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Carmela's Lasagne with Basil Leaves




Source of Recipe


cookbookcookery






List of Ingredients



• 1 pound dried lasagne
  
• 5-6 cups meat sauce (see recipe in pasta section)
  
• 2 pounds ricotta
  
• Salt and Freshly ground pepper
  
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano
  
• 1 large bunch basil, leaves removed, rinsed, and dried
  
• 12 ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
  






Instructions



1. In a large pot, bring at least 4 quarts salted water to a boil. Add a few pieces of lasagne and cook, stirring gently, until tender but slightly underdone. Scoop the pasta out of the water with a sieve, and cool it in a bowl of cold water. Cook remaining pasta the same way. When cool enough to handle, lay the lasagne out flat on lint-free (not terry cloth) kitchen towels. The towels can be stacked.
   
   
2. In a bowl, beat the ricotta and salt and pepper to taste.
   
   
3. Spread a thin layer of the sauce in a 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Place a few sheets of lasagne in the pan in a single layer, overlapping them slightly.
   
   
4. Spread evenly with about one-third of the ricotta mixture and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the grated cheese. Make a layer of basil leaves and another of mozzarella slices on top. Make two more layers the same way. Top with a final layer of lasagne, sauce, and remaining grated cheese. (The lasagne can be made ahead to this point. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours, or overnight.)
   
   
5. Preheat oven to 375.
   
   
6. Place a rack in the center of the oven. Bake lasagne for 45 minutes. If the casserole is browning too much, cover it loosely with foil. Bake 15 minutes more (longer if it has been refrigerated), or until the top is browned and the sauce is bubbling around the edges. Let stand 15 minutes. Cut the lasagne into squares and serve.
   






Final Comments


Serves 8-10