Double Post Weekend! - Lasagna With A Twist
I moved to Canada many years ago and had my very first North American college campus experience when I spent a few days at my brother’s apartment. I was studying for my ECFMG exam at the time while my brother was in school, and I remember one evening we were discussing what we should eat for dinner. We finally decided on lasagna. Lasagna to us, however, was not the simple addition of meat, cheese and tomato sauce in between layers of pasta. Because we came from a spice-loving family, we needed to make sure our lasagna had a little bit of a kick to it and ended up co-creating this recipe.
One thing I love about this version of lasagna is that it really fuses both American and Indian cultures and food. Both my brother and my younger daughter prefer these types of foods rather than traditional Indian cooking, so I’ve had to learn how to create many similarly fused dishes over the years. For those of you looking to spice up some traditional American dishes, I hope you enjoy this version of lasagna with a twist!
Lasagna With A Twist
Total Prep Time: 45 minutes
Total Cook Time: 1 ½ hrs. – 1 ¾ hrs.
Ingredients:
16-oz. box lasagna
8-oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2 small green peppers or 1 large, chopped
2 red bell peppers, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 24-oz. bottles pasta sauce (I use whatever brand I have in my pantry)
1 package of ground chicken (or pork, turkey, beef, or other meat)
1 tbsp. garam masala
1 tsp. ginger/garlic paste
2 tsp. chili powder **
1 ½ tsp. salt **
1 tbsp. cooking olive oil
** Flavor is an expression of your personality; therefore, while rough guidelines on salt and chili measurements have been given, please do tailor them to your own tastes or dietary tolerance.
Directions:
Follow the package instructions for cooking the lasagna al dente. Strain the pasta after cooking and wash with cold water to prevent the pasta from sticking together.
In a saucepan add olive oil, ginger/garlic paste, ground meat, salt, chili powder, and garam masala. Brown the mixture on medium heat, turning occasionally, for 10-15 minutes or until the water evaporates from the meat.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease a 11 x 13 in. casserole dish (dish can be slightly smaller or larger based on availability) and begin layering the lasagna. First, add a single layer of the pasta. Then add 1/3 of the meat mixture, and 1/3 of all vegetables. Then, add about 2/3 bottle of pasta sauce followed by 1/3 of the grated cheese.
Repeat the process two more times with the remaining ingredients following the same proportions, and finally, cover the lasagna with a final layer of pasta. If there is pasta sauce remaining, you can add it on top of this final layer of pasta. Cover the lasagna with foil.
Place the casserole dish in the oven and bake for 1 hour. Loosen the foil or remove it so that the water in the dish will evaporate. Cook for another 30-45 minutes, checking back frequently to determine if the water has evaporated.
Remove the lasagna from the oven and enjoy!
Optional Extras:
There will already be salt in the pasta sauce; therefore, based on your health concerns and taste you can skip adding additional salt.
For those with salt-sensitive medical conditions, be aware that ¼ tsp. salt = 600 mg sodium.
My family is used to extra hot food, so they add additional chili powder or pepper flakes on top of their lasagna while eating.
Dr. Mom's Healthy Tips:
Since pasta is a high-energy carbohydrate, I used to make this meal the night before a sports competition when my children were young.