This is a tip I thought I would share since I did this over the week-end and my dinner guests loved the lasagna dinner. They all thought it was homemade! Little did they know, I purchased the Stoffers large frozen lasagna when it was on sale at my favorite store, always at a fair price at my local Wal-mart.
I use a "real" pan that my frozen lasagna will fit in which I spray with store brand nonstick spray. Next I spread the bottom of the pan with about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of store brand spaghetti sauce. I place the frozen lasagna on top of the sauce, then I generously add some shredded Italian cheese, again store brand, about 1 and 1/2 cups, then I add some more of the bottled spaghetti sauce, I would guess about another 1 and 1/2 cups. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake according to the directions on the box. Serve with a nice salad and lots of garlic bread. Enjoy!
This is so easy to put together, and everyone thinks I have spent all day in the kitchen preparing a homemade meal.
By Bobbie G from Rockwall, TX
This page contains the following solutions.
Brown meat; drain. Add tomatoes, paste, salt, basil, oregano, garlic powder, and water. Simmer for 15 minutes. Combine cottage cheese, Parmesan, eggs, and parsley; mix well.
Whenever I make a lasagna I make 1 large one and 2 small ones to go in the freezer. Then I have something when I am sick or don't have time to cook.
To make a really good presentation when making "Lasagna Polenta" (recipe can be gotten on line), try using a bundt pan when poring the layers. Use the bundt pan the night before, remove the formed polenta then fill the layers horizontally.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. (175 degrees C). Grease a 2-1/2 quart baking dish. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
Mix and heat first 7 ingredients for 5 minutes. Combine cottage cheese and parsley and set aside. Unroll 2 long rectangles of dough on ungreased cookie sheet. Overlap long sides.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Tips for making great lasanga. Post your ideas.
You won't believe this but add a sprinkle of cinnamon to your cheese mixture. It gives it a really great flavor. I learned this from an authentic Italian cook.
I make my Lasagna in my crock pot. I do not cook my noodles ahead of time and I layer it the same as if cooking in the oven. Nice way to come home to a great meal at the end of the day.
I assemble my lasagne in 5 litre (5 quart) ice-cream containers, you know the kind I mean, round plastic buckets and no, I don't cook them in the plastic! lol..
I assemble them with sauce on the bottom, and layer them as you would usually do. Then I pop a lid on the container and pop it into my freezer. When frozen I loosen the lasagne and take it out of the container and put it into a bag and secure it and put it back into the freezer. I usually try to do 3 at a time. I haven't got room for more than 3 containers at a time so that's why I do this many. It's OK once they freeze because you can take them of the containers and put them in the freezer in bags and they stack on top of each other.
Why freeze them uncooked? Because when I need to cook one, I take one out in the morning or afternoon and put it in my crockpot and put it on low. My crockpot is one of the newer Aussie ones that cooks faster so I only put it on for about 3 hours on low and then one on high. So at 2 p.m. I put it on low, and then at 5 it gets put onto high until 6 p.m.
However, for the true crockpots, the ones that can be left on all day, I would put it on fo 6-8 hours on low.
It comes out perfect and I thoroughly enjoy it and so do the kids. It's my "take out" or as Aussies say it, "take away". I refuse to spend spend a fortune on unnecessary junk food because I can't be bothered cooking. On nights I don't want to cook, out comes the lasagne during the day and it goes into my CP.
So why not try your favourite lasagne recipe and try this tip. It works for me
Cheers
Bev in Oz
I don't cook my lasagna noodles first, either. I spray the pan with oil and then assemble by layering sauce, uncooked noodles, 3 cheese/egg mixture, sauce and keep repeating. When all but a cup of sauce is left in the can/jar/pot, I add 1 and 1/2 to 2 cups of water to it and mix it up. Then I pour this thinned out sauce all over the lasagna. I bake it 15 minutes and then cover with foil and bake it 1 hour at 350. Allow to sit 15 minutes before slicing. Turns out moist and wonderful.
Do you have to use Ricotta cheese in lasagna?
By tonya brown from Monroe, LA
No you can use cottage cheese in place of Ricotta cheese. I've used cottage cheese in my lasagna for years and it's delicious. You can't tell the difference in the taste.
My Mom makes her lasagna with only mozzarella cheese and it tastes yummy!
Mashed tofu works too. Just smash it to the consistency of cottage cheese.
How many people does a Stouffer's Lasagna feed?
Luane from Carson, CA
The big pan says 11 servings but depends on how big of an appetite everyone has and what you have to go with it. I would say 6 is more like it or 4 very hungry adults if not having much else.
You need to serve salad and garlic bread with it to stretch the main portion. Easy to make your own garlic toast & a salad with viniagrette dressing - not a creamy one - nicely rounds out the meal.
Stouffer's lasagna comes in several sizes. There is a real big pan at Sam's Club that is way too much for our family of 4 but our two young children don't eat a lot yet. I wish there was an easy way to cut it in half and keep half frozen because it is much more economical than a smaller size at a regular store.
I think it really depends on what else you are serving. We usually have tossed salad and garlic bread when we have lasanga or spaghetti.
Our family really loves Italian so I keep a frozen lasagna of some sort and a garlic bread or Texas toast in the freezer most of the time for a quick easy dinner that we all enjoy. I do a lot of cooking and prefer my homemade dishes but sometimes Mom needs a break!
I agree with Debbie. You've got to read the package. It tells you how many servings and generally what size portions. Now if you are including some men, of course you'll need more for them. Round out the meal with a hefty salad and breadsticks or a loaf of Italian bread. Usually make my own so I can not tell you about Stouffers taste but it seems like the reviews from the other posters are good ones.
My daughter is getting married we were thinking about getting stouffer's lasagna both meat and chicken with regular and cesar salad and bread sticks, good idea or not?
How long do you heat a medium tin of homemade frozen lasagna that has already been cooked. At what temperature? Also should it be covered or uncovered?
By josephine from Buffalo, NY
This works for a casual meal. I don't reheat the entire pan. What I do is to take out pieces and put them on each persons plate. Then, I reheat individual plates in the microwave, covered with a microwaveable lid. If the lasagna piece is too wide or thick, I'll cut it in half, so it can heat faster.
Heating or reheating lasagna is all the same, you are just heating it through. You really should defrost in the fridge before, makes it easier to get to the middle.
Cover with a Pam sprayed piece of foil, cook at 350' till the tip of a sharp knife in the middle comes out hot, then take off the foil and either brown in the 350 or throw the boiler on for a few minutes to brown up the cheese.
Heating in the micro works, but tends to make the outsides crunchy and dry and can really overheat it.
HTH
Can you add meat to an already prepared veggie lasagna?
By Jena M.
Has the lasagna already been baked? If not, you could add some cooked, chopped chicken or beef to the layers. It might mess up the appearance, but it should taste okay.
Most everyone loves lasagna but it is time consuming. I make mine on the weekends and either freeze or refrigerate until I bake them. I make several at a time.
I use coupons and sales to get all the ingredients for lasagna. Many times you can find big sales and use a dollar off coupon for sauces, and cheeses. I also get ground beef on sale and precook it on the weekends. Cooking this up on the weekend helps me save on heating my house on the weekend, and I pack it for my husband's lunches throughout the week and he saves on buying lunch.
