the above, making 4 more layers of the roasted pepper bechamel, caramelized onions, sausage, mozzarella cheese, Parmigianno-Reggiano, roasted red pepper bechamel drizzle, and noodles, ending with noodles. Top the final layer of lasagna noodles with the remaining bechamel sauce and cheeses. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30-40 minutes (knife inserted into center of lasagna should be hot). Remove the foil and bake until the top is just beginning to lightly brown, about 10 minutes more.
  3. To serve, let lasagna cool for 10 to 15 minutes, then divide among warmed individual plates. Garnish each serving with chopped parsley.
notes:
* Roasted Pepper Bechamel can be made 1 day ahead. Keep covered and chilled in fridge Rewarm just enough to loosen before layering into lasagna.

*** You can use regular, unsalted butter if you prefer. I just think tghey taste so much better when cooked down with clarified butter.

*** Since cooking whole sausage and slicing it super thin can take a little time, you can remove the sausage from the casing and fry it up for crumbled sausage. OR, just buy 1 lb of sausage meat without the casings! Also, remember to remove as much grease from the sausage, after cooking, as possible.With crumbles and chopped sausage, just dump it into a strainer lover a bowl, With whole, cooked sausage sliced thin, then blot the sausage slices with paper towels.

**** Carmelized onions will hold in the fridge, i a covered container, for about a week. They can also be frozen, sealed and covered tightly in a freezer bag, for about 3 months. Let thaw at room temperature when ready to use.
Creamy Double Cheese Roasted Red Pepper, Sausage and Caramelized Onion Lasagne
PERFECT Caramelized Onions. SO sweet and jammy, and they can be used tons of ways, in loads of dishes: pasta, soups, flatbreads, pizza, dips etc! The flavor is out of this world!

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107 Responses to Lasagne or Lasagna..I did it Myyyy Wayyy

  1. Rosa says:

    That filling sounds delicious! What great Lasagne! Very well done!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  2. ina says:

    I’ve seen your gorgeous lasagna on the forum. What can I say? It looks yummi, especially the “burgers” ones. Great! Hugs 🙂

  3. Zita says:

    Love how you “sing” your way trough this challenge 😉 the lasagne looks freshly delicious:)

  4. Aparna says:

    Your picture of the lasagne looks gorgeous and the post was a riot! I really liked your flavoured bechamel and the caramelized onion. Must have been out of this world.

  5. deeba says:

    YYYYour waYYYYYYYYYYY is way too gorgoeus. Love what you served your frineds the nexy day. Wish I had thought out of the box, but I had lasagna coming out of my ears by the end of that day! Beautifully done Lisa, just lovely!

  6. Kitchen Goddess says:

    What a gorgeous lasagne, well done!

  7. amelia says:

    Whao! EVERYTHING looks gorgeous, must have tasted out of this world! Love how your pasta turned out, mine never achieved the non-stick stage =)

  8. isabelle says:

    vraiment très réussi, tes photos sont magnifiques 🙂

  9. isabelle says:

    vraiment très réussi, tes photos sont magnifiques 🙂
    BTW I love your blog!

  10. bache says:

    What a great job! I love the idea of caramelised onions! (and BTW : beautiful pics!)

  11. Nawal says:

    Yes yes Well Done 🙂
    Your pictures are very beautiful too : Bravo !!!

  12. gine says:

    Looks delicious yummy :-)! And, of course, great pics :_)!

  13. A&N says:

    I was wondering where have you disappeared?? But you’re back with a bang 🙂 Your pasta looks perfectly green! Awesome! And yes, its hard not to love cheese 🙂 Actually make that impossible 🙂

  14. A&N says:

    And did you SERIOUSLY post this at 3 a.m???? You’re kidding me right?

  15. lauren says:

    i LOVE your little leftovers!!

  16. JZ @ Tasty treats says:

    loved reading ur post, Lisa!! Looks like you had an amazing time with the challenge…Beautiful pictures as well..Great job!! 🙂

  17. Barbara says:

    Gorgeous presentation and pictures!

