This blog post is all about the 2019 cookbook Lasagna: A Baked Pasta Cookbook by Anna Hezel. In this review we will take a deep dive into the pages of this short but sweet cookbook covering 50 recipes for lasagna and baked pastas. I personally made a few of these recipes this week to test it out and let’s just say it was a week filled with yummy comfort food.
What is this cookbook about?
Well, it’s basically about Lasagna. I am a huge fan of single subject cookbooks because I feel like I’m taking a masterclass about it. This book goes into the types of pasta noodles you could choose from homemade to no-boil store bought. It then covers the types of sauces and how you can really use any ingredients to make a lasagna. Finally, the cheese section. After the lesson on ingredients you can make your own, or you can follow one of the many classic or unique recipes in the book.
Who is this cookbook for?
This book covers a variety of flavor profiles from the classics to more unique pairings like the Beet-Ricotta Lasagna with Brown Butter and Poppy Seeds. But is this book the right fit for you?
Fit for a Crowd: lasagna is a family meal, and this book delivers recipes that are best if you are feeding a lot of people at once. Most of the recipes say between 8-12 servings.
Vegans/Vegetarians: you will find a handful of recipes in here that will suit your dietary needs. There is a Potentially Vegan Puttanesca Lasagna, Eggplant Parm Lasagna, Lasagna with Kale Pesto, Accidentally Vegan Sweet Corn & Scallion Lasagna, Roasted Squash Lasagna with Leeks & Sage, and Sweet Pea Lasagna with Mint Pesto.
Weekend Friendly: these recipes are time intensive so I suggest you don’t stress yourself out by trying to tackle them during the busy weeknights. I made 3 recipes in one day and I was exhausted at the end. Be prepared to be in the kitchen for a while with this book.
The Full Meal: This book does dip into some non-lasagna recipes like the Garlic Bread, the Italian Restaurant Iceberg Lettuce Salad, and even dessert recipes. You could easily make a menu from this cookbook.
What is the skill level?
I would consider this book intermediate because there are just so many steps. Lasagna is not a hard dish to make depending up on which recipe you choose. However, the recipes in this book are more intricate with multiple steps and stages.
Ingredients:
The ingredients in these recipes are simple and can be found at any grocery store. What’s even more beneficial though, this cookbook gives you the tools to be able to take whatever you have on hand to make a delicious meal. So if you’ve got a few dying vegetables, a can of tomatoes in the pantry, random bits of cheese, and some dried herbs, you can throw it all together to make your own unique lasagna.
Are the recipes quick?
No. Not even a little bit. I made 3 recipes in one day and I was in WAY over my head. Even the slow cooker lasagna was time consuming. The whole point of a slow cooker meal, in my opinion, is that it saves time. But the preparations for even just that recipe, making the sauce, cooking the spinach, and breaking the pasta noodles to fit my oval shaped dish, it was a lot. The beauty of lasagna though, is that you can make it once and it lasts a few days depending on how many people you’re feeding. But I needed a few days off after spending upwards of 4 hours in the kitchen.
Testing the recipes:
There are so many unique recipes in this book, it was hard to choose just a few. I am only cooking for myself and my husband, so I really couldn’t go as deep into testing these recipes as I usually do. I made a meat lasagna for him, and a vegetarian lasagna for myself. Those 2 recipes, paired with salad each night, carried us through the entire week.
Recipes we made this week:
Classic Meat Sauce & Ricotta Lasagna (7/10)– this is your quintessential lasagna recipe. There is a lot of work that goes into this recipe but the serving sizes are huge. I could see myself reaching for this recipe for Christmas Eve dinner. This recipe would be the perfect lasagna to make ahead of time and freeze too.
Slow-Cooker Spinach Ricotta Lasagna (5/10)- If there is a shortcut recipe or method to save time I am all ears. The flavors were great, but my low score is due to the fact that it didn’t really save much time. In my opinion, the slow cooker is a tool to help lessen the amount of cooking. You still need to pre-cook the fillings and the sauce. If you care about having pretty slices of lasagna, this recipe isn’t it. It’s very difficult to cut the pieces nicely. I probably wouldn’t make this dish again and would rather go for one of the traditional oven lasagnas.
Italian Restaurant Iceberg Lettuce Salad (6/10)- the dressing for this recipe was so easy and it was spot on to any salad I’ve had in an Italian restaurant. We made some of the most delicious salads a few weeks ago when we cooked from Mandy’s Gourmet Salads.
Nuttellasagna (1/10)- I wanted to like this recipe so much. It’s a dessert lasagna made with Nutella and mascarpone cheese. Doesn’t that sound heavenly? This recipe is the creation of Allison Robicelli, a bakery owner in Brooklyn. I always love testing bakery recipes so I was even more intrigued. The result I got was nothing like shown to the left. The filling fell apart and oozed out after the first piece was cut and the texture of the noodles was gummy. The flavor was not as exciting as it seemed. The mascarpone cheese disappeared and the Nutella tasted like it lost all it’s flavor. This dish was so terrible we actually threw the entire thing away after just one serving.
About the Author:
At the time this book was published, Anna Hezel was the senior editor of Taste. She is now the senior editor at Epicurious. Her work can be found in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bon Appétit, Rolling Stone, GQ, and Eater. She also has a second cookbook: Tin to Table. This cookbook is all about using tinned seafood to create delicious meals. If you have been dying to live that Mediterranean lifestyle this spring and summer, this cookbook may be one to try.
Should you add Lasagna to your cookbook collection?
It depends. If you have a lot of family get togethers or you cook for a large crowd often, then this book may be useful to you. The lasagna recipes in this book make upwards of 12 servings. I can see myself reaching for this book for pot lucks or family dinner, mainly for special occasions. The dessert recipe did give me some trouble, but I don’t think I have given this book a fair chance yet. There are many more recipes I would like to try and if I do I will be sure to update this blog post with my new findings!
