for the love of lasagna

The first time I made lasagna in my Baker’s Edge pan I forgot to take the lasagna recipe from their site with me to the store so I used the recipe from the back of a lasagna noodle box. I had consulted my friend Maggi, a fantastic cook and a long time owner of a Baker’s Edge pan, on the best noodles to use. She recommended Ronzoni (and warned that DiCecco and no-cook noodles simply won’t fit). I cooked the noodles according to the instructions on the box and when I was ready to assemble the lasagna discovered that they were, tragedy!, too wide for the pan.

I re-consulted Maggi and discovered that she uses a method from the Barefoot Contessa of soaking the lasagna noodles in boiled water just until they are pliable. With this method they don’t cook enough to get too wide for the pan. I decided to try again and this time I took the lasagna recipe from the Baker’s Edge site (third from the bottom) with me to the store. Their recipe says to use uncooked lasagna noodles. Although it calls for a lot of sauce and only three layers of noodles, I was a bit concerned that the noodles wouldn’t cook. After a short struggle (soaked? dry? soaked? dry?) I decided I really wanted to find out if dry noodles would actually work.

The recipe filled the pan up to the very top:

Turns out I had no reason to worry, everything cooked perfectly and it tasted better than the recipe on the noodle box while managing to be easier to make and creating fewer dishes to clean. Bravo! The small spatula that comes with the pan was perfect for cutting and lifting pieces out out the pan without any trouble.

Maggi recommended that I make sure to spread the sauce all the way to the edges and corners of the lasagna noodles to avoid getting dry or crispy lasagna bits, and we didn’t have any. But for those of you who do like the crispy bits of lasagna (and I know you exist since many of you left comments in my first post about brownies) you could try a little less hard to get the sauce spread all the way to the edges, but if you do I would recommend cooking the noodles first. That way they’ll also be every so slightly too wide and the ruffled ends of the top noodles will stick up out of the pan just a bit. Sound good?

Here is a picture of a good reason to make lasagna in a Baker’s Edge pan, behold what just out of the oven lasagna looks like when the weight of 9″ x 12″ of sauce and melted cheese aren’t creating enough pressure to cause all the goodness to ooze out:

And look! Baker’s Edge is going to be coming out with a lasagna pan soon!

· comments [40] · 08-30-2007 · categories:food ·

40 responses so far ↓

1 Sol // Aug 30, 2007 at 5:29 am

Hi :) Here in Italy no body cooks the lasagna before baking it!! Yours look really good.. I want that pan!!! *sigh*…
2 Karan // Aug 30, 2007 at 5:45 am

So…I’m wondering why you didn’t turn it out onto a plate like you did the brownies? hehe We use our Baker’s Edge pan to cook lasagne too and my daughter wants me to make a maze cake with it for her birthday.
3 Miss Sassy // Aug 30, 2007 at 6:19 am

Oh yum. That looks fabulous. I’m all about the edge pieces with lasagna but not brownies. I don’t cook the noodles first either. I think I use Barilla noodles.
4 Carrie // Aug 30, 2007 at 6:28 am

I am so excited I can barely contain myself! My husband’s mother (who’s from Venezuela) gave me her Polenta con Carne recipe. I love it and my favorite parts are the corners and edges, cooked in this pan every piece will be an edge! I cannot wait until this pan is for sale.
5 Karan // Aug 30, 2007 at 7:01 am

http://www.bakersedge.com/
6 Sarah // Aug 30, 2007 at 7:14 am

Yum! (well, if I ate meat)
I just use fresh lasagne sheets and kitchen scissors – fits any size pan!
7 leandra // Aug 30, 2007 at 7:38 am

OMG, I can put this off no longer…

(off to the website)
8 Jonah // Aug 30, 2007 at 7:49 am

i was home sick when i read your other post about the pan and right there and then bought it because i love the edges on brownies. i tried it out last weekend and it was a hit with me and my bf who loves the edges on brownies. we didn’t have to fight over the corners like we would normally do. thank you so much! i’m going to try lasagna and upside down pineapple cake this weekend. i love the sugary crust on a pineapple upside down cake!
9 Cynthia // Aug 30, 2007 at 7:56 am

I have stopped pre-cooking lasagna noodles. It always works. For the nervous, the first time you do it add a little extra liquid to the sauce. I have found that almost any conventional sauce recipe works as long as you use lots – you often end up with a lasagna that holds its shape better with less sliding all over the plate.
10 Christie Gray // Aug 30, 2007 at 7:56 am

I love this pan! I really love making brownies in it. I’ve been trying to think about other recipes I could make in it, any suggestions?
11 megan // Aug 30, 2007 at 8:06 am

Carrie – The brownie pan (equivalent to a 9×12 pan) is available now, but the larger pan meant specifically for lasagna isn’t out yet. I made this lasagna in the brownie pan, just breaking the noodles to fit the length.