  18. Esther says:

    Oh your onion version sounds fantastic. I’m hoping to get mine up later, small children willing though I only noticed the earlier posting date a couple of days ago so had it pencilled in for the weekend.. glad you managed to do this even sans kitchen.

  19. Cakelaw says:

    Italian sausage, caramelised onions and red pepper bechamel – phwoar! And love, love, love the Barry White reference – LOL.

  20. Medhaa says:

    Love you lasagna, sounds delicious. Love the pitures

  21. elra says:

    Oh Wow, first, I love the stacks of lasagna so even and perfectly shape, look really professional. Second, the filling sound mouth watering… wow
    Well done!
    Cheers,
    elra

  22. Laura says:

    I giggled all the way through this. Great post. I love the rounds you cut–I am way too lazy to ever attempt such things (plus I just know it would end in disaster).

    PS 5 lbs of onions sounds heavenly to me!

  23. jo says:

    Absolutely gorgeous and looks so delicious. Great job on your challenge.

  24. cookingupafamily says:

    wow wow wow those look awesome!! i love the additions you added kicking it up a notch so cool!!

  25. courtney says:

    Excellent job. I wish I had more time to devote to this challenge to get the fancy presentation like you. I love your fillings and captions. Esp the sausage.

  26. ingrid says:

    Oh, my goodness…..those intros were hilarious! I could easily imagine it!! Too funny!

    You know I really don’t like onions and you have me convinced that I just might like ’em like this!

    I hopped over to your previous lasagna post and your photos have come a long way. Your plating too, so creative! You should be proud. Each post’s photos surpass the previous one’s. Loved the collage.

    Another note~ I’m not heading up to NY this month. The twins are going to play in a week long tournament in Cooperstown this June & it’s $1500 for the two of them just to play not including plane tickets and all the other stuff! 🙁
    ~ingrid

  27. ingrid says:

    Hope you’re good with it but I’m adding you to my blogroll!
    ~ingrid

  28. Andrea says:

    Wow, this has to be the most fun post about lasagna I’ve ever read, loved the ingredients introducing themselves, too cute 🙂 I am not an onion fan but the way you described your caramalized onions with this just sounds absolutely delicious, something I never thought I’d say about onions. Your pasta looks amazing, you can tell that you have worked with pasta before, just perfect!

  29. shellyfish says:

    It looks just fabu!!! I love the idea of using the carmelized onions, and red pepper bechamel? Brilliant idea!
    Your pasta photos are so beautiful, too. Fantastic job!!!

  30. Wow! This looks awesome! I love how you added peppers to the bechamel. I sat this challenge out this month cause I’ve been so busy but just looking at how delicious yours turned out is making me have second thoughts…. 🙂

  31. Roasted red peppers and caramelized onions are just the pick-me-up I needed for my lasagna.

    Knock out job!

  32. peasepudding says:

    I love the sound of the caramalised onions and hunks of parmesan, delicious!. Beautiful photos and the mini ones look really great.

  33. Elizabeth says:

    You have quite the gorgeous lasagna yourself girlfriend! Yay for daring bakers. 😀

  34. Pat says:

    Hi Lisa!

    You had me laughing so much at the ingredients “dialog” portion of the recipe! You are so funny! Love it! I always seem to play by the rules but I LOVE seeing variations of a recipe and yours was a WINNER! Just wonderful! BRAVA!

    Hugs, Pat

    PS: We were able to get Yankee tickets at Stub Hub in June for a weekend game when my son and DIL will be in visiting from Denver. The bleacher seats, which normally go for $12 each were being sold for $80 each! I was so annoyed but we had no choice. I just hope they aren’t an obstructed view as I heard that some bleacher seats are.
    At least we’ll get to see one game! Can’t wait!

  35. Mary BC says:

    You crack me up! Your lasagne sheets are amazing – holy, moly mine are put to shame!

  36. I love caramelized onions in anything. But with sausage and cheese too – yum! Oh, I wish I had a machine to roll the pasta dough. I got mine 2mm thick but my arms are still killing me.

  37. Bumblebutton says:

    Loved meeting your cast of thin characters–they played quite well together. Delicious!

