Can I substitute no boil lasagna noodles?

[bbenedict]

I have some no boil lasagna noodles languishing in my pantry and am wanting to use them up. I have been really wanting to try the hearty lasagna that folks rave about and am wondering if anyone has ever subbed no boil noodles. If so, anything special I need to do to make the change?

TIA
Bonnie




Hearty Lasagna
From_Cooking Light

3/4_ pound_ground round
Vegetable cooking spray
1_ cup_chopped onion
3_ garlic cloves, minced
1/4_ cup_chopped fresh parsley, divided
1_ (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1_ (14 1/2-ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1_ (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
1_ (6-ounce) can tomato paste
2_ teaspoons_dried oregano
1_ teaspoon_dried basil
1/4_ teaspoon_pepper
2_ cups_nonfat cottage cheese
1/2_ cup_(1 ounce) finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1_ (15-ounce) container nonfat ricotta cheese
1_ egg white, lightly beaten
12_ cooked lasagna noodles
2_ cups_(8 ounces) shredded Italian provolone cheese
Fresh oregano sprigs (optional)
Cook meat in a large saucepan over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble; drain and set aside. Wipe pan with a paper towel. Coat pan with cooking spray; add the onion and garlic, and sauté 5 minutes. Return meat to pan. Add 2 tablespoons parsley and next 7 ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Uncover; simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

Combine remaining 2 tablespoons parsley, cottage cheese, and next 3 ingredients in a bowl; stir well, and set aside.

Spread 3/4 cup tomato mixture in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 4 noodles over tomato mixture; top with half of cottage cheese mixture, 2 1/4 cups tomato mixture, and 2/3 cup provolone. Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Spread the remaining tomato mixture over noodles.

Cover; bake at 350° for 1 hour. Sprinkle with remaining provolone; bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with oregano, if desired.

[Gracie]

I always use these noodles no matter what recipe I'm using. I never add extra water or liquid or do anything at all special to compensate for these noodles. They are wafer-thin, much thinner than regular lasagna noodles so they don't need it. I don't even wet them before I put them in lasagna.

I like them for their ease in use of course, but they also make a much lighter lasagna. Not lighter in calories probably but the lasagna doesn't sit in your stomach like a rock. ;)

I'm sure other people will have different opinions or things that they do but my own experience is just use them and forget them! You may never go back - I won't! :)

Loren

[sneezles]

I agree with Loren and also use them exclusively. I found some whole wheat ones last week and used them in my lasagne on Tuesday. Not a soul made a comment on it being whole wheat pasta either!;)

[Gracie]

OMG Susan - you found whole wheat ones? Where? What brand?

thanks, Loren

[HDgirl]

I've been looking for WW lasagne noodles too. Glad to see I may come across them soon.

[sneezles]

Originally posted by Gracie
OMG Susan - you found whole wheat ones? Where? What brand?

thanks, Loren

Loren,
I've been searching the web hoping to find a picture but no luck...
the brand is Racconto Bella Terra and it's 100% whole wheat organic pasta that is imported from Italy. I also used some of the fettucine and it was great too. I found it at HEB which is a Texas grocery chain so that won't help you much.
Susan

[Gracie]

Well at least around here we have lots of grocery store choices in addition to the Whole Foods and TJ's.

Thanks!

Loren

[sooty]

I use them all the time. I dip them in boiling water briefly with tongs and lay them in the dish. I read (in some cookbook!) that they work better that way.

[Sami]

And although I love no boil lasagne noodles, I have some of the boil kind, and I no longer do that. I layer them just like the no boil, make certain there is plenty of liquid and generally refrigerate it overnight to get iit melding together. Works perfectly.

Sami

[bbenedict]

This is the first chance I've had to get back to the bulletin board since posting this morning. Thanks everyone for the specific directions on using the no boil and regular noodles.

Sami, do you usually add extra liquid for the regular noodles or is there some rule of thumb you use for figuring out whether there is enough liquid for them?


Susan, I'm guessing since no one in your family noticed that you were using the ww noodles, that they didn't have a strong taste. The reason I ask is that I made something from the BB Cookbook that used ww spaghetti with goat cheese, spinach and proscuitto. I felt like the ww taste of the pasta really overshadowed and competed with the other flavors. Maybe it was the brand of ww pasta I used, Hodgson Mills.

Thanks folks. I'll give the hearty lasagna a try with the no boil noodles. Can't wait.

Bonnie

[sneezles]

Originally posted by bbenedict
Susan, I'm guessing since no one in your family noticed that you were using the ww noodles, that they didn't have a strong taste. The reason I ask is that I made something from the BB Cookbook that used ww spaghetti with goat cheese, spinach and proscuitto. I felt like the ww taste of the pasta really overshadowed and competed with the other flavors. Maybe it was the brand of ww pasta I used, Hodgson Mills.

