Romanian Lasagna / Lasagnia romaneasca

Directions

1. Preheat oven to medium-high. Boil water and cook lasagna noodles al dente (a little underdone).

2. While noodles cook, grate the cheeses. 

3. When noodles are done, set up your work space with sauce, noodles, cheeses and a greased baking pan to assemble the lasagna.

4. Coat the bottom of a baking dish with a thin layer of the sauce. Follow this layer with a layer of noodles. Then sprinkle this layer with some grated brânză and grated caÅŸcaval. Repeat these steps until ingredients are used up. Finish the lasagna with a top layer of sauce, then sprinkle with grated or fresh Parmesan or Romano cheese.

5. Bake, covered with foil, for 20 minutes in a medium-high temperature oven. Reduce heat if it seems like the bottom is burning.

6. Uncover and cook for another 10 minutes or until slightly browned on top. Remove from the oven and let stand, for at least 10 minutes before serving. 

                                                              

Notes: This is a very simple form of lasagna. Depending what is available in your town, and the season, you can make many forms of this tasty dish. If you’re really desperate for lasagna and can’t get lasagna noodles in your town, you can cheat by simply layering another form of pasta (spirals, spaghetti etc.). This won’t be quite the same, but works in a pinch.

 

Variations: Vegetarian Make-Do Lasagna: Use a meatless spaghetti sauce. Just after a layer of cheese, add a layer of sliced zucchini, eggplant, spinach, mushrooms or any combination of these or other vegetables. Vegetables can be added to meat lasagna too, as can sausages!

 

Substitutions: Tomato Sauce with Meat/Canned sauce. Lasagnia noodles/Other pasta. Brânză sarata/Telemea. CaÅŸcaval/Mozzarella. Parmesan/Romano/Other hard cheese.

 

References: *See the Tomato Sauce with Meat recipe.