Christmas Lasagna

November 29th, 2011 in recipes

Christmas day dinner has never been something I look forward to because of the…the…gah…HAM! Oh, I hate it. May I suggest this lasagna for a wonderful Christmas meal? This lasagna is RICH. This lasagna costs a bit to make because of the specialty cheese, but it tastes quite divine. It is a lasagna you make to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, or say…Christmas.

Christmas Lasagna

Serves…a lot…because it is oh, so rich…I would say 10 people

Ingredients:

3 T Olive Oil

1/4 onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes

Fresh rosemary, thyme, parsley, sage, basil and oregano

Salt & pepper

One 16 ounce package of lasagna noodles

2 cups of ricotta cheese

6 ounces of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

1 block of cream cheese, cut into small bites

2 eggs, beaten

8 ounces of sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped

8 ounces of Gruyere cheese, grated

1 package of Herb Boursin cheese

1/2 cup creme fraiche

(yes, I told you it was rich!)

Directions:

1. Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions, and set aside. Use half of the olive oil to toss the noodles in so they will stay nice until you are ready to use them.

2. Heat up half of the olive oil, and cook garlic & onions until soft. Add in salt, pepper, one large sprig of rosemary, small handful of chopped sage leaves, 3 sprigs of thyme, 1/4 cup of minced parsley and the can of tomatoes. Bring to boil, and then let simmer for 15 minutes. Remove stems of thyme and rosemary when done.

3. Make the first cheese mixture, which is: the ricotta cheese, most of the Parm-Reg cheese, beaten eggs and the cream cheese. Set aside.

4. Layer 4-5 lasagna noodles in your pan. Top with half of the ricotta/egg/etc. mixture. Then layer some fresh basil strips, fresh oregano and 1/2 cup of the sundried tomatoes.

5. Layer 4-5 lasagna noodles on top of this, and put on the SECOND cheese layer, which is: Half of the Gruyere and Boursin cheese and a bit of the Parm-Reg cheese that you set aside.

6. Repeat the two layers again with lasagna noodles in between.

7. For the top layer: put the last set of lasagna noodles, then ladle the tomato sauce over the top. Top with dollops of the creme friche and any leftover Parm-Reg you have or any other cheese scraps from the recipe.

8. Cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes with foil on top. Then remove the foil and cook for 15 more minutes.

9. Top with fresh sliced basil and serve!

I would suggest for sides: Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Homemade Bread & Homemade Butter.

MAY I ALSO NOTE… I made this lasagna last month, and it is one of very few dinners I made last month. Last month I was so overwhelmed with so many things going on. So we ate at Kneaders and bought pre-made dinners from Whole Foods…WAY TOO OFTEN. But I did cook this in October! 

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