It’s been…… 4-5 years since the last time I made lasagna. So why all of a sudden did I make it now?

Recently, my kid was on a mid-winter break from school and I had continuous exposure to The Garfield Show and that did it! (In case you don’t know, Garfield is a fat, lazy cat who lives to eat and his favorite foods are pizza and lasagna.) After hearing “lasagna”, “lasagna”, “lasagna”, “lasagna”, “lasagna”, “lasagna”, “lasagna”, “lasagna”, “lasagna”, “lasan-ya”, “lasagnnnnnnnya”, repeatedly, over and over for days—it was like brain wash—I’ve just had it. “Must make lasagna!” “Must make lasagna!” is all I could think of.

Oh, and what’s the lasagna lesson? Don’t ever, ever make a lasagna recipe that has no Béchamel sauce in it!

Béchamel sauce is a milk sauce that is cooked and thickened by a roux (Cooked butter and flour). I’ve made several different recipes in the past years that didn’t include the sauce in the layers. Hmm, maybe that’s why I didn’t miss lasagna so much, now that I think about it… The béchamel makes the whole thing so much smoother and silkier. It’s really fantastic! I will never, ever make lasagna without béchamel again. Never, ever.

It might look like a a lot of work but it really isn’t.

The meat cooks in 10 minutes—not much effort there.

The ricotta only gets to be mixed with the eggs—easy peasy.

The marinara is store bought. Pfff.

The pasta doesn’t have to be cooked, only soaked in hot water for a few minutes to soften.

You layer them all,

and the dishwasher does the rest.

Ta-da. Lasagna, assembled ahead, ready to get baked later before dinner.

And here’s dinner…

Classic  lasagna

My recipe is based on this recipe by Giada De Laurentiis.

For a 13 x x9 inch pan; serves 8-10 people

Béchamel Sauce:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups whole or 2% milk
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
Black pepper
__

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound ground beef
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups (store-bought) tomato/marinara sauce
1 1/2 pounds ricotta cheese
3 large eggs
1 pound lasagna sheets, soaked in boiled, salted water for 2-3 minutes*
3 cups shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Béchamel sauce: In a 2-quart pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the milk and nutmeg, whisking constantly to prevent any lumps from forming. Continue to simmer and whisk over medium heat until the sauce is thick and creamy, about 10 minutes. (The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of wooden spoon.) Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (unless you plan to bake the lasagna later that day).

In a large sauté pan, heat extra-virgin olive oil, add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Cook the meat, breaking any lumps and continue to cook until it is browned and some of the juices had evaporated. Remove from heat and mix in the marinara sauce. Set aside.

In a medium size bowl, mix the ricotta and eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Assemble the lasagna:

Into the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch baking dish, spread 1/3 of the béchamel sauce.

Arrange the pasta sheets side by side, covering the bottom of the baking dish.

Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, 1/3 of the meat-marinara blend, spoon béchamel on top, and 1/3 shredded mozzarella. (Save the parmesan for the final, top layer.)

Arrange another layer of pasta sheets and repeat the other layers.

Arrange the final layer of pasta sheets and repeat with what’s left of all the layers, plus the Parmesan cheese.

Place the lasagna dish on a large baking sheet, put it in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden and bubbling.

NOTE:

You can assemble the lasagna ahead, cover and store in the fridge. If you do that, you might need to add 10-20 minutes to the cooking time.

* To soak the lasagna sheets: 1) do this in batches, not all at once, 2) drizzle some oil on a baking sheet, lay the softened, soaked pasta sheets on the greased baking sheet to prevent it from sticking.

I try so hard to make food that everyone will like, especially the kids.

Then one day, out of the blue, I recalled a noodles with cottage cheese dish that my grandma used to make for me when I was little. Out of sheer laziness I cooked that for my kids—I had no better plan for dinner.

My son’s response? “This is The Best pasta in the whole world!!! The best pasta you’ve ever made!”

I was floored.

So I can’t stop thinking, why, why do I try so hard and make things more complex? (It’s just my nature…)

Just cook some pasta in salted water until it’s al dente. Drain, put in a bowl, add some salt, 1-2 tablespoon of butter (The secret ingredient!), and mix.

