Individual Lasagna Ramekins

I made individual ramekins of lasagna – this allows for endless customizing – even a version for my pesky pescatarian nephew! :) I got the idea while watching an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

I made the pasta from scratch – really a simple recipe --  used lots of cheese and jarred pasta sauce. Yes, I know – pasta from scratch and Ragu – but that's just how I roll. I made the pasta dough, and while it was resting, prepped everything else. The baking time is cut in half, because the smaller dishes cook faster. I used 14-ounce ramekins I picked up at Walmart. I served this with a salad and some easy to make garlic Parmesan rolls – Garlic Parmesan Knots

The following will make eight servings

For the pasta:

3 cups sifted flour

4 eggs

5-6 tablespoons olive oil

I used my stand mixer with the paddle attachment on the lowest speed to mix the above ingredients until a very thick (almost like play-doh) dough formed. I kneaded it for 10 minutes by hand, then wrapped it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to rest for an hour.

I rolled small bits by hand (I don't have the handy dandy pasta attachment for my mixer – YET) to the desired thickness (think of a lasagna noodle – a little bit thicker than that) and cut out 12 circles. I rolled each one by individually – a lot less effort that way to get to the desired thickness. For the ramekins I was using, a Tupperware onion keeper cut out perfect-sized circles.

For the lasagna:

1 pound ground round

1 pound ground Italian sausage (or you can use 2 pounds of ground round seasoned with some Italian seasoning & garlic)

2 24-ounce jars of your favorite pasta sauce (I used about 1 ½ jars) or about 4 ½ cups of your homemade tomato sauce

5 cups shredded mozzarella

1 cup grated Parmesan

15 ounces ricotta cheese

1 egg

2 cups of chopped up veggies (I used sliced yellow squash, green peppers and mushrooms)*

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning*

½ teaspoon garlic powder*

2 tablespoons butter*

2 tablespoons olive oil*

*I used these to make the meatless version for my nephew – if you just are making the traditional type, you can omit these.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Brown the ground round and sausage until done. Drain well. For the meatless version, toss the veggies with the Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a skillet. Sautee the veggies until tender.

Beat the egg and mix in with the ricotta cheese.

In each ramekin, spread a little sauce in the bottom. Layer meat (or veggie) mixture. Add a couple tablespoons of sauce. Place one pasta circle in the ramekin, cover with sauce. Divide the ricotta between all the ramekins, then add mozzarella to each. Add another meat (or veggie) layer, followed by sauce. Add the other pasta circle, covering it with sauce, then meat (or veggies), more sauce and mozzarella. Finish off by sprinkling Parmesan on each ramekin. Cover each ramekin with foil, making sure it doesn't touch the cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes, then remove foil and return to oven for 10-15 minutes until cheese starts to brown. Allow to set for 15 minutes before serving.