Thread: Lasagna mess!

On Tue, 21 Feb 2012 03:36:23 -0800, "Julie Bove"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I have a really nice lasagna pan. The only problem is that it is so large
>that it makes about 12 servings and this is not something we want. I like
>lasagna well enough to eat it maybe 2 or 3 times a year. Angela will eat it
>maybe once or twice a year. So it's not something we want in the freezer.
>
>I was determined to make just two portions of the stuff. I looked at Target
>and couldn't find a suitable baking dish. None were small enough and deep
>enough. So I decided to use my glass bread pan.
>
>I began to boil the noodles and that's where the trouble began. I couldn't
>find the cooking directions! Only to find that I had purchased the no boil
>noodles. I really HATE those things. They never seem to come out right. I
>had already boiled them for a minute so I just shut the heat off. I went
>ahead and put the whole package in because it looked to me like it would
>only be slightly more than I needed. Turns out that was wrong.
>
>I bought a small zucchini. I also had a small amount of chopped onion in
>the fridge and a red and green pepper. So I chopped the things that weren't
>chopped already and sautéed them. Prior to doing that I cooked down some
>chopped spinach. Then I began to assemble.
>
>Lo and behold I had no mozzarella! Grrr... I had some mixes of mozzarella
>and parmesan and also a four cheese blend. I opted to use the one open
>package which was mozzarella and parmesan.
>
>I decided to use a jar of pasta sauce that was old. We hadn't liked it
>much. It was a two pack from Costco. Turned out it was expired. Fine by
>me! We didn't really like it anyway. I opted to put it down the sink.
>Yeah, we are not supposed to but on the other hand, Biobags are no good for
>wet stuff. So far the sink hasn't clogged.
>
>Grabbed the jar of Amy's. Also pretty old but not expired. Began
>assembling. I had to grab the noodles with some tongs. They were hot and
>slightly soft. They were too long to fit my pan. And because they were
>only slightly cooked, they wouldn't bend over. That's usually what I do
>when they are too long. So I had to cut them with scissors.
>
>Turned out that I cooked twice as many veggies as I really needed. But I
>put them all in anyway. I always put a layer of those instead of a layer of
>pasta. So what I wound up with was a pan flush to the top with pasta. No
>real room to cover it with sauce like you are supposed to do with the no
>boil. Grrrr...
>
>I put the dish in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap. Also the remainder
>of the sauce in the jar. When it comes time to bake it, I will put it on a
>foil lined cookie sheet and hope for the best. I will put the rest of the
>sauce on it, or as much of it as I can and cover it with foil. Will not add
>the additional cheese until it is baked through.
>
>The main problem I will have tomorrow is that the stuff needs to bake for an
>hour because it is the no boil. I just hope we get home in time to bake it
>for that long. We have a hair appointment tomorrow and Angela's hair can
>take a long time to do. And then we have to stop at the mail place to send
>in our hair samples.
>
>I just hope this becomes something edible. Angela has been looking at
>Youtube videos for how to cook stuff. She thinks I need to too. Things
>were sooo much easier when I didn't have to worry about carbs or food
>allergies and had a husband at home who would eat whatever we didn't.


Suggested fixes.....

Heat the sauce separately and put a scoop of it over each serving at
the time you serve it. We do that anyway around here. Hubby likes
the extra sauce on his.

Next time, if you use the no boil noodles, don't boil them. They will
swell to softened perfection during the baking process.

An alternative is to buy freshly made pasta sheets for lasagna which
are often sold in a specialty store. They are also ready to use
without pre-boiling them. The juices of the vegetables and cheeses
and sauce will steam them nicely as they bake.

Since there are only two of us, I often use a square glass baking pan.
It takes exactly two no boil noodle sheets to make a layer. I leave
extra room around the sides to make room for them to swell. It serves
a small family nicely. Those square baking dishes are sold
everywhere. You just use less layers so it doesn't go over the top
when baking.

Hope some of these suggestions might help. If not, forget about it.

