Best 4 Caramelized Onion Lasagna With Pancetta Recipes

CARAMELIZED ONION PASTA

Steps:

• Heat oil and butter in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium until butter is melted. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until very tender and deeply golden brown, about 30 minutes. (Stop before the onions become dry and shriveled.) Add red pepper flakes (if using) and 1 1/2 tsp. salt. Remove pot from heat.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Reserve 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking liquid.
• Add pasta and 1 cup pasta cooking liquid to onion mixture and stir to combine. Add a small handful of cheese and stir until melted. Repeat with remaining cheese, adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed to create a glossy sauce that coats the pasta. Stir in parsley (if using).
• Divide pasta among bowls. Top with Parmesan, parsley, and a few cranks of pepper.

CLASSIC LASAGNA

Steps:

• Make the sauce: Heat oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add sausage, if using, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it's starting to brown but not yet crisp, about 5 minutes.
• Add onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is totally softened and translucent (without letting it brown), 8 to 10 minutes. Add tomato paste and continue to cook, stirring until the tomato paste has turned a deeper brick red color, tinting the oil and onions a fiery orange color, about 2 minutes.
• Using your hands, crush the whole tomatoes into smaller, bite-size pieces and add them and the crushed tomatoes, stirring to scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pot. Fill one of the tomato cans halfway with water and add it to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomato sauce has thickened and flavors have come together, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Make the lasagna: Heat oven to 375 degrees and set a large pot of salted water to boil.
• Set aside 1 cup mozzarella. In a medium bowl, combine remaining mozzarella, ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan and cream; season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Cook lasagna noodles in the large pot of salted boiling water until just softened (before they are even aldente), about 4 minutes. Drain and separate any noodles that are trying to stick together, slicking them with a bit of olive oil to prevent them from sticking further.
• Spoon a bit of sauce on the bottom of a 3-quart baking dish and top with a layer of noodles, avoiding any heavy overlap.
• Top with about 1 ¼ cups of sauce, and dollop ¼ of the cheese mixture over. Top with another layer of noodles and repeat three more times, ending with the last of the noodles (depending on size of the noodle/shape of the baking dish, you may have a few extra noodles) and the last of the sauce. Top with reserved 1 cup mozzarella and more Parmesan, if you like.
• Cover loosely with aluminum foil and place baking dish on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet (to prevent any overflow from burning on the bottom of your oven).
• Bake until pasta is completely tender and cooked through and sauce is bubbling up around the edges, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove foil and increase temperature to 450 degrees. Continue to bake until lasagna is golden brown on top with frilly, crispy edges and corners, another 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool slightly before eating.

CARAMELIZED ONION LASAGNA WITH PANCETTA

Steps:

• For the caramelized onions, heat the butter and olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat.
• Add the onions, (the pan will be quite full at first), cover the pan with a lid (or with fil if the pan is too crowded), and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are completely limp, 10 to 15 minutes.
• REduce the heat to medium, remove the lid, add the sugar and cook uncovered, stirring often, until the onions are golden brown and sweet, 45 to 55 minuters.
• Do not let them burn; reduce the heat to medium low if the onions are browning too fast.
• About 2 minutes before removing the onions from the heat, stir in the thyme.
• Transfer the onions to a bowl, let cook and use immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 10 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
• For the bechamel, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.
• Add the shallots and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.
• Add the flour and cook, stirring frequently for 3 minutes, (do not let brown).
• Increase the heat to medium and slowly whisk in the milk and cream.
• REduce the heat to medium low and simmer, whisking frequently, until the sauce thickens, 8 to 10 minutes.
• REmove from heat and season to taste with salt and white pepper.
• Use immediately, or let cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.
• If using the next day, warm the sauce over low heat before continuing.
• Saute the pancetta iin a medium skillet over medium heat until just cooked, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often.
• Drain onto paper towels and set aside.
• Cook the lasagna noodles in boiling water to which you have added the olive oil and some salt, about 12 minutes, or according to package instructions.
• Drain well, rinse under cool water and drain again.
• Preheat oven to 350*F.
• Brush a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with olive oil.
• Spread 1/2 cup of the bechamel sauce in the bottom of dish.
• Cover with 3 noodles, touching but not overlapping.
• Spread the noodles with another 1/2 cup of the bechamel, then top with 1/4 each of the onions, pancetta, mozzarella cheese and top with another layer of noodles.
• Repeat this layering 3 more times.
• Top with remaining bechamel sauce.
• Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove the foil and bake until the top is just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes more.
• If the top is not browning, turn on the broiler and cook under the broiler until the top begins to brown, about 5 minutes.
• To serve let the sasagna sit in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then cut into servings and arrange the lasagna on individual plates, garnishing each serving with a thyme or a parsley sprig.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH, CARAMELIZED ONION AND SPINACH LASAGNA

Steps:

• Roast the butternut squash. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut squash in half lengthwise; remove seeds. Place in roasting pan and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Place in oven and cook until soft all the way through, about 1 hour. Set aside until cool. When cooled, remove skin and place in food processor. Purée until smooth, season with salt and pepper to taste, and set aside.
• To caramelize the onions: Place 3 tablespoons of olive oil in sauté pan. Heat until hot but not smoking; add onions. Toss to coat with oil. Turn heat down to medium and cook until onions are soft and browned, about 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
• Prepare a ricotta cheese mixture. Mix ricotta cheese, chopped rosemary, eggs, half the grated Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
• Make a spinach Mornay sauce. Melt butter in a saucepan, add flour and stir. Cook 2 minutes. Add milk and stir until it comes to a boil. Add the rest of the grated Parmesan, the nutmeg and the defrosted spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Assemble the dish. Spray a 9" x 13" pan with cooking spray. Spread 1 cup of the spinach sauce on the bottom of the pan. Cover with a layer of fresh pasta sheets. Spread half of the roasted butternut squash on top of the pasta sheets. Top with another layer of pasta sheets. Spread ricotta cheese mixture on top of pasta sheets, and spread caramelized onion on top of ricotta mixture. Cover with an additional layer of pasta sheets. Top with the other half of the butternut purée and then another layer of pasta. Finish by using the rest of the spinach Mornay sauce for the top layer. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Uncover and cook for 15 minutes more.