  38. rose says:

    MMMMMMMMMMM carmelized onions YUM! and A+ on grinding the spinach 😉 show off!!

  39. Arlette says:

    Oh my Lisa

    This looks awesome…. yummy full of wonderful flavours
    I bet you had a feat!!!!!!!!
    thanks for your visit.

  40. Arlette says:

    Oh my Lisa

    This looks awesome…. yummy full of wonderful flavours
    I bet you had a feast!!!!!!!!(sorry for the typo)
    thanks for your visit.

  41. Monica says:

    Lovely photo… yum! yum!

  42. You’ve got some really nice photos! Great job!

  43. Natashya says:

    I love your change-ups! Looks so delicious and beautifully plated.

  44. JMom says:

    Oh my, I would take those left over lasagnas any day! Beautiful plating and photography!

  45. Elyse says:

    What a fabulous lasagna! I adore carmelized onions and red peppers…I mean, everything about this lasagna sounds delicious! Mmm, I wish I could’ve shared a slice with you. It looks delicious! How’s the knee?

  46. BitterSweet says:

    Oh I really like your individual, round lasagnas! Such an elegant way to present an otherwise typically sloppy dish. Beautiful work!

  47. qeftsg says:

    yours sounds really fancy! what a great combination of filling for the lasagne! i want to try it now! 🙂

  48. Lisa says:

    OMG that was hilarious. I love the voices! And hey – I have that same black platter you served the leftovers to your friends on! Great minds think a like… (C&B, me thinks?)

  49. Roberto Beninni says:

    Oh zis Lasagna – it has given me so much’a happiness in my pants.

    I like’a zee sauce. I like’a zee onion. I see zee Lasanga and I say… “Get’a in my belly, bella pasta!!” Evree-bod-eee has belly button, yes? Is quite funny. Now make’a love, and Eat! Eat and be happy! Life is’a beautiful!

  50. Lori says:

    Wow! I loved what you did with your pasta! Loved the post, it just cracked me up especially the Italian cheese talking. I think I may make it again just to try your version. Bellisima!

  51. mybricole says:

    ooooooo I love carmelized onions – they are the Barry White of ingredients. too funny!

  52. Namratha says:

    Ohhh carmalized onions, that must have been lip smacking good! Your lasagna is perrrrfect! 🙂

  53. Junie Moon says:

    I love the detours and modifications you made for this challenge. It’s helpful to new “bakers” like me to learn things like this. Your photos look wonderful and I’m ever so impressed with all you did. On top of all that, sort of like a bechamel sauce topping, your written report on the whole project is quite delightful and makes me smile. Thank you for sharing all this as I’ve thoroughly enjoyed your post.

  54. What a fab post I just love the commentary. Your caramelized onion sauce is a winner with me and the lovely uniform colour of the sheets is a good idea. Bravo on a great challenge. Yours Audax

  55. Claire says:

    Wow…you went all out! I didn’t get a chance to make it this time but yours looks yumm!

  56. CHConrad says:

    Your pasta is amazing! Love the uniform color. Your post was a joy to read.

  57. Jacque says:

    Your way looks pretty dad-gum good! I love, love, LOVE caramelized onions so I think I would have loved this. Nice job!

    Fun post too 🙂

  58. Maris says:

    Is that an Usher reference in the title of your post?

  59. Y says:

    Caramelised onion and sausage? Daaamn. I hope you saved me a piece!

  60. Esi says:

    You killll me! Love your adaptations (and songs) and your pictures are dreamy.

  61. Lisa says:

    Hey.. does your sausage have a brother who is single? Because he sounded kinda hottt. 🙂

    BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA! I’ve got TEARS! So funny! 😀

    Your lasagne looks and sounds delish.. Hubbs would be all over this, so it’s a must make next time. And yeah, we’re all about the cheese too.. there *might* have been thin slices of provolone in my layers. Shhhhh 😉

    Hugs!
    XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXXOXO

  62. Esther says:

    Thanks for your kind comments about my gluten free attempt. Must admit I was quite impressed with the dough too. Mary from Beans and Caviar is responsible for the recipe and she did a fantastic job! Obviously it wasn’t stretchy like the real stuff but it rolled out very well as long as you didn’t want super thin and held together well..

