Easy Lasagna Soup Recipe - I Heart Naptime (2024)

FAQs

How do I make my lasagna more solid? ›

One quick idea ( and maybe obvious so I'm just including it here) is to make more layers. You might be surprised as to what one layer can do. Five layers (rather than four) in a pan will make a more compact and solid lasagna.

Cook your pasta sauce long enough to boil out most of the moisture so the sauce is thick. Do the same with the cheese portion of the layers. When you place each layer in the baking dish, be certain the moisture is at a minimum. Use low moisture mozzarella cheese to keep the melted cheese gooey, but not runny.

If you are finding the lasagne sheets too soft then you may want to try reducing the amount of liquid in the meat sauce slightly. You can either reduce the amout of beef stock or broth used, or simmer the sauce after cooking in the oven to reduce it.

No-boil lasagna noodles aren't just a convenient shortcut to piping-hot lasagna—they're actually way more delicious than the regular, frilly-edged kind you have to cook before using. Why? First of all, no-boil noodles tend to be much thinner than the conventional kind.

Lasagna should have a layer of sauce on the bottom, a layer of noodles on top of that, followed by a layer of sauce, layer of ricotta (or cottage cheese), layer of spinach, layer of mozzarella cheese mixed with parmesan, layer of noodles, repeat the sauce, ricotta, spinach, Mozzarella/parmesan layer, another layer of ...

Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until cheese is golden brown, 5 to 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Cornstarch: Make a slurry of half water, half cornstarch and whisk until smooth. Cornstarch is a powerful thickener, so start by whisking in no more than 1 tablespoon of the mixture per 2 cups of simmering sauce; stir and simmer for 2 minutes, check the thickness, and repeat with more slurry as needed.

In a 9x13-inch (23x33 cm) glass baking dish, add a layer of bolognese to the bottom. Top with noodles, then spread a layer of the ricotta mixture on top. Repeat with another layer of bolognese, noodles, ricotta, noodles, bolognese, then top with mozzarella and additional Parmesan.

You can add a little extra tomato paste, stir in some grated parmesan cheese, or add a thickening agent like corn starch, arrowroot powder, or flour; make a slurry with water and the thickening agent first, then stir into the sauce, making sure you don't have lumps.

An unfortunate soupy texture in lasagna is caused by excess moisture in the ingredients. Thoroughly draining the ricotta cheese you'd use in a classic lasagna recipe or squeezing the cooked spinach you might add to a vegetarian version can definitely help. The biggest offender, though, is watery, thin pasta sauce.

Why is my lasagne sloppy? ›

It's important that you don't add too much liquid to the sauce – lasagne shouldn't be a sloppy dish. Our recipe balances the quantities to deliver well-defined pasta layers while avoiding dryness. Using the right ingredients can also make all the difference in this comforting classic.

Soak the lasagne sheets in a single layer in boiling water for 5 mins. (Although the packet says no pre-cook, I find soaking improves the texture.)

Place your leftovers in an oven-safe dish, sprinkle with a little water or sauce, wrap in aluminum foil (you can use what it was wrapped in or start fresh), and bake until the lasagna is heated through, which could take up to 45 minutes for larger portions.

Start by spreading a layer of your tomato-based sauce (either a plain tomato sauce or your pre-made ragù) on the bottom of your dish. Next, add a single layer of pasta sheets. Then, add a layer of white sauce, followed by another single layer of pasta sheets.

The biggest offender, though, is watery, thin pasta sauce. A helpful technique can prevent this pitfall from sabotaging your lasagna: Reduce your sauce to thicken it before pouring it into the casserole. A thin sauce runs right off of cooked lasagna noodles, causing all the layers to slide off of each other, as well.

If you want your pasta to have a long, happy marriage with its sauce, it's best to cook them together with a little of the pasta-cooking water. Plus, that method reduces the chance of overcooking the pasta, since the pasta cooks more slowly once it's simmering in its sauce.

"It's a big myth," says Senior Culinary Producer Jeanette Donnarumma. According to Jeanette, underdone, overdone and perfectly cooked pasta will all stick to the wall. (Watch Rach have a blast throwing pasta at the wall in the video above!) The best and, really, only way to tell if your pasta is done is to taste it.