Add cottage cheese, mix, serve. Bon appetite.

I love mishmashed pasta dishes like this one. With Israeli couscous, bacon, artichokes, corn, mushrooms, fresh herbs, some lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil… What’s not to like?

Or how about this one with kale, toasted pine nuts, a bit of cream, and parmesan? Simple. Clean. (Recipe here)

I love to take my big skillet out and toss some pasta with leftovers like roasted vegetables, sausage, chicken, crème fraiche,  and such. (Recipe here)

Or to make a fresh batch with wild mushrooms, some heavy cream, kale, and tomatoes.(Recipe here)

With only kale and cream, it’s good stuff too!

(We do like kale in this household. Recently, we’ve been eating it raw. Good, good.)

Here we have orzo, tomatoes, feta, black olives, green olives, mint, oregano, pine nuts… (Recipe here)

And here we have corn, cauliflower, kale, pesto, tomatoes, and parmesan.

In this one: farro, garbanzo beans, roasted peppers, steamed cauliflower, Israeli couscous. All good stuff!

But my children… The ones that grew inside my body… The ones who carry my genes… (Well, 50% of them), they like pasta… plain.

They like Mac and cheese too, of course.

There is no punch line to this post.

***

Dinner time approached. I had no plan in mind. And so, I made dishes on the go, not being fully aware about what I was doing.

I took a peek inside the fridge. There were some leftovers… Chicken meatballs… Grilled chicken breast… Broccoli – we didn’t eat that for a long time (we’re just not big broccoli fans) – and there was the store-bought gnocchi, just lying there next to the eggs. Side dishes are always challenging, especially with two kiddies who are not huge veggie fans.

I thought “Hmm, gnocchi, why not?”

What I usually like to do with gnocchi is to cook it in salted water, as the instructions on the package instruct, and then crisp it up in a skillet with butter. People, I can hear you say “Yum!”

But that night… I was being lazy. And the medium size pot was in the dish washer and the other pots are either too big or too small for the job. So I had a problem/reason/excuse to take a short cut. I just had to. I was necessary. Or should I say “motivating”? “Inspiring?”

Either way, “So” I thought to myself (Do you ever talk to yourself?), “since my goal is crispy, browned gnocchi anyway, why not try to bake it and see what happens? Just skip the cooking in water step and launch straight right into the crispy-ing step?”

… and you know how that has ended, right?!

There wasn’t much to lose anyway. Only a box of store-bought gnocchi. I wasn’t too attached to it or something… It’s not like I hand-made them myself… Like, from scratch, you know…

I probably would have approached it with more caution and hesitation had I rolled each tiny, fluffy “gnocch” (Who knows what’s the singular for gnocchi?) one by one, lovingly and individually with my own bare hands… Which, you know… I didn’t.

Well, what da’ya know? It turned out good. Not bad at all…

The texture was more chewy, and gummy, and doughy compared to when you cook it in water first. They were like little, savory cakes. We ate it like nuts – the gnocchi, not us – with our fingers, as if it was a snack.

I will definitely do this again. Even on nights when I’m not particularly lazy.

Baked gnocchi

1 store-bought gnocchi
salt
black pepper, freshly ground
extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees.
Toss the gnocchi with salt, pepper, a generous drizzle of olive oil, and mix gently with your hands.
Place on a baking sheet and bake for (I believe it took) 10-15 minutes, or until it’s cooked through and beautifully tanned.

***

“… I did it myyyyyy waaaaay….” (And so did Sid. Proceed with caution.)

Ok, I know what you’re thinking – or do I? – I’m not going to tell you anything you haven’t heard before.

But maybe I will?

It’s pesto. We’ve heard of and seen it a million times before. So what else is new?

Well, Suburban cowboy told me that pine nuts are now being sold for $20 per something (Per pound? Per Costco sized bag?) so Costco stopped selling them. I guess no one bought them for this high price.

I love pine nuts. Do you?

I love all nuts. Do you?

So first, let me tell you a secret. If you’re using your nuts untoasted, you’re nuts, or simply throwing away your money. They just don’t taste like nuts when they are raw. Nuts should be lightly toasted to get the best flavor out of them. Capish?

