Every now and then, I find a recipe that’s solid gold. The hunt for good recipes is one of my favourite things about cooking; the feeling you get when you take that first bite of an untried recipe’s dish and realise you just made something absolutely scrumptious is the best feeling ever! Then comes the scary second making of that dish. Will it turn out the same? Or was that first successful time a fluke?
Linda’s Lasagna (bless you, Linda!) was one of my early finds. I’ve made it at least five times for various party occasions, and it was unfailingly a hit. Two other friends made it with the same success. The recipe worked for me time and time again, until…I accidentally grabbed a box of no-boil, “oven-ready” lasagna noodles instead of regular noodles (the ones you need to boil first).
It was a disaster. Instead of turning out al dente — perfectly cooked, not-too-soft, not-too-tough —, my lasagna was chewy, with crunchy bits. The top noodle layer was the worst, curled up and stiff as a board. I cringed with every bite, squirming with shame every time my dinner guests insisted that “it’s good!”. It’s not. I’m eating it too, you know. Stop lying to me.
Today, as my lasagna sauce was simmering on the stove, I realised with horror that I’d picked up a box of oven-ready noodles again. Panicking, I turned to Google for help. Surprisingly, there were very few articles about what to do in this situation. Few solutions, but many complaints. Quite a number of people have faced the same issue, and forsworn oven-ready noodles for regular noodles that need to be boiled.
While you don’t need to cook their no-boil noodles for a traditional layered-up lasagna, they advise, “If you are making lasagna roll-ups, you can boil Barilla® Oven-Ready Lasagna for 3-5 minutes, so the sheets become more pliable and can be easily rolled.” Ronzoni recommends that their Oven Ready Lasagna noodles be …
(Except After Ice Cream)
Every now and then, I find a recipe that’s solid gold. The hunt for good recipes is one of my favourite things about cooking; the feeling you get when you take that first bite of an untried recipe’s dish and realise you just made something absolutely scrumptious is the best feeling ever! Then comes the scary second making of that dish. Will it turn out the same? Or was that first successful time a fluke?
Linda’s Lasagna (bless you, Linda!) was one of my early finds. I’ve made it at least five times for various party occasions, and it was unfailingly a hit. Two other friends made it with the same success. The recipe worked for me time and time again, until…I accidentally grabbed a box of no-boil, “oven-ready” lasagna noodles instead of regular noodles (the ones you need to boil first).
It was a disaster. Instead of turning out al dente — perfectly cooked, not-too-soft, not-too-tough —, my lasagna was chewy, with crunchy bits. The top noodle layer was the worst, curled up and stiff as a board. I cringed with every bite, squirming with shame every time my dinner guests insisted that “it’s good!”. It’s not. I’m eating it too, you know. Stop lying to me.
Today, as my lasagna sauce was simmering on the stove, I realised with horror that I’d picked up a box of oven-ready noodles again. Panicking, I turned to Google for help. Surprisingly, there were very few articles about what to do in this situation. Few solutions, but many complaints. Quite a number of people have faced the same issue, and forsworn oven-ready noodles for regular noodles that need to be boiled.
Here’s what I gleaned from the Net:
- Cooking regular lasagna noodles can be messy business. They can stick to each other while in the pot, so you need to stir them occasionally as they’re boiling. It takes about 9 minutes to cook them, depending on the brand. Once they’ve cooked, you need to drain them and immediately separate them. If you leave them in the strainer, they’ll stick together, and are guaranteed to tear when you try to separate them
- You may think that “oven-ready” means you can assemble the lasagna and pop the whole thing into the oven straightaway. Not so! Unless your recipe doesn’t specify the use of oven-ready noodles (and most don’t), steps need to be taken to avoid an undercooked, dry-noodles fiasco. These steps add 30 minutes of noodle preparation, but reduce your sauce cooking time by about half. For most recipes, that means that using oven-ready noodles takes about the same time, overall, as using regular ones. As a bonus, you won’t have an extra pot to wash up
With this no-boil lasagna method, lasagna noodles already get soft from soaking, and then finish cooking in the oven with the lasagna.
Now, see how soft are the lasagna noodles after soaking:
Here’s the picture of lasagna noodles soaking in hot water in a glass baking dish:
Making no-boil lasagna is easy. Here are 2 things you need to do to make no-boil lasagna:
When you assemble your lasagna, add water to your tomato sauce at the ratio of 1 part water to 2 parts of tomato sauce. For example, if you are using 1 jar of tomato sauce, mix this tomato sauce with 1/2 jar of water.
Do you have to boil lasagna noodles before baking?
FAQ
Is it better to soak lasagna noodles or boil them?
Is it best to soak lasagne sheets before cooking?
How do you soften ready to bake lasagna noodles?
What is the difference between regular lasagna noodles and oven-ready lasagna noodles?
Should you soak lasagna noodles before cooking?
Soak the lasagna noodles before cooking if you have a chunky sauce. Do it with lukewarm to hot water for about 3 to 5 minutes depending on the amount or until they are soft to the touch. If you plan on boiling oven-ready lasagna noodles, make sure the water is boiling first before you place them in.
Can one eat lasagna?
Lasagna can be eaten, but we must know what the person needs, or better. If you seek weight loss, or control the consumption of pasta and cheese. If you are looking for weight loss, it is advisable to replace the layers of pasta with vegetables, such as zucchini or eggplant, helping to balance the nutritional value.
Should you soak lasagna before baking?
Cover the lasagna with aluminium foil before baking. This will trap the moisture inside the casserole dish There are conflicting opinions about whether you should soak/boil your oven-ready noodles before assembling the lasagna. One Italian chef says never to do it, because your noodles will become soggy. Others advocate it.
How do you soften oven-ready lasagna noodles?
You’ll need to soak your oven-ready Lasagna noodles to soften them. To soak your oven-ready Lasagna noodles, follow the following easy steps. Place your oven-ready Lasagna noodles in an aluminum pot or other convenient container. Five to six cups of oven-ready Lasagna noodles are sufficient. Boil some water thoroughly in a separate container.