Alright, let’s talk about makin’ this here…what’s it called? Luh-zah-nyah? Yeah, that fancy stuff with spinach and meat. My grandbaby showed me a picture, said it’s all the rage. So, I figured, how hard can it be? Turns out, not too bad, even for an old woman like me.
First things first, you gotta get your stuff together. We ain’t got no fancy grocery stores ’round here, but I went to that Aldi place. They got everything you need, and it don’t cost a fortune. You’ll need some noodles, the flat kind, you know? And ground meat, like what you use for meatloaf. Oh, and spinach! Gotta have that green stuff, even though the kids pick it out half the time.
Now, the oven. You gotta heat that thing up. My grandbaby says 350 degrees, whatever that means. I just turn the knob ’til it feels hot enough. While that’s heatin’ up, you get to cookin’ the meat. I like to use sausage and some ground beef, makes it taste real good. Throw it in a big pot, the one you use for stew, and cook it ’til it ain’t pink no more. You can add some onions and garlic too, if you like that kinda thing. Chop ’em up small though, nobody wants big chunks of onion in their food.
The Spinach Situation
Now, about that spinach. You can use fresh or frozen, doesn’t really matter. If it’s fresh, you gotta cook it down a bit, otherwise it’s too fluffy. Just throw it in the pot with the meat, it’ll wilt down real quick. If it’s frozen, squeeze out all the water, otherwise your luh-zah-nyah will be all soggy, and nobody wants that.
Sauce it Up
Here’s the tricky part, the sauce. You gotta have two kinds, a red one and a white one. The red one’s easy, just tomato sauce, some spices, whatever you got in the cabinet. The white one, that’s a bit more work. My grandbaby calls it “bechamel”, sounds fancy, huh? It’s just milk, flour, and butter, cooked ’til it gets thick and creamy. You gotta stir it a lot though, or it’ll stick to the bottom of the pot and burn, and then you’ll have to start all over again, and ain’t nobody got time for that.
- Meat: Sausage and ground beef
- Greens: Spinach, fresh or frozen
- Sauce: Red sauce (tomato-based) and white sauce (bechamel)
- Noodles: Flat lasagna noodles
Putting it All Together
Okay, now the fun part. You get a big pan, the kind you bake a cake in, and you start layerin’. Noodles on the bottom, then some meat, then some spinach, then some red sauce, then some white sauce. Then you do it all over again, ’til you run out of stuff. Make sure you end with sauce on top, so it don’t dry out.
Baking Time
Once it’s all layered up, you stick it in the oven. My grandbaby says 375 degrees this time, I don’t know why it’s different, but whatever. Bake it for a long time, like an hour or so, ’til it’s all bubbly and brown on top. You can stick a knife in the middle to see if it’s done, if it comes out clean, it’s ready.
Important Tip!
Now, listen here, ’cause this is important. You gotta make sure that sauce ain’t too watery. If it is, your luh-zah-nyah will be a mess. Cook the sauce down good, make it nice and thick. And drain them noodles good too, nobody wants a watery supper. You want that sauce thick and creamy, so it sticks to the noodles and the meat, makes everything taste better, you know?
Let it Rest
Once it’s done, don’t go cuttin’ into it right away, you gotta let it sit for a bit. My grandbaby says it needs to “rest”, whatever that means. I guess it gives the sauce time to soak into the noodles, makes it all stick together better. After about 10 or 15 minutes, you can cut it up and serve it. And that’s it, you made luh-zah-nyah! See, it wasn’t so hard, even an old woman like me can do it.
Enjoy!
So there you have it, my way of making this here lasagna thing. It ain’t fancy, but it’s good, hearty food, the kind that fills you up and sticks to your ribs. Now go on, try it yourself, and don’t forget to call your grandma once in a while, she misses you.
Tags: [Lasagna, Spinach Lasagna, Meat Lasagna, Italian Food, Easy Recipe, Dinner Recipe, Aldi Recipe, Home Cooking, Comfort Food, Bechamel Sauce]