  63. Donna says:

    YOUR way looks just incredible. I am enjoying your melodic post!!

  64. Lauren says:

    Mmm, your lasagne looks amazing!! I love your creativity =D.

  65. Meryl says:

    Your pasta is so pretty–gotta get a pasta machine!

  66. Shelly W says:

    Caramelized onions….sooo good! Your version looks delicious!

  67. Elle says:

    Well it may not be totally DB legit, but that is one gorgeous lasagna…and the ‘comments’ from the ingredients are priceless! Great idea. The idea of making the spinach into a paste for uniform green pasta is brilliant!

  68. Natalie says:

    Thanks for dropping by and for your lovely comments 🙂 I may have to try this one again after lent is over (and I can do REAL pasta) and do it your way. I’m a giant fan of caramelized onions and your spinach pasta turned out a gorgeous color! The paste idea was genius. I hope you get back to your kitchen again soon!

  69. sunita says:

    I looove your way…that’s one gorgeous looking lasagna…wouldn’t mind even the leftovers…so pretty. Well done!!

  70. Andreas says:

    Great oozy lasagna. The leftovers look very elegant too. Seriously restaurant level. I’ve read the introduction of the ingredients twice. That’s how funny it is. 😉

  71. Lisa, as always you’ve done an absolutely incredible job! I love the sound of the caramelised onion and sausage sauce. So good!

    And your photography is just beautiful…

  72. Rebecca says:

    Caramelized onions? Roasted red peppers? Sign me up for a slice of your lasagne!

  73. Oh wow, I adore those round lasagnes! They are divine! Your lasagne is truly stuff dreams are made of 😀

  74. Alana says:

    Fabulous as usual! I love your process, and I think that the torch worked pretty well! Like a lasagne brulee…

  75. as says:

    Love how you made it your own.. Your post made me sing!
    Great job!

  76. chahira says:

    HIHIHi
    I came to see yours !! And of course to tell you Hi and thanks, HAHAHAHA!!
    Very fast.!!!…. Lisa everything is amazing, your onions, your sausages, your lasagna, your pics, wonderful job, dear.
    We all enjoyed this month challenge and we all ate Lasagna at the same week perhaps.
    I really loved your site, I’ll keep it in my favorite list.
    Great job, Lisa !!!
    Thanks and i will visit you soon.
    Chahira

  77. Anzj says:

    You must have a really great camera (and professional eye), ’cause those lasagna pictures look like they were made at a photo shoot! And such a big pile of great ingredients it is. Must have tasted great.

  78. Kat says:

    Your lasagna looks amazing! I was cracking up “meeting” the fillings. I did not get my pasta as thin as I was rolling it out by hand and my arms were starting to turn to mush.

  79. Sarah C. says:

    OOOh delish! I love how you introduced you gang of food. Thanks for more lasagna inspiration!

  80. Dragon says:

    You are so creative! Great job on this month’s challenge.

  81. Lisa! says:

    Wow… your pasta is gorgeous!

    You really met and beat down this challenge.

  82. Pingback: Things to Write Home About - 3/29/09 | Feels Like Home

  83. Linsey says:

    Beautiful. Just beautiful.

  84. Mary says:

    Oh my, oh my, oh my. The first thing I noticed was the uniform green color. The mortar and pestle was genius…as was the red peppers. Looks scrumptious! Great job!

  85. Holy WOW Lisa – talk about all the work! You’re a trooper!! I LOVE the little rounds – such a beautiful presentation 🙂 I’m so impressed with your effort, given what you have to deal with – BRAVO ♥ xoxo

  86. …I forgot to mention that your pasta looks GORGEOUS.

  87. Janet says:

    Holy moly girl- you get a lot of comments!!
    I was just stopping by your blog to thank you for your wonderful comment on mine. It’s still weird to me to think about people actually reading what I (we) post. It makes me feel so exposed. Funny, that’s the point, but I’m still not used to it.
    I’m glad to meet the virtual you, your blog looks great. Mmm, caramelized onions…
    And, Go Yankees!!