Some pesto recipes will direct you to use the nuts, pine or not, raw and you won’t be able to taste them since the basil is so potent.

Now. Second point, pesto is really like Hummus:

1. you have to follow your instincts

2. you have to listen to your inner self

3. you have to do it “my way”. Ok, your way.

4. and, rely solely on your own judgment/don’t listen to me

So… the other day… I sent Suburban cowboy to the grocery store. One of the items on the list was basil.

I’m pretty sure I made a note regarding the quantity.

And… He… He came home with this -

A live basil (it had more leaves at the time). Costs more; Has less. Instead of basil in the BIG container I have expected. Good news is that this plant is still alive, has new leaves, and is about ready to be planted in a pot and join his other herby friends (unlike his cut and boxed siblings). So, buy a fresh living herb. We’re gonna have enough for a second batch of pesto soon for the same price!

Back to that day.

Since I had less basil than I had originally planned for – it’s always the men’s fault, right girls?! –  I had to opt for plan B: Less basil, more nuts!

Turned out beautifully. Even better than what I usually make (more basil and less nuts).

From that time on, this is how I make basil-based pesto. With lots of walnuts.

But you? You can do whatever you want.

Do you like garlic? Make a Basil-garlic pesto or a Garlic-basil pesto. Use cilantro. See if I care.

For a basic approach to pesto I recommend Ina Garten’s recipes as a general guideline minus a few garlic cloves… (click here to see it) unless you are nuts for garlic, that is.

Have I confused you?

Am I messing up with your minds?

I hope not.

And if I did, I deeply apologize.

Just, just, do your “thing”.

Capish?

Walnut pesto

1-2 garlic cloves, peeled
3/4 to 1 cup walnuts, lightly toasted in a 350 F oven
2-3 cups fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Put the garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it’s finely chopped. Add the walnuts and pulse again to roughly crush them. Add the basil, salt, pepper, and Parmesan. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube and process until the pesto is pureed. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Serve with cooked pasta, as a sandwich spread, or a side or topping for meat or fish.

The pesto can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days or frozen, topped with a thin layer of olive oil to prevent it from blackening.

Once upon a time, in a land not far away, with a twist of a fork, two side dishes accidentally met on a plate. The first one, pasta, loved by all, orzo shaped, whimsical and a bit chewy, seasoned simply, and the second one, garbanzo beans, not as mainstream as pasta, a bit more serious but sweet at heart, were destined to meet. Although life has taken them on different routes, it was fate that eventually brought them together. Looking back, it all makes sense. These two individuals, separated side dishes, were made to be married into one bigger and better dish.

A few nights ago I prepared dinner of one main dish and 4 simple side dishes; grilled lamb, broiled and marinated eggplants, simple orzo, garbanzo beans, and thick Greek yogurt. It was all simple and good, and the best thing? We had leftovers, my favorite! So, the following day this is what we had for lunch. I placed the side dishes neatly side by side on my plate, and then, all of a sudden… in a spin of destiny, I uploaded orzo and garbanzos on my fork and ate them together in one single bite… There was love in the air. The sun came out of the clouds. The next thing that happened, unexpectedly, unplanned-edly… I had an “A-ha! No one moves” kind of moment and I ran to fetch my camera. I wanted to capture and share that happy moment with you, my friends, and the rest of the world.

The only sad thing to shed clouds on that joyful moment was the fact that we didn’t have any leftovers of the thick Greek yogurt I mixed the night before with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, chopped mint, a spray of lemon juice, salt, pepper. But other than that, I think I should just move the camera to be permanently placed in the kitchen because there were “A-ah! Oops, too late” kind of moments before, you know, like here, and here. You can never know when life will bring a sweet surprise that you would want to tell the whole world about, right?!

I can easily see how this couple, orzo and hummus, can make a lovely life for themselves together. Go places, have adventures, and create a family of little side dishes similar but different than they are. And when life together might become a bit boring, too much routine-like, they can spice things up. Because, when you have a good foundation together, the sky is the limit. You can always add tomatoes, red onion, feta, olives, nuts, fresh herbs, whatever, to a duo when they complete one another so well. (Wait, am I really talking about food here?) But first, you got to have that strong bond between two good ingredients that can do well on their own before they join forces together to create something that is more than the sum of its ingredients.

