Make Ahead Meat Lasagna

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cool Time: 30 minutes
Assemble: 15 min
Finish: 5
Cook Time: 45-80 min (fresh or frozen)

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Make Ahead Cook (book)

This was from the "Freezer" section of the book. I haven't really tried any America's Test Kitchen lasagna recipes (at least in a while) so I can't compare the recipe. I assume it is similar, but tweaked for putting in the freezer.

Instead of making 2 lasagnas in 8" square pans, I made 4 small lasagnas for 2 people in  4.5x8 pans. I used the foil pans and they were actually a little too small to fit the noodles in, so I softened 8 of them first in hot water so they would bend. The noodles fit in when I got higher up.

The lasagna was very good, although maybe could have used a little more salt. It was not as stable as I would like. That might be because of the pre-softened bottom noodles. Next time I will make sure to buy pans that are wide enough to handle the noodles. The pans I bought were weird loaf pans with scallops, so hopefully I can find something better that is a bit wider on the bottom.

But I probably won't make this again for a while since I have 3 frozen mini lasagnas in the freezer now. That is of course the best part of it all.

I haven't tried from frozen yet, but I have to assume it will be good. If not, I'll come back and update.

Make Ahead Spinach Manicotti

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Freezer Time: 1 hour before wrapping
Finish Time: 50 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Make Ahead Cook (book) 

This was pretty good. I love the technique in this one, using lasagna noodles and rolling them up. It might make the meal more "carb-heavy" than some people want. I wonder if it would be possible to cut noodles in half and roll them up that way. Hmmm, I might try that sometime.

Honestly, you could change this recipe in many ways. There is a lot of cheese in here, and I'm sure you could use less and add other ingredients to increase the volume. (Vegetables, beans, meat, etc.) I will probably experiment with this one some more because it worked out really well.

The biggest pain of the recipe is freezing them individually and then wrapping up into meal size packets. But that really wasn't too hard. It is worth it to get the 2-4 meals for two people from about 40 minutes total work. The individual wrapping is great since you take out how many you want to make for dinner, and I really love that flexibility.

Ricotta Calzones with Sausage

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Rise Time:  90-120 minutes
Rest Time: 30 minutes
Prep Time: 60 minutes
Bake Time: 11-15 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (September 2003)


The prep time includes the rolling of the dough, and assembling. Assembling took 30 minutes of the time. It could maybe be done quicker.

I started making the filling while dough was still rising. Then I made 6 balls of dough, and did nothing during the 30 minutes rest time. Then I was able assemble the calzones. So there is a little overlap, but overall, these do take about 2.5 - 3 hours to make and bake. I had to bake in two batches because I only have a round pizza stone and they won't all fit.

The actual recipe calls for Broccoli Rabe which I did not have, so I just left that out. I'm sure it would be a nice addition though.

This recipe takes a bit of time, but it makes 6 large calzones. I managed to usually eat one full one, but was pretty hungry when I ate these. Sometimes 1/2 of one would suffice.

I froze the leftovers and reheated in the over. These were just as good as original. Actually maybe better, because there was no effort involved and we could just enjoy.

Pepperoni Pasta Bake

Prep Time: 27 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes
  
Recipe Source: Everyday Food (October 2012)

I liked this recipe because I made it ahead and then was able to put in the oven later. Also, I happened to have some leftover pepperoni and ricotta that needed to be used up, so this was perfect.

It was relatively simple to make considering I thought filling the shells would be a pain. I could probably make this quicker if I started boiling water sooner.

I used only 15oz ricotta which was plenty to fill the shells. I also used frozen spinach instead of the zucchini. It all worked well. I didn't have fresh basil, which would have been nice.

It got a thumbs up from my picky eater. He didn't realize that there was spinach in the shell filling.

Chicken and Kale Casserole

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (November 2011)

I love cooked kale, so I wanted to try this recipe. I used the leftover chicken from my Chicken and Brown Rice which worked out well. I did modify the recipe slightly, and don't think I would have liked as much if I had made it as is. I used less lemon zest and a lot less ricotta. The recipe called for 48oz, and because I'm cheap, I only bought a 15oz package. It was plenty creamy enough for me with that amount. However, I should mention, I cut back the other ingredients slightly also. I think if I was making a full recipe of this 24oz would be good.

I think this recipe would benefit from a crunchy topping on top, like some breadcrumbs with the parmesan. It would add a little bit of work, but would be nice.

Baked Pasta with Spinach Ricotta and Prosciutto

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: B+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (2004)

This isn't my favorite baked pasta dish, and it can get a little dry if you aren't careful. However, I do make it occasionally for two reasons. 1) It uses up milk, which I often have too much of, and 2) it is very, very simple to make. The only real prep needed is to cook the pasta, grate the parm and dice the proscuitto. Other than that it is just mixing everything up and putting in the pan to bake.

The most important ingredient is the proscuitto. It is what flavors the dish, so if you like that, you may like this too.

Miraculous Spinach Quiche

Prep Time: 21 minutes
Cook Time: 45-55 minutes
Rest Time: 10-20 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Baker's Banter Blog

This is supposed to be like one of those recipes where you mix everything together, but the crust ends up on the bottom. This did not happen for me, and I didn't expect it too. The mixture was too thick for this to happen. But it didn't really matter. It still was easy to slice and serve. It was filling and good, so I would probably make again.

I didn't put the topping on, and I used a 16 oz bag of frozen spinach instead of a 10oz box. That worked well, and I think it was better that way.

Quick Moussaka

Prep Time: 32 minutes
Cook Time: 5-10 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (March 2003)

I substituted zucchini for the eggplant and struggled to find enough of it that looked good at the grocery store. I also substituted crushed tomatores, for whole canned (and drained) so my dish was a little soupier than it should have been. But it tasted great. I really like the topping, even if it not really traditional. It is a very flavorful dish and pretty quick considering the layers.

Tomato Ricotta Tart

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (July 2003)

This is a great quick recipe that is nice for entertaining, either as a vegetarian entree or an appetizer. When I have made this before, the crust was not as crispy and sturdy as I wanted. This time, I used a crusty Italian loaf for my bread crumbs. I also started cooking the crust alone while I finished prepping the rest of the ingredients. This resulted in a very good, crisp sturdy crust. However, it did burn just a bit on the edges. Not enough to effect taste, but it wasn't as pretty.

I also only use 2 tablespoons of olive oil for the crust, and it works fine with that amount. I only make this in the summer, because it needs good fresh tomatoes. Definitely a winner recipe, I think.