Bonnie

Bonnie,
You're correct about the taste. I used Alysha's Marinara Sauce and it had ground beef and Italian sausage plus ricotta and other cheeses...not much chance of tasting the pasta :p . I've used Hodgson Mills pasta before and didn't realy notice a strong flavor but it could be you're more sensitive to the taste than I.

[bbenedict]

Susan you are "Johnny on the Spot" with your reply. I haven't really had a whole lot of ww pasta before, so maybe I'm just sensitive to the taste as you suggested. I was interested in the comparison of pastas in CL this month saying basically that the only big difference was fiber. That was no surprise.

By the way, your lasagna sounded Mmmmmmmmm! Wish I could've had a piece.

Bonnie

[Fig]

Hey Bonnie,

I just happened to make the Hearty Lasagna with no boil noodles tonight, and it turned out perfectly just using them right out of the box. It's really a great recipe if you haven't tried it yet.

Sarah

[Sami]

Bonnie,

When I use regular noodles, I just make certain they are covered with sauce so it can soak in. I just really wing it, but I do try to let it sit overnight so the stuff around the noodles can soften them.

Sami

[bbenedict]

Thanks Sami. I'm telling you, I'm so glad to hear that works. The biggest pain about throwing lasagna together is boiling the noodles.

Bonnie

[bbenedict]

I had the Hearty Lasagna last nite made with no boil noodles. I cooked it for the recommended hour at 350 degrees and then topped with the remaining provolone and baked the recommended 10 more minutes. (I figured the ingredients were all cold so it would need at least the recommended time.) After the 10 minutes uncovered, it still looked a little wet so I gave it another 5 minutes. I let it rest for 10.

When I cut the slices, it was VERY loose. When I cooked the sauce the day before I thought it seemed a little loose but always like to follow the recipe the first time. I think I should've cooked the sauce a little longer to get a thicker consistency.

Sarah, how thick was your sauce?

I thought the flavor of the lasagna was great and am hoping it will be a little firmer after setting up over night. I'll just have to wait and see.

I'm wondering if I'd used the cooked regular noodles if, because they are thicker, they would've absorbed more of the liquid from the sauce.

Bonnie

[Fig]

Bonnie, my sauce ended up being fairly thick. I used two 14.5 oz cans of Red Gold diced tomatoes instead of 28 oz of whole tomatoes, cut up, don't know if that makes a difference or not. I have noticed that some brands of diced tomatoes are "saucier" as opposed to "juicier" if that makes any sense. Anyway, I also did the sauce in a Dutch oven because I don't have a large enough saucepan. Perhaps the extra surface area made mine simmer down a bit more.

In any case, I did not refrigerate mine overnight, just made it up and popped it in the oven. I did let it rest about 25 minutes though before cutting, I think that made a big difference.

Hope that helps!

Sarah

[kjh01]

I use the Delverde brand (square noodles in the green, gold & red pkg) and I soak them very briefly in chix stock, drain and then put into the casserole. They taste grest and I love saving a step!

[bbenedict]

Thanks Sarah! Next time I'll try using two smaller cans. Maybe I can give the cans a shake to see if they sound like they've got a lot of liquid. Resting longer is a good idea too, but I was STARVING! Leftovers are on the menu tonight so hopefully, it will have set up a bit.

Kjh01, I'll look for the brand you use to try, too. It is nice to save that extra step. Boiling large lasagna noodles is not my favorite thing to do.

Thanks!
Bonnie

[Gracie]

I mentioned on a different lasagna post that I always let my lasagna sit for a minimum of 30 minutes after cooking to help it set and cut easier. Sometimes it even sits longer. My lasagna always cuts well and I am able to help the fact that it has cooled so much but serving with piping hot sauce.

But the key to cuttable lasagna is letting it sit for AWHILE.

Loren

[bbenedict]

I'll make sure I let it sit for longer next time. (I actually divided the lasagna into two 8 inch square pans and have one in the freezer for later.)

The good news is that I had leftovers last night and they were great. Not runny and they held together. The last piece I'm having for lunch today.

Bonnie

[JessicaT]

I use the regular lasagna noodles too without boiling them. I follow my recipe exactly the same as I would if I had boiled the noodles. I don't do anything different, i.e. letting it sit overnight or adding extra liquid. It still works absolutely fine and my lasagna tastes just as good as it does the boiling way, and is SO much less work.

Jessica

[bbenedict]

COOL! Thanks for the hot tip.

Bonnie