Evelyn

On Tue, 21 Feb 2012 03:36:23 -0800, "Julie Bove"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I have a really nice lasagna pan. The only problem is that it is so large
>that it makes about 12 servings and this is not something we want. I like
>lasagna well enough to eat it maybe 2 or 3 times a year. Angela will eat it
>maybe once or twice a year. So it's not something we want in the freezer.
>
>I was determined to make just two portions of the stuff. I looked at Target
>and couldn't find a suitable baking dish. None were small enough and deep
>enough. So I decided to use my glass bread pan.
>
>I began to boil the noodles and that's where the trouble began. I couldn't
>find the cooking directions! Only to find that I had purchased the no boil
>noodles. I really HATE those things. They never seem to come out right. I
>had already boiled them for a minute so I just shut the heat off. I went
>ahead and put the whole package in because it looked to me like it would
>only be slightly more than I needed. Turns out that was wrong.
>
>I bought a small zucchini. I also had a small amount of chopped onion in
>the fridge and a red and green pepper. So I chopped the things that weren't
>chopped already and sautéed them. Prior to doing that I cooked down some
>chopped spinach. Then I began to assemble.
>
>Lo and behold I had no mozzarella! Grrr... I had some mixes of mozzarella
>and parmesan and also a four cheese blend. I opted to use the one open
>package which was mozzarella and parmesan.
>
>I decided to use a jar of pasta sauce that was old. We hadn't liked it
>much. It was a two pack from Costco. Turned out it was expired. Fine by
>me! We didn't really like it anyway. I opted to put it down the sink.
>Yeah, we are not supposed to but on the other hand, Biobags are no good for
>wet stuff. So far the sink hasn't clogged.
>
>Grabbed the jar of Amy's. Also pretty old but not expired. Began
>assembling. I had to grab the noodles with some tongs. They were hot and
>slightly soft. They were too long to fit my pan. And because they were
>only slightly cooked, they wouldn't bend over. That's usually what I do
>when they are too long. So I had to cut them with scissors.
>
>Turned out that I cooked twice as many veggies as I really needed. But I
>put them all in anyway. I always put a layer of those instead of a layer of
>pasta. So what I wound up with was a pan flush to the top with pasta. No
>real room to cover it with sauce like you are supposed to do with the no
>boil. Grrrr...
>
>I put the dish in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap. Also the remainder
>of the sauce in the jar. When it comes time to bake it, I will put it on a
>foil lined cookie sheet and hope for the best. I will put the rest of the
>sauce on it, or as much of it as I can and cover it with foil. Will not add
>the additional cheese until it is baked through.
>
>The main problem I will have tomorrow is that the stuff needs to bake for an
>hour because it is the no boil. I just hope we get home in time to bake it
>for that long. We have a hair appointment tomorrow and Angela's hair can
>take a long time to do. And then we have to stop at the mail place to send
>in our hair samples.
>
>I just hope this becomes something edible. Angela has been looking at
>Youtube videos for how to cook stuff. She thinks I need to too. Things
>were sooo much easier when I didn't have to worry about carbs or food
>allergies and had a husband at home who would eat whatever we didn't.


I cover the lasagna with foil for most of the cooking time, only
removing the foil at the end to melt the cheese till bubbly. The
sauce can be added separately by each person at serving time.

Evelyn

"Evelyn" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> On Tue, 21 Feb 2012 03:36:23 -0800, "Julie Bove"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>I have a really nice lasagna pan. The only problem is that it is so large
>>that it makes about 12 servings and this is not something we want. I like
>>lasagna well enough to eat it maybe 2 or 3 times a year. Angela will eat
>>it
>>maybe once or twice a year. So it's not something we want in the freezer.
>>
>>I was determined to make just two portions of the stuff. I looked at
>>Target
>>and couldn't find a suitable baking dish. None were small enough and deep
>>enough. So I decided to use my glass bread pan.
>>
>>I began to boil the noodles and that's where the trouble began. I
>>couldn't
>>find the cooking directions! Only to find that I had purchased the no
>>boil
>>noodles. I really HATE those things. They never seem to come out right.
>>I
>>had already boiled them for a minute so I just shut the heat off. I went
>>ahead and put the whole package in because it looked to me like it would
>>only be slightly more than I needed. Turns out that was wrong.
>>
>>I bought a small zucchini. I also had a small amount of chopped onion in
>>the fridge and a red and green pepper. So I chopped the things that
>>weren't
>>chopped already and sautéed them. Prior to doing that I cooked down some
>>chopped spinach. Then I began to assemble.
>>
>>Lo and behold I had no mozzarella! Grrr... I had some mixes of
>>mozzarella
>>and parmesan and also a four cheese blend. I opted to use the one open
>>package which was mozzarella and parmesan.
>>
>>I decided to use a jar of pasta sauce that was old. We hadn't liked it
>>much. It was a two pack from Costco. Turned out it was expired. Fine by
>>me! We didn't really like it anyway. I opted to put it down the sink.
>>Yeah, we are not supposed to but on the other hand, Biobags are no good
>>for
>>wet stuff. So far the sink hasn't clogged.
>>
>>Grabbed the jar of Amy's. Also pretty old but not expired. Began
>>assembling. I had to grab the noodles with some tongs. They were hot and
>>slightly soft. They were too long to fit my pan. And because they were
>>only slightly cooked, they wouldn't bend over. That's usually what I do
>>when they are too long. So I had to cut them with scissors.
>>
>>Turned out that I cooked twice as many veggies as I really needed. But I
>>put them all in anyway. I always put a layer of those instead of a layer
>>of
>>pasta. So what I wound up with was a pan flush to the top with pasta. No
>>real room to cover it with sauce like you are supposed to do with the no
>>boil. Grrrr...
>>
>>I put the dish in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap. Also the
>>remainder
>>of the sauce in the jar. When it comes time to bake it, I will put it on
>>a
>>foil lined cookie sheet and hope for the best. I will put the rest of the
>>sauce on it, or as much of it as I can and cover it with foil. Will not
>>add
>>the additional cheese until it is baked through.
>>
>>The main problem I will have tomorrow is that the stuff needs to bake for
>>an
>>hour because it is the no boil. I just hope we get home in time to bake
>>it
>>for that long. We have a hair appointment tomorrow and Angela's hair can
>>take a long time to do. And then we have to stop at the mail place to
>>send
>>in our hair samples.
>>
>>I just hope this becomes something edible. Angela has been looking at
>>Youtube videos for how to cook stuff. She thinks I need to too. Things
>>were sooo much easier when I didn't have to worry about carbs or food
>>allergies and had a husband at home who would eat whatever we didn't.
>
>
> Suggested fixes.....
>
> Heat the sauce separately and put a scoop of it over each serving at
> the time you serve it. We do that anyway around here. Hubby likes
> the extra sauce on his.
>
That won't work because it is needed to cook the pasta.

> Next time, if you use the no boil noodles, don't boil them. They will
> swell to softened perfection during the baking process.

