Lasagna, A Western Wonder For Both Non-vegetarian And Vegetarians

Lasagne, probably an oldest form of pasta was originated in Italy during the Middle Ages and has traditionally been ascribed to the city of Naples and has now made its way into the Indian cuisine. Lasagna is an Italian dish prepared by making a stacked layer of fillings, which originally and famously include flat pasta layers, ragu (meat and tomato sauce), vegetables, cheese (mainly ricotta and parmesan) and seasonings and spices such as oregano, basil, and garlic.

Even though these ingredients sound fancy, lasagna can be made very easily at home with the right ingredients. Its method of making too isn’t complicated. Another plus point of this dish is, it can be both vegetarian and non-vegetarian.

HOW TO MAKE VEGETARIAN LASAGNA

Ingredients for making vegetarian lasagna:

For the pasta:

• All Purpose flour – 1 cup
• Eggs – 2
• Salt – 1/8 tsp
• Oil – 2 to 3 tsp Optional

For the vegetable layer:

• Onion – 1
• Capsicum or bell peppers – 1
• Mushrooms – 100 gms
• Broccoli florets – 1/2 cup
• Garlic – 4 pods
• Tomatoes – 6
• Basil leaves – 1/4 cup Chopped
• Red chilli flakes – 1/2 tsp
• Italian seasoning or Dried Mixed Herbs – 1 tsp
• Mozzarella cheese – 1 cup Grated or Sliced
• Black pepper powder – 1/2 tsp
• Salt – to taste
• Olive oil – 2 tbsp
• Tomato Sauce or pasta sauce – 3 tbsp

METHOD

Making the dough

1. Take a bowl, add flour in it and mix it together with salt.
2. Take another small bowl and mix 2 eggs in it and then mix it with the flour well.
3. Make the dough soft by mixing, if the dough is getting dried up or if the egg is not enough to make the dough add 2-3 tbsp oil.
4. Close the bowl and let it stay for 1 hour.

Making lasagne sheet

1. After the dough is soft and ready i.e. after 1 hour, divide the dough in 4-5 small balls.
2. Dust your kitchen platform with flour and divide the dough into very thin slices, make the slices as thin as possible. The thinner the slice the better.
3. Cut your thin-sliced dough into square or rectangle.
4. Arrange the rolled out sheets on a big plate, roll out all the balls and keep the plate covered with a cloth or plate at all times to prevent the sheets from drying out.

Preparing the veggies

1. Dice the Bell Peppers. Chop the Onion and Garlic.
2. Chop and slice the Mushroom nicely (optional).  Chop the Broccoli and keep all this aside.
3. Cut Tomatoes in 2 slices and grate them.

Cooking the veggies 

1. Heat the pan with oil then add garlic. Once you get the flavour, add onions in it.
2. Now cook for 2 minutes on low heat. Add chopped bell peppers and broccoli and mix it well constantly.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes. Add chilli flake, salt (according to taste), and ground pepper and mix well.
4. Let the dish cook for 20-30 minutes on low flame and should have dried after that.
5. Just before switching off the stove add in chopped basil. Now keep aside the mixture to cool off.

Arrange the lasagna

1. Take a baking tray. Dab it with olive oil.
2. Put the tomato/pasta sauce in the tray and spread it all over the bottom of the tray.
3. Put the thin lasagna sheet on the tray and after that put 3-4 tbsp of the vegetable fillings. With a spoon or knife spread it all over the lasagna sheet covering it completely.
4. Place another lasagna sheet over the spread and sprinkle mozzarella cheese generously, covering the sheet fully.
5. Place another layer of sheet over the grated cheese and repeat the vegetable spreading process.
6. Likewise keep repeating the process until it has reached your desired value or the top of the baking tray.

Baking the lasagna 

1. Preheat oven at 180 C or 350 F
2. Bake for 20-30 minutes till the top cheese has turned golden brown.
3. Let it cool for 10-15 minutes. And it’s ready!

HOW TO MAKE NON- VEGETARIAN LASAGNA

Ingredients for making non-vegetarian lasagna:

For chicken fillings

• 300 grams of boneless chicken
• 1 tbsp black pepper powder.
• 1-1/2 tbsp paprika powder
• 1 lemon juice
• Salt (according to taste)

For lasagna

• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• Shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 cup tomato basil sauce
• Chopped ½ parsley leaves

METHOD 

1. Wash and clean the chicken properly. Add pepper powder, lime juice, salt, paprika powder and mix it well in a bowl.
2. Cover the bowl and let the chicken marinate for 1-2 hours.
3. Take a pan, dab it with some olive oil. Add the marinated chicken on the pan and put it on medium flame until cooked well. This will take aproximately 15 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven at 170 C (338 F). Take a baking tray and butter it up, then place the lasagne layer.
5. Add some sprinkled cheese, tomato pasta sauce, layer chicken pieces on top and sprinkle some more cheese on top of the chicken, you can also add some finely chopped parsley. Repeat this step till your desired quantity is reached or the tray is fully filled.
6. Bake the lasagne in the preheated oven for 7-10 minutes or till the top cheese layers turns brown golden.
7. Let it rest for 10 minutes, serve it by cutting it into a rectangle or square shape. Add some basil leaves for garnishing.