Do try this at home.

I don’t have an exact recipe but this was a no brainer to make, really.

For the orzo: Cook1/2 box of orzo pasta in salty water according to the instructions on the package. When it’s cooked al dente, drain, season with more salt and a little ground black pepper, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and mix well, so the pasta don’t stick (It is sticks, it will make it harder to mix with the garbanzo beans. Just think about it…)

For the garbanzo beans: Drain the beans and rinse with cold water, and drain again. Sauté 2-3 tablespoons of finely chopped onion in a little extra virgin olive oil over medium heat until it softens. Add the beans, a pinch of salt, cumin and paprika, mix and cook until the beans are warm.

Marry orzo and garbanzo beans together.

Enjoy the party.

Enjoy life.

Everyone says that spaghetti and meatballs in tomato sauce is a kid-friendly food. One of the ultimate favorites. Way up there in the top 10, maybe even top 5, on the kids’ food list. Well, at least that’s the theory. But in our household? Not so much.

I always wondered why magazines/restaurants/cookbooks make that claim because every time I made this dish, aiming to make my son happy with this supposedly kid-friendly meal, he refused to eat it. I made spaghetti and meatballs in tomato sauce numerous times hoping that he will warm up to it. Finally, I came to the conclusion that he is not a tomato sauce fan, even more than he dislikes ground meat in any shape and size, whether a meatloaf, burger, round or flat meatballs (should they be called meatflats in that case?). He is a cheese and/or butter sauce type of guy. Last week, I made it again. Surprisingly, everyone was licking their red sauce covered lips and wiping their faces with napkins.

But my goal is not to cook kid-friendly meals.

My goal is mostly different. It is to create memorable meals. The kind that my children will remember when they grow up. The kind that they will miss when they become adults. The kind that will bring them back home to me after they fly away and leave the nest. I think that this spaghetti and meatballs in tomato sauce is that kind of dish. Same as stuffed bell peppers.

Now, I’ll tell you a little secret, come close – I used a jarred marinara sauce. Shhh, don’t tell anyone. I know my kids won’t remember the jar, but they will remember having pasta with meatballs in tomato sauce at their parents’ home because I plan to make it again and again and again. When I took the photo of the leftovers the next day, when I warmed it for my lunch, I thought that if I was a kid I would have remembered this dish as a childhood favorite. Slurping the long spaghetti strands, making a mess all over my face, and sinking my teeth into the two-bite-size meatballs covered with a sweet and thick tomato sauce will bring out the child hidden in any grown-up.

One year ago: Walnut cake, Sweet and smoky pork chops, Chocolate-Halva Babka Cake

Spaghetti with beef meatballs

I used fresh bread crumbs flavored with fresh herbs which I make every time I have leftover bread and herbs that are about to go bad. (Click the link for the recipe). It makes one big shortcut when a recipe calls for breadcrumbs and chopped herbs.

Makes 8 servings

For the meatballs:
2 pounds ground (preferably grass-fed) beef
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chopped parsley, plus a few sprigs with leaves for the sauce
1/2 cup grated parmesan or any other hard yellow cheese, plus 1/2 cup more for serving
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
Canola and/or olive oil for frying
1 (25 oz.) jar good marinara sauce
1 package spaghetti

Put the meat, bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and egg in a bowl. Mix lightly with your hands and form into two-bite-size meatballs.

Pour canola and/or olive oil into a large (12-inch) skillet to a depth of 1/4-inch. Heat the oil over medium heat. In batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides, turning carefully with a spoon or tongs. Don’t crowd the skillet. This will take about 10 minutes for each batch. Remove the fried meatballs to a plate. Discard the oil and lightly wipe the pan with clean paper towels.

In the same pan, heat the marinara sauce, scraping all the brown bits in the bottom of the pan. Add parsley, salt, and pepper. Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through.

While the meatballs are cooking in the sauce, cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the package.

Serve the meatballs hot over the cooked spaghetti and top with grated Parmesan.