There will be no next time! They simply don't work for me.
>
> An alternative is to buy freshly made pasta sheets for lasagna which
> are often sold in a specialty store. They are also ready to use
> without pre-boiling them. The juices of the vegetables and cheeses
> and sauce will steam them nicely as they bake.
>
> Since there are only two of us, I often use a square glass baking pan.
> It takes exactly two no boil noodle sheets to make a layer. I leave
> extra room around the sides to make room for them to swell. It serves
> a small family nicely. Those square baking dishes are sold
> everywhere. You just use less layers so it doesn't go over the top
> when baking.
>
These are gluten free noodles. It would take far more than two to cover
that sort of pan. And my pan that is that size is not nearly deep enough.

> Hope some of these suggestions might help. If not, forget about it.

Okay...

"Evelyn" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> On Tue, 21 Feb 2012 03:36:23 -0800, "Julie Bove"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>I have a really nice lasagna pan. The only problem is that it is so large
>>that it makes about 12 servings and this is not something we want. I like
>>lasagna well enough to eat it maybe 2 or 3 times a year. Angela will eat
>>it
>>maybe once or twice a year. So it's not something we want in the freezer.
>>
>>I was determined to make just two portions of the stuff. I looked at
>>Target
>>and couldn't find a suitable baking dish. None were small enough and deep
>>enough. So I decided to use my glass bread pan.
>>
>>I began to boil the noodles and that's where the trouble began. I
>>couldn't
>>find the cooking directions! Only to find that I had purchased the no
>>boil
>>noodles. I really HATE those things. They never seem to come out right.
>>I
>>had already boiled them for a minute so I just shut the heat off. I went
>>ahead and put the whole package in because it looked to me like it would
>>only be slightly more than I needed. Turns out that was wrong.
>>
>>I bought a small zucchini. I also had a small amount of chopped onion in
>>the fridge and a red and green pepper. So I chopped the things that
>>weren't
>>chopped already and sautéed them. Prior to doing that I cooked down some
>>chopped spinach. Then I began to assemble.
>>
>>Lo and behold I had no mozzarella! Grrr... I had some mixes of
>>mozzarella
>>and parmesan and also a four cheese blend. I opted to use the one open
>>package which was mozzarella and parmesan.
>>
>>I decided to use a jar of pasta sauce that was old. We hadn't liked it
>>much. It was a two pack from Costco. Turned out it was expired. Fine by
>>me! We didn't really like it anyway. I opted to put it down the sink.
>>Yeah, we are not supposed to but on the other hand, Biobags are no good
>>for
>>wet stuff. So far the sink hasn't clogged.
>>
>>Grabbed the jar of Amy's. Also pretty old but not expired. Began
>>assembling. I had to grab the noodles with some tongs. They were hot and
>>slightly soft. They were too long to fit my pan. And because they were
>>only slightly cooked, they wouldn't bend over. That's usually what I do
>>when they are too long. So I had to cut them with scissors.
>>
>>Turned out that I cooked twice as many veggies as I really needed. But I
>>put them all in anyway. I always put a layer of those instead of a layer
>>of
>>pasta. So what I wound up with was a pan flush to the top with pasta. No
>>real room to cover it with sauce like you are supposed to do with the no
>>boil. Grrrr...
>>
>>I put the dish in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap. Also the
>>remainder
>>of the sauce in the jar. When it comes time to bake it, I will put it on
>>a
>>foil lined cookie sheet and hope for the best. I will put the rest of the
>>sauce on it, or as much of it as I can and cover it with foil. Will not
>>add
>>the additional cheese until it is baked through.
>>
>>The main problem I will have tomorrow is that the stuff needs to bake for
>>an
>>hour because it is the no boil. I just hope we get home in time to bake
>>it
>>for that long. We have a hair appointment tomorrow and Angela's hair can
>>take a long time to do. And then we have to stop at the mail place to
>>send
>>in our hair samples.
>>
>>I just hope this becomes something edible. Angela has been looking at
>>Youtube videos for how to cook stuff. She thinks I need to too. Things
>>were sooo much easier when I didn't have to worry about carbs or food
>>allergies and had a husband at home who would eat whatever we didn't.
>
>
> I cover the lasagna with foil for most of the cooking time, only
> removing the foil at the end to melt the cheese till bubbly. The
> sauce can be added separately by each person at serving time.

Not if it's the no boil. I have found the key to that kind is using waaaay
more sauce than I would want to.

Julie Bove <[email protected]> wrote:

: >
: >
: > I cover the lasagna with foil for most of the cooking time, only
: > removing the foil at the end to melt the cheese till bubbly. The
: > sauce can be added separately by each person at serving time.

: Not if it's the no boil. I have found the key to that kind is using waaaay
: more sauce than I would want to.

I thought you said they were parboiled already, but not yet soft. They
should require far less liquid than if you had not cooked them at all.

