Lasagna was the first dish that I ever remember making. I can remember it like it was yesterday. I was about 10 or so. I took some of the jarred tomato sauce from the cupboard, added a slew of spices that probably should have never gone in there and did the ricotta and mozzarella layers. My family, brave souls that they were, ate it and never told me that it sucked. However, knowing what I know now, I’m sure I did the “dump a dash of this, sprinkle a dash of that” like a mad scientist. I will say this, my family never had me make lasagna again.
Now, when I do lasagna, I often whip together lasagna rolls. However, to make a full lasagna – I must confess, my inner 10 year-old self whispers “Aly – you can’t make another lasagna! Remember last time?” I haven’t made one in eons.
When Contadina challenged us to a #CleanPlate challenge, I decided to face my fears, break out the spices and do it the tried and true way with a low and slow simmered tomato sauce, ripe with tomato flavor and full of Italian sausage, pancetta and seasonings, layered with a variety of cheeses and, one of my new favorites – no boil noodles, and this weekend’s dinner was a success. There were clean plates all around. My inner 10 year-old has been silenced.
What’s the one dish you make that will result in clean plates on your dinner table?
On to the recipe:
Gather the ingredients
Everything is always better with pancetta
Lining up the Contadina Troops
Adding the tomatoes to the browned sausage, pancetta and onions
Time to simmer the sauce
Adding a bit of nutmeg to the ricotta mixture
It’s all about building the layers
Look at all the cheese
Now – don’t you want a slice?
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