Lasagna Dome by TASTY

When I first saw this recipe, I was beyond intrigued. I've followed the TASTY website for quite some time, and I'm often super impressed with the creative recipes they put out. One recipe in particular really had me inspired to give it a try, their Lasagna Dome recipe. Instead of a traditional layered lasagna, this fun recipe created a lasagna dome by using the noodles as an outside layer that folded around the filling inside. I couldn't wait to give this one a try!
First off, here's a link to their version of the recipe for reference.
tasty.co/recipe/lasagna-dome

It's important to note that the original recipe contained beef, which I obviously swapped out for a vegetarian friendly alternative. Secondly, I used my own tomato sauce recipe and added some sautéed spinach to the ricotta filling. Otherwise, most of the recipe is identical to what theirs is. 

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1. FILLING – Heat the EVOO in a medium sized frying pan set to just below medium heat. Once heated, add the fresh spinach, a good pinch of sea salt, and a few splashes of water. Cover and cook until spinach is wilted. Transfer to a colander that is sitting above a bowl to catch any liquid. While the spinach cools, combine all of the other ingredients for the filling in a mixing bowl. When cooled, fold in the spinach, cover, and refrigerate until needed.

 

1. SAUCE – Heat the EVOO for the sauce in a medium sized pot set to medium heat. Once heated, add the pepper flakes, onions, celery, and carrot. Season with salt & pep, stir, and cook about 7 minutes. Make a well in the center of the pot and drop in the garlic. Let that sizzle for a minute before stirring in the tomato paste and continuing to cook for another 2 minutes. Pour in the canned tomatoes, fill a ¼ of the can with water to rinse out residual tomatoes and add this to the sauce. Bring to a boil. Once boiled, reduce heat to medium low, add the ¾ tsp. sea salt and a good handful of fresh basil, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and puree using an Immersion blender until smooth. Fold in the YVES Ground, cover, and leave on low until assembly.

 

1. While the sauce simmers, fill a large pot with cold, salted water. Bring to a boil on medium high heat. Once boiled, stir in the noodles to keep them from clumping together and cook to al-dente according to package directions. Strain the noodles and arrange them so that they are laid out and not all crumpled up in the colander.

 

1.  Preheat oven to 375 F

                Grocery List
EXTRAS

• 2x 500g Package Dry Lasagna Noodles
• 1 C Mozzarella, shredded
• Fresh Basil & Parsley – Garnish
• Grana Padano - Garnish

 TOMATO SAUCE

• 4 Tbsp. EVOO
• 1 Yellow Onion, diced
• 2 stalks Celery, diced
• 2 Carrots, peeled & diced
• 4 cloves Garlic, crushed & minced
• 1 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
• 796ml can Whole Plum Tomatoes
• 340g package Yves Veggie Crumble
• Handful Fresh Basil
• ½ Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
• ¾ Tsp. + Sea Salt
• Cracked Pepper

  RICOTTA FILLING

• (4 C Fresh Baby Spinach, 2 Tbsp. EVOO, Sea Salt, Water)
• 500g container Full Fat Ricotta
• 2 cloves Garlic, crushed & minced
• ¼ C Fresh Parsley, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. Fresh Basil, chopped
• 1 Large Free-Range Egg
• ½ C Mozzarella, shredded
• ¼ C Grana Padano, shredded
• ½ Tsp. Sea Salt
• Cracked Pepper

BECHAMEL

• 2 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter
• 2 Tbsp. AP Flour
• 1 ½ C Room Temp  2% Milk
• ¼ C Grana Padano, shredded
• ½ Tsp. + Sea Salt
• Nutmeg
• Cracked Pepper

TIME TO ASSEMBLE

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1. Spray the inside of a 9” springform pan with cooking spray and place the springform on a baking sheet. Place one end of the noodle in the center of the pan, draping the opposite end over the edge of the pan. Continue with noodles, gently overlapping each noodle as you work your way around the pan. Once you have all of your noodles ready, (Anywhere from 18 – 23 noodles) place half of the ricotta filling in the bottom of the pan. Spread it out and gently push it up against the sides so that the noodles inch closer towards the sides of the springform. Ladle over some of the sauce, (about 1/3 C) and sprinkle with 1/3 of the mozzarella. Cut remaining noodles and use them to form a single layer in the pan. (Reserve or discard remaining noodles) Place the other half of the ricotta on and spread it out evenly. Another ladle of sauce, and 1/3 of the mozzarella. Now, starting with the very last noodle you used to form the dome, fold it up over the filling, towards the middle of the pan. Work your way around until you have folded all of the noodles over to form an entirely sealed up dome. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top of the noodles.

 

1. Cover with foil and bake for 35 – 40 Min

1. BECHAMEL – With 10 minutes left in the baking time of the dome, begin the béchamel. Start heating up the butter in a small pot set to just below medium. Once bubbly, stir in the flour and continue to stir until fully combined. Reduce the heat and continue to stir for a minute or so to cook out any raw flavour. Slowly whisk in the cold milk and return the sauce to medium. Once the béchamel starts to rapidly boil, reduce heat once again to medium low and stir until rapid boiling stops. Add the salt, a few dashes of nutmeg, some cracked pepper, and simmer for 5 or so minutes until nice and thick. Remove from heat and stir in the grana Padano cheese.

 

1. Remove the dome from the oven and carefully set it onto a wire cooling rack, removing the foil cover. Once the springform is cool enough to handle, carefully invert the dome onto a serving dish. Unlock the pan, remove the top, and lift off the springform. Pour your creamy béchamel sauce all over the dome. Sprinkle with fresh basil and parsley prior to service.

 

1. For service, slice into it just like a pie! Serve each slice with some fresh herbs and a fresh grating of grana padano cheese. ENJOY!

​WHAT I LOVED

THINGS I DIDN'T LOVE

• The presentation. It was absolutely stunning to look at, especially after it was smothered in creamy béchamel
• My ricotta filling was absolutely delicious
• The "meat" sauce was delish too!
• Plating and presenting was wonderful. Such a stunning dish to present.

• Assembly was a bit of a pain in the arse.
• The top and bottom layers where the noodles kind of overlapped were far too thick. Even after the 45 minutes of baking, they were really hard to cut through because the noodle layer was just too thick. 
• Too many noodles overall

Would I make this again? I'm not entirely sure, I think I'd have to tweak the recipe in terms of the method if I was going to eat this again. As I said, the noodle layers on the top and bottom were just so thick with noodles that it wasn't the most enjoyable experience. If it were cooked longer, I think those noods would be a bit more tender, making it more enjoyable to eat.

Overall, it was pretty fun to make, and absolutely gorgeous to present. When that béchamel cascaded down the sides of the dome, I was immediately excited to cut into it. I think you guys should give it a try and let me know your opinions of it! Whether you make the original TASTY version or the one that I put together, I would love to know your thoughts!

HAPPY VEG