Wendy

On Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:58:48 -0800, "Julie Bove"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
>"Evelyn" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]. .
>> On Tue, 21 Feb 2012 03:36:23 -0800, "Julie Bove"
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>>I have a really nice lasagna pan. The only problem is that it is so large
>>>that it makes about 12 servings and this is not something we want. I like
>>>lasagna well enough to eat it maybe 2 or 3 times a year. Angela will eat
>>>it
>>>maybe once or twice a year. So it's not something we want in the freezer.
>>>
>>>I was determined to make just two portions of the stuff. I looked at
>>>Target
>>>and couldn't find a suitable baking dish. None were small enough and deep
>>>enough. So I decided to use my glass bread pan.
>>>
>>>I began to boil the noodles and that's where the trouble began. I
>>>couldn't
>>>find the cooking directions! Only to find that I had purchased the no
>>>boil
>>>noodles. I really HATE those things. They never seem to come out right.
>>>I
>>>had already boiled them for a minute so I just shut the heat off. I went
>>>ahead and put the whole package in because it looked to me like it would
>>>only be slightly more than I needed. Turns out that was wrong.
>>>
>>>I bought a small zucchini. I also had a small amount of chopped onion in
>>>the fridge and a red and green pepper. So I chopped the things that
>>>weren't
>>>chopped already and sautéed them. Prior to doing that I cooked down some
>>>chopped spinach. Then I began to assemble.
>>>
>>>Lo and behold I had no mozzarella! Grrr... I had some mixes of
>>>mozzarella
>>>and parmesan and also a four cheese blend. I opted to use the one open
>>>package which was mozzarella and parmesan.
>>>
>>>I decided to use a jar of pasta sauce that was old. We hadn't liked it
>>>much. It was a two pack from Costco. Turned out it was expired. Fine by
>>>me! We didn't really like it anyway. I opted to put it down the sink.
>>>Yeah, we are not supposed to but on the other hand, Biobags are no good
>>>for
>>>wet stuff. So far the sink hasn't clogged.
>>>
>>>Grabbed the jar of Amy's. Also pretty old but not expired. Began
>>>assembling. I had to grab the noodles with some tongs. They were hot and
>>>slightly soft. They were too long to fit my pan. And because they were
>>>only slightly cooked, they wouldn't bend over. That's usually what I do
>>>when they are too long. So I had to cut them with scissors.
>>>
>>>Turned out that I cooked twice as many veggies as I really needed. But I
>>>put them all in anyway. I always put a layer of those instead of a layer
>>>of
>>>pasta. So what I wound up with was a pan flush to the top with pasta. No
>>>real room to cover it with sauce like you are supposed to do with the no
>>>boil. Grrrr...
>>>
>>>I put the dish in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap. Also the
>>>remainder
>>>of the sauce in the jar. When it comes time to bake it, I will put it on
>>>a
>>>foil lined cookie sheet and hope for the best. I will put the rest of the
>>>sauce on it, or as much of it as I can and cover it with foil. Will not
>>>add
>>>the additional cheese until it is baked through.
>>>
>>>The main problem I will have tomorrow is that the stuff needs to bake for
>>>an
>>>hour because it is the no boil. I just hope we get home in time to bake
>>>it
>>>for that long. We have a hair appointment tomorrow and Angela's hair can
>>>take a long time to do. And then we have to stop at the mail place to
>>>send
>>>in our hair samples.
>>>
>>>I just hope this becomes something edible. Angela has been looking at
>>>Youtube videos for how to cook stuff. She thinks I need to too. Things
>>>were sooo much easier when I didn't have to worry about carbs or food
>>>allergies and had a husband at home who would eat whatever we didn't.
>>
>>
>> Suggested fixes.....
>>
>> Heat the sauce separately and put a scoop of it over each serving at
>> the time you serve it. We do that anyway around here. Hubby likes
>> the extra sauce on his.
>>
>That won't work because it is needed to cook the pasta.
>
>> Next time, if you use the no boil noodles, don't boil them. They will
>> swell to softened perfection during the baking process.
>
>There will be no next time! They simply don't work for me.
>>
>> An alternative is to buy freshly made pasta sheets for lasagna which
>> are often sold in a specialty store. They are also ready to use
>> without pre-boiling them. The juices of the vegetables and cheeses
>> and sauce will steam them nicely as they bake.
>>
>> Since there are only two of us, I often use a square glass baking pan.
>> It takes exactly two no boil noodle sheets to make a layer. I leave
>> extra room around the sides to make room for them to swell. It serves
>> a small family nicely. Those square baking dishes are sold
>> everywhere. You just use less layers so it doesn't go over the top
>> when baking.
>>
>These are gluten free noodles. It would take far more than two to cover
>that sort of pan. And my pan that is that size is not nearly deep enough.
>
>> Hope some of these suggestions might help. If not, forget about it.
>
>Okay...


Those noodles will "cook" without the sauce. The liquid in the cheese
and vegetables is sufficient.

I can't make any suggestions about the pan size. You'd have to figure
that out.

