Clean Out the Fridge Lasagna

Got frozen sauce? Got random bits of cheese and spinach in the fridge? Got 9 pieces of Lasagna sheets left in your dry storage? Why not make a lasagna, instead of spending 20 dollars to buy it already made.

You're going to say Katrina, obviously I don't feel like making it, that's why I'll buy it. That's fair, but I also just want to point out how easy it really is to make it.

These days you don't want to be throwing out any food you buy. With the the rising prices on everything, buying and using what you have has become more important than ever.

I have been trying to get rid of a box of dry lasagna sheets from my pantry for months. They were leftover from a wedding we catered and I would pass on them when I would look at our pasta shelf every time. When the heck am I going to use these?

So last week on my day off, I ended up using them finally. It turns out that making a lasagna is pretty quick to make and is a great way to clear out your fridge and pantry.

A few years ago for Christmas, I made proper Lasagna. I made a béchamel sauce with nutmeg, a rich Bolognese sauce and purchases 3 types of cheese to layer between the pasta sheets I got from the store. It was a lot of work, but it was worth it in the end to have something so delicious and serve on the table during that special time of year.

I just want to say that it doesn't have to be such a production to make a lasagna at home. You can modify and add however you want and you might get something that is still pretty delicious. This is the type of meal that will last for days and is perfect for leftovers.

What I used this week to make the Clear Out the Fridge Lasagna

Sauce

1/2 litre frozen Bolognese

1 beef burger

1 can chopped tomato,

1 container mushrooms, finely chopped

1 small onion, finely diced

1 half a pepper, finely diced

1 container of fresh cherry tomato

2 cloves of garlic whole.

-I started by cooking the burger meat until brown, then I added the mushrooms, pepper, onion and garlic until it got colour. Once the vegetables were cooked, I added the can or tomatoes, and the package of cherry tomato from my fridge. I let that simmer until the tomatoes started popping. You can squish they with the side of a wooden spoon. Once all the tomatoes were squishes, then I added the frozen container of already cooked pasta sauce and seasoned it again to taste

*Using mushrooms in a sauce like this is a great way to get more vegetables into what you are cooking, especially if you are making something like this for kids.

Filling

9-10 sheets, dry lasagna pasta

1 handful parmesan cheese

1 small piece of brie, cut into small pieces

Half a bag of spinach, raw

1 large handful grated marble cheese for the topping

-For the filling, I used some items that helped me clear the fridge a little bit. Traditionally I wouldn't have used brie in this, but as it was getting old and I hate throwing out food, I used it anyways.

-The spinach was raw and I just folded it into the warm sauce to make it tender.

Assembly

-To assemble, you choose a cooking container big enough for 6-8 pieces once cooked. I used a medium sized baking dish that was 3-4 inches deep. I added some oil at the bottom of the pan, so the sauce doesn't stick and began layering the sauce and cheese with the dry pasta sheets. ---Once you build 3 layers, there shouldn't be any more room, so all that's left to do it finish it with shredded cheese and wrap it with parchment and tin foil. Using parchment paper keeps the cheese from sticking to the tin foil.

Cooking

This usually cooks in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes covered and then for 15-

20 minutes at 400 to 425 or until the cheese and pasta have become brown and crispy on top.

From here it can ben eaten today or frozen and cooked for a future date. If you are choosing to freeze something like this, I would only cook it and not go the extra 20 minutes uncovered because the pasta night get overcooked when reheating in the oven the next time you decide to make it.

Let's say you don't have lasagna sheets, you can do this with other shapes of pasta as well, juts be mindful of the cooking time in the oven

So there's the quick and dirty way to make a lasagna. With the baking and the prep included it took about 1.5 hours all together. The good thing is, once it's in the oven you can do another task at the same time, so don't think you are wasting that time. Let the food cook and you take care of your life while it's happening. Happy Cooking friends!