Christie – See the recipes at the Baker’s Edge site, there are lots and a few are from excellent food bloggers.
12 caitlyn // Aug 30, 2007 at 8:29 am

Thank you so much for writing about this! I’ve been looking for another yummy (but relatively easy) lasagna recipe to try, and I think this is it! What brand of pasta sauce did you use? When I’ve made veggie lasagna in the past, I’ve used crushed tomatoes in place of pasta sauce. Off I go to purchase the Baker’s Edge pan!
13 megan // Aug 30, 2007 at 8:33 am

Caitlyn – The recipe calls for a larger than normal jar of sauce (2 lb 13 oz) so I bought the only 3 lb jar I could find, which was Ragu brand. It was salty, and next time I’ll likely use two jars of sauce and eye the amount. Or if I have the time make my own.
14 Liberty // Aug 30, 2007 at 8:47 am

Thanks so much for writing this – now I have to buy one of these pans. You should get commission =).

Do you know what the approximate equivalent dimension of the lasagna pan is? I see that the brownie one is about the same as a 9×13. How is the lasagna pan different?
15 Lori // Aug 30, 2007 at 9:01 am

How cute is that ice cream sandwich…haven’t had one of those in YERA! Can’t get them here in England, I think I’ll have to sew one :)
16 Lori // Aug 30, 2007 at 9:04 am

ps. and all this talk of lasagna and ice cream sandwiches is making my tummy growl! oh yup [just checked clock], it IS just about dinner time here!
17 Gwen // Aug 30, 2007 at 9:35 am

I’ve never cooked the lasagna before baking it. The sauce does the work for you in the oven! Your lasagna looks fabulous. I think you’ve inspired me to get that pan!
18 planetjune // Aug 30, 2007 at 10:05 am

Oh wow! I was tempted by the brownie pan when you talk about it before, but now I know it makes lasagne too, I don’t know how I’ll be able to resist it. I think I’ll hold out for the lasagne pan and then use it to bake extra large brownies as well :)
19 jasi // Aug 30, 2007 at 10:07 am

You’re appreciation for this one baking pan is simply adorable. I’m a minimalist, I don’t see the point of owning lots of things. But when I see someone who -really- enjoys a purchase and seeks to get the most out of it (with a fair bit of creativity), I’m inspired. Well done on making the most of your baker’s edge. Very nifty.
20 MamaLana // Aug 30, 2007 at 10:11 am

I just got two of these marvelous pans, one for me and one for my bf for Christmas. But I don’t think I can wait four more months to give it to her!! Say, I’d just love to have a receipe for Polenta Con Carne!
21 weird barrie // Aug 30, 2007 at 11:19 am

your friend maggi knows about raverly! that’s weird (well, maybe not since she’s a knitter) but my good friend from boston is good friends with the chicky who thought up raverly.

the world gets smaller and smaller every minute.
22 megan // Aug 30, 2007 at 11:43 am

Barrie – I’m pretty sure everybody who knits knows about Raverly, it’s a great idea. (I mean, I think it is, I don’t have an account.)
23 Andrea // Aug 30, 2007 at 12:37 pm

Everytime you show this pan, I have to supress the urge to go out and buy one!
24 courtney // Aug 30, 2007 at 3:34 pm

Oh I love lasagna! I stopped boiling my noodles a couple years ago. I was really nervous that the noodles wouldn’t cook.

Just wanted to let you (and all the other readers) know that if anyone needs a tea kettle they should go to target soon. We were in there today, and found that they had clearenced at least 4 styles they were about 75% off. Our store still had a pretty good selection of them too. We bought the most expensive, and didn’t even spend $8.
25 pomegranate. // Aug 30, 2007 at 4:45 pm

holy delicious! i love it!
26 Okwes // Aug 30, 2007 at 6:41 pm

my mom cooks lasagne without cooking the noodles first, and it turns out much better than if you do.

you do have to use A LOT of sauce and A LOT of cheese, but man is it good!