Evelyn

On Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:59:32 -0800, "Julie Bove"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
>"Evelyn" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]. .
>> On Tue, 21 Feb 2012 03:36:23 -0800, "Julie Bove"
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>>I have a really nice lasagna pan. The only problem is that it is so large
>>>that it makes about 12 servings and this is not something we want. I like
>>>lasagna well enough to eat it maybe 2 or 3 times a year. Angela will eat
>>>it
>>>maybe once or twice a year. So it's not something we want in the freezer.
>>>
>>>I was determined to make just two portions of the stuff. I looked at
>>>Target
>>>and couldn't find a suitable baking dish. None were small enough and deep
>>>enough. So I decided to use my glass bread pan.
>>>
>>>I began to boil the noodles and that's where the trouble began. I
>>>couldn't
>>>find the cooking directions! Only to find that I had purchased the no
>>>boil
>>>noodles. I really HATE those things. They never seem to come out right.
>>>I
>>>had already boiled them for a minute so I just shut the heat off. I went
>>>ahead and put the whole package in because it looked to me like it would
>>>only be slightly more than I needed. Turns out that was wrong.
>>>
>>>I bought a small zucchini. I also had a small amount of chopped onion in
>>>the fridge and a red and green pepper. So I chopped the things that
>>>weren't
>>>chopped already and sautéed them. Prior to doing that I cooked down some
>>>chopped spinach. Then I began to assemble.
>>>
>>>Lo and behold I had no mozzarella! Grrr... I had some mixes of
>>>mozzarella
>>>and parmesan and also a four cheese blend. I opted to use the one open
>>>package which was mozzarella and parmesan.
>>>
>>>I decided to use a jar of pasta sauce that was old. We hadn't liked it
>>>much. It was a two pack from Costco. Turned out it was expired. Fine by
>>>me! We didn't really like it anyway. I opted to put it down the sink.
>>>Yeah, we are not supposed to but on the other hand, Biobags are no good
>>>for
>>>wet stuff. So far the sink hasn't clogged.
>>>
>>>Grabbed the jar of Amy's. Also pretty old but not expired. Began
>>>assembling. I had to grab the noodles with some tongs. They were hot and
>>>slightly soft. They were too long to fit my pan. And because they were
>>>only slightly cooked, they wouldn't bend over. That's usually what I do
>>>when they are too long. So I had to cut them with scissors.
>>>
>>>Turned out that I cooked twice as many veggies as I really needed. But I
>>>put them all in anyway. I always put a layer of those instead of a layer
>>>of
>>>pasta. So what I wound up with was a pan flush to the top with pasta. No
>>>real room to cover it with sauce like you are supposed to do with the no
>>>boil. Grrrr...
>>>
>>>I put the dish in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap. Also the
>>>remainder
>>>of the sauce in the jar. When it comes time to bake it, I will put it on
>>>a
>>>foil lined cookie sheet and hope for the best. I will put the rest of the
>>>sauce on it, or as much of it as I can and cover it with foil. Will not
>>>add
>>>the additional cheese until it is baked through.
>>>
>>>The main problem I will have tomorrow is that the stuff needs to bake for
>>>an
>>>hour because it is the no boil. I just hope we get home in time to bake
>>>it
>>>for that long. We have a hair appointment tomorrow and Angela's hair can
>>>take a long time to do. And then we have to stop at the mail place to
>>>send
>>>in our hair samples.
>>>
>>>I just hope this becomes something edible. Angela has been looking at
>>>Youtube videos for how to cook stuff. She thinks I need to too. Things
>>>were sooo much easier when I didn't have to worry about carbs or food
>>>allergies and had a husband at home who would eat whatever we didn't.
>>
>>
>> I cover the lasagna with foil for most of the cooking time, only
>> removing the foil at the end to melt the cheese till bubbly. The
>> sauce can be added separately by each person at serving time.
>
>Not if it's the no boil. I have found the key to that kind is using waaaay
>more sauce than I would want to.


No. The no boil noodles require no sauce at all. They absorb liquid
from anything near them while baking.

Evelyn

x-no-archive: yes

On 2/21/2012 2:57 PM, W. Baker wrote:

> I thought you said they were parboiled already, but not yet soft. They
> should require far less liquid than if you had not cooked them at all.

I've been using them for many years, with scant liquid. They soften
very readily, and the lasagna ends up a soupy mess if you use a lot of
liquid/sauce.

Susan

x-no-archive: yes

On 2/21/2012 5:56 PM, Evelyn wrote:

> No. The no boil noodles require no sauce at all. They absorb liquid
> from anything near them while baking.

My experience, too. I put a thin smear of sauce in the pan before
putting in the noodles, but they don't really require the addition of
liquids, it makes a mess. Oh, look at the thread subject header.

Susan

"W. Baker" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:ji0svs$nup$[email protected]..
> Julie Bove <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> : >
> : >
> : > I cover the lasagna with foil for most of the cooking time, only
> : > removing the foil at the end to melt the cheese till bubbly. The
> : > sauce can be added separately by each person at serving time.
>
> : Not if it's the no boil. I have found the key to that kind is using
> waaaay
> : more sauce than I would want to.
>
> I thought you said they were parboiled already, but not yet soft. They
> should require far less liquid than if you had not cooked them at all.

I don't know. What I wound up doing was making a collar of heavy duty foil
and wrapping it around the pan very tightly. Then I used some regular foil
and put it over the top, fastening it to the other foil but not putting it
tightly. I didn't have enough sauce left to fully cover the top like I
wanted but I did cover the edges.

The thing is, this is the gluten free pasta. It does not cook or act like
regular pasta would. I have no experience with the gluten free no boil
pasta, but it was cooked enough to where many of the pieces literally fell
to shreds as I tried to pick it up with the tongs. I did get 5 noodles
intact and one with just a slight rip in it. So I used those. The rest
were thrown out. By then they were just a mess.

My only experience with the regular no boil pasta was many years ago. I
tried to make it for my husband who is Italian. He was not impressed when I
cooked it as directed and served him a square. The edges were all crispy.
I had made the sauce from scratch and I had no more of it. And he was
hungry! Luckily I lived near a store but I think in those days the only
jarred sauces were Ragu and Prego, neither of which were good in those days,
IMO. I had to use another whole jar of sauce over the top, making sure to
saturate the edges and baking it for about another 20 minutes. Then it was
edible.

