No-Boil Lasagna Using Regular Noodles
I’m sure this tip is well known, but once I discovered it, making lasagna was never the same. It’s true that regular noodles can be used to make lasagna without having to be boiled beforehand. It’s pretty amazing.
I’ve only ever made traditional lasagna once, and I immediately concluded it was too difficult for me to do again. I just didn’t think it was worth it to fiddle with boiling a big pot of water and burn my fingers on hot lasagna noodles.
My entire perspective was altered when I discovered that you could still make delicious lasagna without boiling the noodles. This method makes cooking lasagna a snap. Try it. I know you’ll feel the same.
I should point out that I only used homemade tomato sauce for this recipe, which has a tendency to be a little runnier than tomato sauce from the store. Although I don’t think it matters much, if you think it might, you can add 1/4 cup of water to your sauce to give the noodles a little extra liquid to absorb while they cook.
I recently spoke with a North Georgian restauranteur and award-winning chef. I have know him for more than 20 years. He claims that instead of using “no boil” noodles, he has always prepared lasagna with dry noodles. His lasagna is incredible; I’ve seen it served to groups that included a number of excellent chefs, and they were all very complimentary about it. So, I would trust him and his method. Additionally, according to him, it slices and holds its shape better when portioned for a big gathering.
I seem to recall that you had to use more liquid than usual and make sure the noodles were both above and below a moist layer. Additionally, you cooked everything for a fairly long time to allow everything to absorb (I want to say 350F for 1. 5 to 2 hours, though I usually just cooked it until a knife easily entered, at which point I placed it under the broiler to get it bubbly.)
My mother-in-law is from the old country, Sicilia. She showed me how to layer the noodles with ingredients after submerging them in boiling water for two minutes. Small amount of water added to the sauce. Chopped fresh spinach is another excellent addition to add color. Black olives are good too. Take it from the horses mouthe mother knows best.
I frequently make lasagna without boiling the noodles, and I’ve done the same with other noodle casseroles. The majority of the dishes I prepare bake for about an hour, and that is plenty to get plumped up noodles with the same texture as boiled ahead of time if your sauce is “wet” enough or if you add a little extra water to your sauce. I prefer to ensure that the sauce coats every noodle because if it doesn’t, the noodles could remain tough. This works for all kinds of noodles!.
I’ve found that you need to add more sauce—not necessarily more water. I don’t want to use water or broth, but there’s a bit too much sauce for my taste. Even no-boil noodles, I’ve discovered, require additional liquid to cook through. I soaked regular noodles in hot water with two tablespoons of salt (for seasoning) until they were pliable, about 12 minutes. I stirred occasionally to make sure they didn’t stick together (some did, but the rest were fine). I used this alternative no-boil method tonight with great success. With tongs, I removed the dripping wet sheets and layered them as normal. I experimented because I was extremely exhausted. It worked perfectly. I avoided having to clean a second pot. I’ll never boil lasagna noodles again. Waste of a pot & fuel. Therefore, you can skip boiling regular noodles, but use caution (use extra sauce).
How to Make No-Boil Lasagna:
Preheat oven to 375. Brown ground beef.
Spoon a tiny bit of tomato sauce onto the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking pan that has been greased.
Add a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles to pan.
To the pan, add half the cottage cheese, half the Parmesan cheese, and one-third of the shredded mozzarella cheese.
To the pan, add half of the ground beef and one-third of the tomato sauce.
Finish off the noodles by adding the last of the shredded mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce, and noodles.
Cover lasagna with foil and place dish on baking tray.
Bake for 1 hour.