  88. bakergirlcreations says:

    Gorgeous post! Your additions/modification look fantastic. Love the red peppers and caramelized onions.

  89. lisamichele says:

    Thanks so much for all of your incredibly flattering and sweet comments! From what I’ve seen, I don’t think there’s one Daring Baker who’s lasagne didn’t turn out amazing! You’re all rock stars! XOXOXO

  90. Jenny Tan says:

    Mmmm….I LOVE caramelized onions and roasted peppers!!! 🙂 Salivating….

  91. Brava! I wimped out this month…I just wasn’t into the recipe. Not a good excuse, but it’s my excuse. 🙂 That said, I’m going to make the pasta on Friday and do a little something else with it — maybe ravioli stuffed with mushrooms, and your carmelized onions?? That could work.

    In unrelated-but-related-to-your-blog-news — Melky Cabrera loses his post to Gardner. Interesting, yes? 🙂

  92. jillian says:

    This looks so good, especially with the onions!

  93. Wow, I love your “your way” lasahna! I think it’s great how you managed to have such a smooth green pasta! Next time I’ll use your method!

  94. kellypea says:

    Love the way this turned out. I’d go apesheeet over that recipe, too! Great idea to go with the roasted peppers in the bechamel. Has me seriously drooling and thinking it’d be a great breakfast item w/ toast! hahahahaha!

  95. Tami says:

    I’m so making this! Wish I’d had this recipe to make instead of the original. The idea of using red pepper in the dish is making my mouth water. And I love the little round lasagnas. Beautiful simple photos. I’m inspired…

  96. Emily says:

    Wow! You really went all out on this one! Looks fantastic. I bet the caramelized onions were delicious.

  97. debbie says:

    It looks delicious, you did a fabulous job!

  98. Anne Boulley says:

    I love the photos and your all green pasta is very pretty. I can’t wait to get an actual pasta machine and try my hand at other flavors/colors. So much fun!

  99. A&N says:

    Hey guys,
    Its the opening day for the Bronx Bombers…hope you’re planning to watch CC’s first start in pinstripes 🙂 I cant wait!

  100. Celeste says:

    Three words: Gorgeous, gorgeous and gorgeous! Nicely done! 🙂

  101. A&N says:

    I think the Yankees heard you guys 🙂 We FINALLY got a win! AJ was pretty decent in his debut and nice to see Tex homer. And Swisher has been a good addition so far. I am not worried too muchh about CC because he is known to be a slow starter. He’ll be fine. Same goes for Wang. His sinkerballs will start to ‘sink’ as the season goes.

    I really think we are missing A-rod. Especially on the defensive end. I am happy so far with the way Cano has played although its very early into the season. If the offense continues to score runs the way they are right now, it’ll be in much better shape when ARod comes back. But I think we still need to improve a LOT because the game we won yesterday…Baltimore blew it away with errors and so on. We still have a long way to go. Hopefully we’ll get better as the season goes and win the division 😉

  102. Lisa: I’m glad you did it your day! The lasagna looks absolutely delish with the cooked down onions. Now I know what to do with the giant bag of Costco onions I have sitting my pantry. Great photos and writing style.

    John

  103. Sophie says:

    The photos are stunning, this is a delicious dish. You did an amazing job! Layers and layers of some very tasty ingredients!

  104. Katrina says:

    That looks amazingly de-lish! Love the circles, love all the layers. Lasagna might be my favorite dinner food!

  105. Hannah says:

    I was looking for an ode to lasagne and ended up here… incredibly interesting, informative and entertaining article. I particularly liked the pictures of the different ingredients with the accents, had me laughing. Oh – and the finished dish looks to-die-for!

  106. Dee says:

    You are a very entertaining and talented writer, thank you! Love the visual aids too-great way to hold my attention throughout. It looks and sounds like you can cook too (I can’t be sure until I taste)—so many gifts, keep on sharing please

  107. Dan says:

    WOW that lasagna is oooey and gooey looks great. Can you make me a veggie version? love spinach pasta. Sauce looks very creamy. The talking ingredients are hilarous great sense of humor – wish I could hear you speak with an accent. Great job!

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