This pasta I used last night is not a brand that I normally buy. We prefer
the Tinkyada. I am not sure where I bought it but I do remember finding
some gluten free pasta on clearance for a very good price and I bought it
because it was cheap. I won't be doing that again. Even if Angela has
outgrown her wheat allergy (we sent the tests in today), I will probably
still have to buy gluten free unless I can find some that it certified to be
free of eggs. Tinkyada is a good brand and it has never failed me. The
lasagna noodles are not no boil. But they work! So I will buy that from
now on, unless I get the really pricey stuff imported from Italy. At $8.99
for 4 servings it is something we only eat a two or three times a year but
IMO it is really worth it.

"Susan" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> x-no-archive: yes
>
> On 2/21/2012 2:57 PM, W. Baker wrote:
>
>> I thought you said they were parboiled already, but not yet soft. They
>> should require far less liquid than if you had not cooked them at all.
>
> I've been using them for many years, with scant liquid. They soften very
> readily, and the lasagna ends up a soupy mess if you use a lot of
> liquid/sauce.

Didn't work that way for me at all. I made it as directed on the package.
I had a crispy mess.

"Evelyn" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> On Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:59:32 -0800, "Julie Bove"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Evelyn" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>news:[email protected] ..
>>> On Tue, 21 Feb 2012 03:36:23 -0800, "Julie Bove"
>>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>>I have a really nice lasagna pan. The only problem is that it is so
>>>>large
>>>>that it makes about 12 servings and this is not something we want. I
>>>>like
>>>>lasagna well enough to eat it maybe 2 or 3 times a year. Angela will
>>>>eat
>>>>it
>>>>maybe once or twice a year. So it's not something we want in the
>>>>freezer.
>>>>
>>>>I was determined to make just two portions of the stuff. I looked at
>>>>Target
>>>>and couldn't find a suitable baking dish. None were small enough and
>>>>deep
>>>>enough. So I decided to use my glass bread pan.
>>>>
>>>>I began to boil the noodles and that's where the trouble began. I
>>>>couldn't
>>>>find the cooking directions! Only to find that I had purchased the no
>>>>boil
>>>>noodles. I really HATE those things. They never seem to come out
>>>>right.
>>>>I
>>>>had already boiled them for a minute so I just shut the heat off. I
>>>>went
>>>>ahead and put the whole package in because it looked to me like it would
>>>>only be slightly more than I needed. Turns out that was wrong.
>>>>
>>>>I bought a small zucchini. I also had a small amount of chopped onion
>>>>in
>>>>the fridge and a red and green pepper. So I chopped the things that
>>>>weren't
>>>>chopped already and sautéed them. Prior to doing that I cooked down
>>>>some
>>>>chopped spinach. Then I began to assemble.
>>>>
>>>>Lo and behold I had no mozzarella! Grrr... I had some mixes of
>>>>mozzarella
>>>>and parmesan and also a four cheese blend. I opted to use the one open
>>>>package which was mozzarella and parmesan.
>>>>
>>>>I decided to use a jar of pasta sauce that was old. We hadn't liked it
>>>>much. It was a two pack from Costco. Turned out it was expired. Fine
>>>>by
>>>>me! We didn't really like it anyway. I opted to put it down the sink.
>>>>Yeah, we are not supposed to but on the other hand, Biobags are no good
>>>>for
>>>>wet stuff. So far the sink hasn't clogged.
>>>>
>>>>Grabbed the jar of Amy's. Also pretty old but not expired. Began
>>>>assembling. I had to grab the noodles with some tongs. They were hot
>>>>and
>>>>slightly soft. They were too long to fit my pan. And because they were
>>>>only slightly cooked, they wouldn't bend over. That's usually what I do
>>>>when they are too long. So I had to cut them with scissors.
>>>>
>>>>Turned out that I cooked twice as many veggies as I really needed. But
>>>>I
>>>>put them all in anyway. I always put a layer of those instead of a
>>>>layer
>>>>of
>>>>pasta. So what I wound up with was a pan flush to the top with pasta.
>>>>No
>>>>real room to cover it with sauce like you are supposed to do with the no
>>>>boil. Grrrr...
>>>>
>>>>I put the dish in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap. Also the
>>>>remainder
>>>>of the sauce in the jar. When it comes time to bake it, I will put it
>>>>on
>>>>a
>>>>foil lined cookie sheet and hope for the best. I will put the rest of
>>>>the
>>>>sauce on it, or as much of it as I can and cover it with foil. Will not
>>>>add
>>>>the additional cheese until it is baked through.
>>>>
>>>>The main problem I will have tomorrow is that the stuff needs to bake
>>>>for
>>>>an
>>>>hour because it is the no boil. I just hope we get home in time to bake
>>>>it
>>>>for that long. We have a hair appointment tomorrow and Angela's hair
>>>>can
>>>>take a long time to do. And then we have to stop at the mail place to
>>>>send
>>>>in our hair samples.
>>>>
>>>>I just hope this becomes something edible. Angela has been looking at
>>>>Youtube videos for how to cook stuff. She thinks I need to too. Things
>>>>were sooo much easier when I didn't have to worry about carbs or food
>>>>allergies and had a husband at home who would eat whatever we didn't.
>>>
>>>
>>> I cover the lasagna with foil for most of the cooking time, only
>>> removing the foil at the end to melt the cheese till bubbly. The
>>> sauce can be added separately by each person at serving time.
>>
>>Not if it's the no boil. I have found the key to that kind is using
>>waaaay
>>more sauce than I would want to.
>
>
> No. The no boil noodles require no sauce at all. They absorb liquid
> from anything near them while baking.

Not when I tried them in the past, they didn't!

