While I was at home, I got to try some of my parents' new Trader Joe's favorites. They introduced me to a new bread they carry, called "Rustico Bread". It is supposed to be sandwich bread, but it goes really well with dinner because it has a wholesome nutty flavor.
We paired it with one of their spreads as an appetizer, and sprinkled Parmesan cheese over top.
Chef Paco went to Mona Lisa Pasta in downtown Charlottesvilleand picked up fresh basil lasagna noodles- I don't think I've ever had lasagna with fresh pasta before.
It's hard to see, but the lady at Mona Lisa pasta had cut out strips for us. This was when it was still wrapped in the plastic, but you can see the fresh basil.
My parents always told me that it's rude to smell your food, but I may have accidentally smelled the pasta, and it smelled really good before it even got cooked.
My mom and I love to make homemade lasagna together, so I used our recipe for the filling.
In a mixing bowl, I mixed 3 eggs, two cups of ricotta cheese, and Parmesan cheese.
Chef Mimi did the layers:
a layer of roasted garlic tomato sauce mixed with three cheese tomato sauce
a layer of pasta
a layer of the ricotta mixture
a layer of ground beef
A layer of grilled vegetables: mushrooms, spinach, red peppers
Repeat
To top it off, we sprinkled parmesan cheese- though you can also do mozzarella.
We baked it on 375 degrees for half an hour.
Chef Paco was excited...
The layers melted together well...
Chef Mimi had the quote of the night:
"I never met a lasagna I didn't like. But... I think I love this one."
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