Whenever I manage to create a beautiful dish out of leftovers, I think about my grandmothers. Strong, hard working, stubborn and resourceful women (I got those genes), they could cook something great out of anything. (I got those genes too!) Back in the old days there was no such thing as throwing food away.

I think my cooking style is a bit old-fashioned in that way. As much as I enjoy a gourmet this or that, mid to high-end restaurants, and following top chefs’ cookbooks and magazines, my way of cooking is a “no-nonsense cooking”. The most important thing above all is, of course, having a family meal at the end of the day with my husband and my kids.

I felt very proud of myself with the results of this pasta & leftovers dish. Orecchiette is my favorite shape of pasta because it has a fun and funny shape and a chewy texture. It is like having plenty of little cups on your plate, each one has a bit of the filling and sauce in it. It works so well with a mish-mash or mix and match kind of dish just like this one.

I had so many different leftovers from previuos dinners and I didn’t feel like reheating any of them and eating them again–it’s boring. I added some crème fraiche–which I hesitated about, not being sure if it will match with all the different flavors–but it worked like magic, binding and bringing everything together. So this is how it went:

Leftovers:
1/2 onion, small chopped
1/3 roasted whole chicken, pulled/cut to large bite-size pieces
3 breakfast sausages, diced
3-4 cups roasted vegetables (potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, rutabagas), diced if not already
Blanched kale and chard, chopped
½ cup crème fraiche left from this lovely onion tart (substitute with heavy cream. Sour cream might work as well)
1/3 cup grated cheese

Pantry items:
Olive oil
1 clove garlic
½ box of orecchiette or any kind of short pasta

Bring water and salt to a boil and cook the pasta according to the instructions on the box.
Meanwhile, in a big big skillet sauté onion in olive oil until it softens. Add the garlic clove. Move to the side of the skillet and add the leftovers. Warm it all up good.
When pasta is ready, drain and add to the leftovers, add salt, ground black pepper, and crème fraiche. Mix and toss it all together. Serve with grated cheese.

Makes 6 servings

Tell me about your winner leftover & pasta recipes and I will post them here. E mail me at nurit AT familyfriendlyfood DOT com, or in a comment below.

Leftover bread turned into Bread pudding with spiced rum sauce for dessert
Mashed Potatoes with Cheesy Crunchy Topping
Mashed potatoes turned into Light-as-a-feather potato pancakes
Black Forest Chocolate Roulade, using Leftovers Egg whites
Roasted Chicken

This dinner can be prepared in 20 minutes if you are quick and efficient in the kitchen.
If you are not, you know what I say: 1) take a cooking class, and 2) the more you cook, the better you get.

Makes 4-6 servings

For the chicken:
4-6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon Shawarma seasoning, optional (available at Mediterranean stores. Or use more cumin, turmeric, and thyme)
Salt
Pepper
Evoo (extra virgin olive oil)

Rub chicken with spices, salt, pepper and a drizzle of evoo.
Reheat 10-12’’ stainless steel skillet over medium heat. Sear one side of chicken for about 4 minutes until browned, turn on the other side and sear another 4 minutes. Turn heat to medium-low, turn from side to side every few minutes until done. It will take about 20 minutes or so. (You can also grill the chicken).

For the Israeli couscous:
1 tablespoon Evoo (extra virgin olive oil)
1 tablespoon butter
¼ cup onion, minced
1 box Israeli couscous
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups boiling water

In a small pot, sauté the onion with evoo and butter until translucent and soft. Add couscous, salt, and boiling water. Mix and cover the pot. Cook over low heat 8-10 minutes until al dente.

For steamed cauliflower:
1 medium size cauliflower, cut to florets
Salt
1 garlic clove, whole, slightly crushed, optional
3 sprigs thyme, optional

In a small steaming pot add 2’’ water, and garlic and thyme, if using. Bring to boil. Put the cauliflower in the steam basket, salt lightly, cover and cook about 8 minutes (I forgot to measure the time. I think this is what it took).

Salad with feta:
See “Simplest salad” + add crumbled feta.

Cook with your kids.
Kids can: gather ingredients from pantry, make salad (young children can use plastic knife), sprinkle salt and pepper, ground the black pepper, pick herbs from pot (or use small scissors), drizzle olive oil.