"Susan" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> x-no-archive: yes
>
> On 2/21/2012 5:56 PM, Evelyn wrote:
>
>> No. The no boil noodles require no sauce at all. They absorb liquid
>> from anything near them while baking.
>
> My experience, too. I put a thin smear of sauce in the pan before putting
> in the noodles, but they don't really require the addition of liquids, it
> makes a mess. Oh, look at the thread subject header.

I am envisioning a mess only because the pasta is sticking out of the pan.
I just know it is going to bubble over. Worse yet, Angela is not in the
mood for lasagna. Well she rarely ever is. But I had another tub of
Ricotta and I wanted to use it up before it went bad. Plus I need to use up
some pasta to make more room in the cupboard. We used to eat it once or
twice a week but since she has been on the low carb diet, we haven't eaten
much of it at all.

"Evelyn" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> On Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:58:48 -0800, "Julie Bove"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Evelyn" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>news:[email protected] ..
>>> On Tue, 21 Feb 2012 03:36:23 -0800, "Julie Bove"
>>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>>I have a really nice lasagna pan. The only problem is that it is so
>>>>large
>>>>that it makes about 12 servings and this is not something we want. I
>>>>like
>>>>lasagna well enough to eat it maybe 2 or 3 times a year. Angela will
>>>>eat
>>>>it
>>>>maybe once or twice a year. So it's not something we want in the
>>>>freezer.
>>>>
>>>>I was determined to make just two portions of the stuff. I looked at
>>>>Target
>>>>and couldn't find a suitable baking dish. None were small enough and
>>>>deep
>>>>enough. So I decided to use my glass bread pan.
>>>>
>>>>I began to boil the noodles and that's where the trouble began. I
>>>>couldn't
>>>>find the cooking directions! Only to find that I had purchased the no
>>>>boil
>>>>noodles. I really HATE those things. They never seem to come out
>>>>right.
>>>>I
>>>>had already boiled them for a minute so I just shut the heat off. I
>>>>went
>>>>ahead and put the whole package in because it looked to me like it would
>>>>only be slightly more than I needed. Turns out that was wrong.
>>>>
>>>>I bought a small zucchini. I also had a small amount of chopped onion
>>>>in
>>>>the fridge and a red and green pepper. So I chopped the things that
>>>>weren't
>>>>chopped already and sautéed them. Prior to doing that I cooked down
>>>>some
>>>>chopped spinach. Then I began to assemble.
>>>>
>>>>Lo and behold I had no mozzarella! Grrr... I had some mixes of
>>>>mozzarella
>>>>and parmesan and also a four cheese blend. I opted to use the one open
>>>>package which was mozzarella and parmesan.
>>>>
>>>>I decided to use a jar of pasta sauce that was old. We hadn't liked it
>>>>much. It was a two pack from Costco. Turned out it was expired. Fine
>>>>by
>>>>me! We didn't really like it anyway. I opted to put it down the sink.
>>>>Yeah, we are not supposed to but on the other hand, Biobags are no good
>>>>for
>>>>wet stuff. So far the sink hasn't clogged.
>>>>
>>>>Grabbed the jar of Amy's. Also pretty old but not expired. Began
>>>>assembling. I had to grab the noodles with some tongs. They were hot
>>>>and
>>>>slightly soft. They were too long to fit my pan. And because they were
>>>>only slightly cooked, they wouldn't bend over. That's usually what I do
>>>>when they are too long. So I had to cut them with scissors.
>>>>
>>>>Turned out that I cooked twice as many veggies as I really needed. But
>>>>I
>>>>put them all in anyway. I always put a layer of those instead of a
>>>>layer
>>>>of
>>>>pasta. So what I wound up with was a pan flush to the top with pasta.
>>>>No
>>>>real room to cover it with sauce like you are supposed to do with the no
>>>>boil. Grrrr...
>>>>
>>>>I put the dish in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap. Also the
>>>>remainder
>>>>of the sauce in the jar. When it comes time to bake it, I will put it
>>>>on
>>>>a
>>>>foil lined cookie sheet and hope for the best. I will put the rest of
>>>>the
>>>>sauce on it, or as much of it as I can and cover it with foil. Will not
>>>>add
>>>>the additional cheese until it is baked through.
>>>>
>>>>The main problem I will have tomorrow is that the stuff needs to bake
>>>>for
>>>>an
>>>>hour because it is the no boil. I just hope we get home in time to bake
>>>>it
>>>>for that long. We have a hair appointment tomorrow and Angela's hair
>>>>can
>>>>take a long time to do. And then we have to stop at the mail place to
>>>>send
>>>>in our hair samples.
>>>>
>>>>I just hope this becomes something edible. Angela has been looking at
>>>>Youtube videos for how to cook stuff. She thinks I need to too. Things
>>>>were sooo much easier when I didn't have to worry about carbs or food
>>>>allergies and had a husband at home who would eat whatever we didn't.
>>>
>>>
>>> Suggested fixes.....
>>>
>>> Heat the sauce separately and put a scoop of it over each serving at
>>> the time you serve it. We do that anyway around here. Hubby likes
>>> the extra sauce on his.
>>>
>>That won't work because it is needed to cook the pasta.
>>
>>> Next time, if you use the no boil noodles, don't boil them. They will
>>> swell to softened perfection during the baking process.
>>
>>There will be no next time! They simply don't work for me.
>>>
>>> An alternative is to buy freshly made pasta sheets for lasagna which
>>> are often sold in a specialty store. They are also ready to use
>>> without pre-boiling them. The juices of the vegetables and cheeses
>>> and sauce will steam them nicely as they bake.
>>>
>>> Since there are only two of us, I often use a square glass baking pan.
>>> It takes exactly two no boil noodle sheets to make a layer. I leave
>>> extra room around the sides to make room for them to swell. It serves
>>> a small family nicely. Those square baking dishes are sold
>>> everywhere. You just use less layers so it doesn't go over the top
>>> when baking.
>>>
>>These are gluten free noodles. It would take far more than two to cover
>>that sort of pan. And my pan that is that size is not nearly deep enough.
>>
>>> Hope some of these suggestions might help. If not, forget about it.
>>
>>Okay...
>
>
> Those noodles will "cook" without the sauce. The liquid in the cheese
> and vegetables is sufficient.
>
> I can't make any suggestions about the pan size. You'd have to figure
> that out.

