Some home cooks were dubious when no-boil “instant” lasagna noodles first appeared on supermarket shelves five years ago. How can raw pasta sheets be layered in a lasagna pan without being first boiled?
They passed up the convenience and continued to parboil their noodles the traditional way rather than taking a chance with a tray full of priceless ingredients.
Some people erred on the side of caution and bravely prepared their lasagna with the stiff-as-a-board pasta. It worked. And those home cooks have never looked back. Ronzoni, the largest U. S. No-boil lasagna noodle manufacturer now sells one box for every five boxes of traditional lasagna noodle. Advertisement.
According to Gary Lauerman, marketing director at Ronzoni, “Our oven-ready noodles have been one of our best pasta introductions, and it’s an item that’s growing.” In terms of consumer acceptance, it has surpassed our wildest expectations. ”.
Barilla America, the U. S. 18 months ago, a division of Italy’s leading dried pasta company launched its own line of instant lasagna noodles. Sergio Pereira, Barilla America’s director of marketing, says, “We’re off to a fast start.”
Three years ago, Barilla brought the no-boil noodles to Italy, where chefs are used to making their lasagna noodles by hand. According to Pereira, younger Italians have gotten into the product after being persuaded of the benefits of making lasagna more quickly.
American lasagna mavens approve of the no-boil pasta too. Author of numerous cookbooks, including one on lasagna, Clifford Wright, actually prefers the no-boil variation to the standard supermarket one. “It’s a terrific product,” he says. Traditional commercial lasagna has a tendency to be a little bit too thick, resulting in pasty lasagna. A mille-feuille or multilayered Napoleon has leafier layers, which is preferable.
The no-boil thing is the cat’s meow, according to Melanie Barnard, who writes the “30-Minute Main Courses” column for Bon Appetit. When making lasagna, cooking the noodles is the absolute worst part. They stick together, they slop around. It’s great if you can prepare it in any way without having to cook the noodles. ”.
Jack Bishop, a Sag Harbor, N. Y. , a purist who has written several cookbooks, including one on lasagna His gold standard is the handmade lasagna noodle. He only rates the traditional dried variety at 50% and the no-boil variety at 30%. But he acknowledges: “They’ve got to save you thirty to forty minutes.” It’s worth it if that is the difference between making lasagna and not making lasagna. ”.
Bishop advises making some modifications when substituting oven-ready noodles in recipes that call for the cooked ones. There are methods to make them work as well as methods to mess them up, he claims.
First, he says, make your sauce thinner than usual. To achieve this, simply avoid cooking the tomato sauce. For instance, leave it on the stove for only about 10 minutes rather than simmering it for 30 minutes. In order to prevent the noodles from drying out, cover the pan with foil after the lasagna has been assembled.
The secret to making your favorite lasagna with no-boil noodles, according to Italian cookbook author and host of the PBS cooking program “Ciao Italia,” isn’t thinner sauce but more sauce—up to 50% more sauce than when using the regular noodles.
Make sure the pasta is completely covered in sauce, she advises. And don’t overlap the noodles. The majority of no-boil noodles have ridges or pleats so they can expand in the oven. From one layer to the next, change the direction of the pleats. And don’t worry about the gaps between the noodles. Nobody will ever see the inside of your unbaked lasagna, according to Esposito. “Afterward, it’s all going to be filled in with sauce. ”.
Before no-boil noodles became popular, some home cooks layered regular uncooked noodles in their lasagna. That can also work, but the outcomes are less dependable, and a good lasagna requires more recipe alterations. Regular lasagna noodles used to be softened by being soaked in hot water by Barnard.
It doesn’t make sense to over-analyze the no-boil noodles because they are meant to make life easier, according to Barnard. She recently observed a young woman reading the backs of the boxes of no-boil noodles in her supermarket’s pasta section. She was so confused that she was prepared to order some pizza. ”.
Lasagna is always a little tricky, she says. “Sometimes it’s too dry, sometimes it’s too wet. Just remember that lasagna always tastes good, so don’t worry. ”.
Boiling the noodles is definitely my least favorite part of making lasagna.
I used to purchase the no-boil noodles, but I soon realized that I was paying more for a smaller package and that the recipe was identical aside from the fact that the no-boil noodles required double the amount of sauce.
I decided to experiment a few years ago to see if making lasagna with regular noodles and doubling the sauce would produce the same results as using the more expensive no-boil noodles and doubling the sauce. This got my frugal mind mulling over the possibility of saving money.
To my surprise, it seemed to work pretty well!
After some research, I discovered that the only difference between regular lasagna noodles and no-boil lasagna noodles is that the latter are briefly pre-boiled before drying; aside from that, they are identical.
I found a technique that seems to work really well for me after experimenting with a few different variations of my favorite lasagna recipes. It easily reduces the prep time for my lasagna by 15 minutes (and a lot of frustration)!
To be completely honest, I believe that cooking the noodles without first boiling them gives the dish a more “starchy” flavor, but no one in our family seems to mind.
Having said that, I would probably boil the noodles first if I were preparing this dish for company or to serve to someone else.
Additionally, no-boil noodles are typically thinner than regular lasagna noodles. Because it holds up better to robust, chunky sauces and fillings, some chefs prefer this texture. Others claim that the no-boil noodles’ delicate texture is preferable and that it is more similar to that of fresh pasta. Regular lasagna noodles should be precooked for 8 to 9 minutes, or until they are still al dente. In this manner, they won’t crumble when handled and won’t become mushy while the casserole bakes.
Additionally, wrap the dish in foil while it cooks to keep the moisture inside; remove the foil toward the end of cooking so the cheese can brown.
Which is why no-boil noodles are such a boon. They are precooked and then dried, making them thinner than standard lasagna noodles so they can soften during baking with just the moisture from the sauce. The dried noodles cook while the casserole cooks once they are added to it. except when they dont.
But dont write off those noodles just yet. The trick is making sure they have adequate moisture. Consider making your tomato sauce a little bit waterier so that the noodles will have more liquid to absorb. Before assembling the lasagna, try soaking the noodles in a bowl of hot water if you want to use a thick sauce, like béchamel.
Some claim that regular lasagna noodles can be used without being boiled. This is effective as long as they receive additional moisture during cooking, just like the no-boil noodles (either by soaking before assembling or by using a watery sauce and covering the dish). However, remember that boiling regular lasagna noodles removes some of their starch, so skipping this step may result in the noodles tasting a little bit gummy.
Step 5 | Bake and broil
Loosely cover the assembled lasagna with aluminum foil. Bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees F. Until melted and bubbling, remove the cover and bake for an additional 8 minutes. Then, broil for 1-2 minutes until golden brown on top.
FAQ
Do you have to soak no-boil noodles?
Once assembled, make sure the lasagna sheets are completely covered in sauce to ensure proper cooking. There’s no need to pre-soak or pre-boil oven-ready sheets.
How long do you let lasagna noodles soak?
The so-called “noodle trick” involves placing dry lasagna noodles in a large bowl of the hottest tap water, letting them soak for 20 minutes, and then draining the noodles.
Should you soak oven-ready lasagna noodles?
No, you don’t need to soak or steam oven-ready noodles before using them unless you want to use the noodles in another recipe or variation of lasagna. The lasagna noodles may become overly mushy if you soak them first and then finish cooking them in the oven with it.
Do you add water to no-boil lasagna noodles?
The “secret” to making lasagna without boiling the noodles is to simply double the sauce and add one cup of water, either mixed into the sauce or poured directly on top of the lasagna before adding the final layer of cheese.