Good job! now i’m hungry! ^_^
27 Chief Family Officer // Aug 30, 2007 at 7:13 pm

I love the idea of this pan but decided against getting one because I wouldn’t use it enough – but now you’ve convinced me I would use it for *everything*!
28 bill // Aug 31, 2007 at 5:31 am

I must be dense. (Okay, we’ll take that as proven.) But whats the DEAL with this pan? As it, why is it made with that zigzag style? I gather its wonderful, for which, good deal, but why? Is it so things really only bake in ‘chunks’, so they’re easier to handle? I just don’t Get It. Could you elucidate for those of me who are feebly trying to figure this out? (If not, NBD; I’ll just move on to Trying to Figure Out other things, like shoelaces, library cards, and what you call popsicle sticks when they aren’t in popsicles.)
29 Janet Nelson // Aug 31, 2007 at 5:54 am

Now I have really got to get one. I dont see how the lasagne one is different. Heavier maybe? Either way, they have another customer.
30 Mindy // Aug 31, 2007 at 7:07 am

I always make my lasagna with dry noodles! Making lasagna is enough work without having to boil the noodles! I may have to get one of those pans! I imagine it is a lot easier to get uniform slices and I’m sure it contains the lasagna well. I always having the problem of taking out the first slice and then everything oozing over. By the way, just wanted to let you know that I love your website!
31 megan // Aug 31, 2007 at 8:43 am

Bill – The pan was originally intended to be a brownie pan that makes brownies with “two delicious, chewy edges on every individual serving”. The inventor loves edge piece brownies, you see. You can read more here. One advantage is that the brownies cook more evenly in the center… since there is no real center of the pan. The lasagna thing is really just because you can.

Janet – The pan for lasagna will be longer to accomodate all kinds of dried boxed lasagna noodles. The original pan was made to be equivalent to a 9×12 baking pan so you could easily use it for existing baked goods recipes. The original pan is just a bit too narrow for lasagna noodles and you have to break off about and inch and a half before you can fit it into the pan. The lasagna specific pan won’t have this trouble.
32 margie // Aug 31, 2007 at 4:13 pm

Ohhhh… that lasagna looks so freakin’ good. I’ve never heard of this pan until I saw it on your website and now I wanna check it out. I’d never think to try lasagna in there.
33 gwen aka tllgrrl // Sep 1, 2007 at 8:01 am

dang, that looks tasty!
the only thing keeping me from running out and getting one of these is the whole aluminium and non-stick thing.
anyone know if anything like this is made in something other that aluminium?
34 bill // Sep 1, 2007 at 9:59 am

OH! Well, heck, of course — the edges are the best part!

Thank you very much!
35 annechovie // Sep 1, 2007 at 7:01 pm

That looks sooooo good! Thanks for the info on not cooking the noodles first. I am drooling here and getting hungry fast!
36 cindy@staged4more // Sep 1, 2007 at 10:37 pm

OMG is there anything that this pan can’t do?! i want one *sigh*
37 Megan // Sep 5, 2007 at 6:36 am

ok..this looks great. I actually am a mushy middle of the pan brownie girl, so while I thought the idea was brillant, saw no need for the brownie pan. But lasagna, and potato casserole and the like — that’s another story. I love the cooked edges on those. Will have to get one. Thanks!
38 Kara Andrus // Sep 7, 2007 at 2:50 pm

Oh, this is the first I’ve heard of this pan, now I really want one! I love the edge pieces of brownies and it looks just perfect for lasagna and other stuff that normally mooshes all over when you cut out a piece.
39 eliz // Sep 7, 2007 at 6:29 pm

Hi! Like your website! Can’t wait to get one of the baker’s edge pans.
Quetion about the lasagne…are you saying you used regular lasagane noodles, the kind you usually cook in boiling water first…or did you use the kind of dry noodles that require no cooking before assembly? Thanks! Elizabeth.
40 Cleveland Real Estate // Jan 31, 2014 at 12:13 pm

I always soak my noodles for about 10 minutes in hot/near boiling water. Regular noodles. My lasagna always turns out beautifully! Extra sauce of course… Cool pan, but I like a thicker piece of lasagna on my plates!

for the love of lasagna

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