The pan I used would have been perfect had I not put such a thick layer of
veggies in it. I do have a couple of bad feelings about it though. That
perhaps we won't be able to eat all of it because it will likely be rich.
And that it won't be enough carbs for me and I'll have a hypo. I have some
fruit snacks in my purse that I can eat if I have to, later.

On Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:30:10 -0800, "Julie Bove"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
>"Susan" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]..
>> x-no-archive: yes
>>
>> On 2/21/2012 2:57 PM, W. Baker wrote:
>>
>>> I thought you said they were parboiled already, but not yet soft. They
>>> should require far less liquid than if you had not cooked them at all.
>>
>> I've been using them for many years, with scant liquid. They soften very
>> readily, and the lasagna ends up a soupy mess if you use a lot of
>> liquid/sauce.
>
>Didn't work that way for me at all. I made it as directed on the package.
>I had a crispy mess.
>


Did you cook it covered for a while then uncover it at the end?

Evelyn

"Evelyn" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news[email protected]..
> On Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:30:10 -0800, "Julie Bove"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Susan" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>news:[email protected]..
>>> x-no-archive: yes
>>>
>>> On 2/21/2012 2:57 PM, W. Baker wrote:
>>>
>>>> I thought you said they were parboiled already, but not yet soft. They
>>>> should require far less liquid than if you had not cooked them at all.
>>>
>>> I've been using them for many years, with scant liquid. They soften
>>> very
>>> readily, and the lasagna ends up a soupy mess if you use a lot of
>>> liquid/sauce.
>>
>>Didn't work that way for me at all. I made it as directed on the package.
>>I had a crispy mess.
>>
>
>
> Did you cook it covered for a while then uncover it at the end?

Yep.

This batch didn't work either. The edges were crispy. Angela wouldn't eat
it.

On Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:47:08 -0800, "Julie Bove"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
>"Evelyn" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news[email protected]..
>> On Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:30:10 -0800, "Julie Bove"
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>"Susan" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>>news:[email protected]..
>>>> x-no-archive: yes
>>>>
>>>> On 2/21/2012 2:57 PM, W. Baker wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I thought you said they were parboiled already, but not yet soft. They
>>>>> should require far less liquid than if you had not cooked them at all.
>>>>
>>>> I've been using them for many years, with scant liquid. They soften
>>>> very
>>>> readily, and the lasagna ends up a soupy mess if you use a lot of
>>>> liquid/sauce.
>>>
>>>Didn't work that way for me at all. I made it as directed on the package.
>>>I had a crispy mess.
>>>
>>
>>
>> Did you cook it covered for a while then uncover it at the end?
>
>Yep.
>
>This batch didn't work either. The edges were crispy. Angela wouldn't eat
>it.


To avoid the crispy edges, you should keep it covered longer, and use
a lower oven temperature with a longer cooking time. That gives the
chance for the whole dish to reach "done" temperature more slowly.

Evelyn

x-no-archive: yes

On 2/21/2012 9:21 PM, Evelyn wrote:

> Did you cook it covered for a while then uncover it at the end?
>

The only time I ever got crispy edges (the rest is buried under cheese
and smeared with a little sauce), was when I baked it uncovered too long.

I keep it under foil until the last 10-15 minutues, too, for the best
cheese texture on top.

Susan

Evelyn <[email protected]> wrote:
: On Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:47:08 -0800, "Julie Bove"
: <[email protected]> wrote:

: >
: >"Evelyn" <[email protected]> wrote in message
: >news[email protected]..
: >> On Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:30:10 -0800, "Julie Bove"
: >> <[email protected]> wrote:
: >>
: >>>
: >>>"Susan" <[email protected]> wrote in message
: >>>news:[email protected]..
: >>>> x-no-archive: yes
: >>>>
: >>>> On 2/21/2012 2:57 PM, W. Baker wrote:
: >>>>
: >>>>> I thought you said they were parboiled already, but not yet soft. They
: >>>>> should require far less liquid than if you had not cooked them at all.
: >>>>
: >>>> I've been using them for many years, with scant liquid. They soften
: >>>> very
: >>>> readily, and the lasagna ends up a soupy mess if you use a lot of
: >>>> liquid/sauce.
: >>>
: >>>Didn't work that way for me at all. I made it as directed on the package.
: >>>I had a crispy mess.
: >>>
: >>
: >>
: >> Did you cook it covered for a while then uncover it at the end?
: >
: >Yep.
: >
: >This batch didn't work either. The edges were crispy. Angela wouldn't eat
: >it.


: To avoid the crispy edges, you should keep it covered longer, and use
: a lower oven temperature with a longer cooking time. That gives the
: chance for the whole dish to reach "done" temperature more slowly.

: Evelyn


Weren't the edges hanging over? I would trim them and once cooked if you
don't liek the edges crispy, cut them off.

Wendy