Holidays, relationships, family, and traditions. When we were first married, I learned some of my wife’s family holiday traditions just as she learned some of mine. And one of her family’s biggest Christmas traditions was a huge family dinner featuring their lasagna recipe.

Though I’d had lasagna before, to me it was just another meal. But for her, it is a symbol of family and traditions. And so it became an important meal to learn how to make properly.

Many times my wife and I will work together in a tag team to make this recipe.

I will start off boiling the water, browning the beef, and seasoning the sauce. Then when it is all prepped, my wife will then start assembling the lasagna layer by layer. Together we throw it in the oven, make a few sides, and enjoy a family meal.

Simple Lasagna Recipe

Lasagna is all about the layers. Meat in a tomato sauce, noodles, and cheese. Lots and lots of cheese.

It starts with cooking the meat and doctoring up the tomato sauce. Adding in some garlic, onion, and herbs really helps up the sauce game.

Cook the noodles while the meat is browning and make sure all your mozzarella and parmesan are shredded and ready to go. Then it is a matter of layering and baking.

The number of layers you get may depend on how deep your pan is, but most 9 x 13 pans should fully fit this recipe. I recommend having a kind of assembly area set up with your pan in the center and all of the layer ingredients nearby. Then just stack up all the layers basically until your ingredients are gone.

Once you’ve layered and baked it right, you’ll have a dish oozing with cheesy flavor and packed with perfectly seasoned sauce.

Bread and Other Accompaniments

Maybe more than any other food, my wife loves bread. So I guess it just makes sense that this lasagna recipe goes perfectly with bread of all varieties. The bread is great to mop up the leftover red sauce as you eat the lasagna. Because you don’t want any of that to go to waste.

Pair this with any kind of bread – dinner rolls, garlic knots, garlic bread, cheesy bread, focaccia, ciabatta, sourdough…

But bread is not the only pairing for lasagna. For other side dishes, try any of the following:

• Roasted Asparagus
• Caesar Salad
• Garlic Butter Sauteed Green Beans
• Simple Side Salad

So bring your favorite bread and side to join in with this delicious oven dish.

How did yours turn out?

I’d love to hear when you try out this lasagna recipe! Take a pic of your food and share your success with me by adding it to your Instagram stories or feed, and tagging me @doyouroux, or by using #doyouroux.

Plus, leave a rating to let me know how you liked the recipe. It helps me out a lot to know how things worked out… or didn’t.

Rodda Family Christmas Three-Cheese Lasagna

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: DinnerDifficulty: Intermediate

Servings

10

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

Total time

1

hour 

30

minutes

Family favorite three-cheese lasagna recipe with a deliciously flavored meat sauce, tons of gooey cheese, and a perfectly browned top

Ingredients

• 1 package lasagna noodles (16 oz)

• 3 pounds ground beef

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 small yellow onion, diced

• 2 teaspoons dried oregano

• 2 teaspoons dried basil

• 2 teaspoons dried thyme

• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

• 4 cups prepared tomato sauce

• 3 cups cottage cheese

• 3 cups shredded mozzarella

• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan

• 9 oz fresh mozzarella

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)
• Set a large pot of salted water over high heat, bring it to a boil, add in the lasagna noodles, and cook until al dente according to package directions
• While the water is heating, brown the beef in a large skillet over medium heat
• Drain the fat from the beef after it has fully browned
• Add the garlic, onion, oregano, basil, thyme, and parsley to the beef and cook for 3 to 5 minutes while stirring
• Pour the tomato sauce over the beef, stir to combine, and let simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally
• Get a 9″ x 13″ baking pan and gather together the cooked noodles, beef in red sauce, and various cheeses to begin assembly
• Spread about 1/2 cup of meat and sauce into the bottom of the pan
• Place down noodles in an even layer to cover the meat sauce
• On top of the noodles, evenly spread about 1 and 1/2 to 2 cups of the meat in red sauce
• On top of the meat sauce, evenly spread about 1 cup shredded mozzarella, 1 cup cottage cheese, and 1 tablespoon parmesan
• Repeat steps 8 through 10 two more times for a total of three layers of each ingredient
• Add one more layer of noodles on top of the cheese, spread the remaining meat sauce over the noodles, and then cover it with an even layer of fresh mozzarella and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• Place it in the oven to bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the cheese on top is fully melted and bubble
• For slight browning on top when it has finished baking, switch your oven to broil and let the lasagna broil for about 3 minutes until the cheese on top is nicely browned – watch it carefully to avoid burning
• Let the lasagna cool for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving

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The post Rodda Family Christmas Three-Cheese Lasagna Recipe appeared first on Do You Roux?.

The beauty of caprese salad is in its simplicity. It is a basic dish comprised mostly of mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. Salt, pepper, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar help add more depth of flavor. When combined together, they become a bright, fresh, flavorful mouthful.

But because it is a simple dish, the quality of your ingredients makes a big difference in the final flavor. So make certain that you source excellent components so that every part can shine through.

This is an easy dish to make for a crowd. Just build and layer until there is enough for everyone to snack on. So don’t be afraid to grab a stack with your fingers and take a bite of juicy flavor.

An Italian Dish

The salad was named for the island Capri in Italy, where it likely originated. It also looks distinctly like the Italian flag, depending upon the order in which you layer it. So of course it had to be Italian with those kinds of colors.

You can make a caprese salad without the balsamic reduction. But it just sounds fancier. Try saying it out loud – balsamic reduction. Nice. And all it is is balsamic vinegar put over heat until it loses water and thickens up. Oh, it also imparts a ton of unique flavor.

So there’s that.

Ingredients::

• Fresh Mozzarella – A soft southern Italian cheese that has a very mild flavor.
• Basil – Delicious, peppery herb that packs a punch of flavor.
• Tomatoes – Fresh from the garden are the best, but some large store-bought work well.
• Balsamic Vinegar – A dark, concentrated vinegar made from aged, mashed grapes.
• Olive Oil – Extra virgin olive oil will have a lot more flavor than any other variety.
• Salt – Essential food flavoring ingredient. I recommend getting a quality finishing salt for this dish.
• Pepper – Just grind some fresh stuff.

All-In on Caprese Salad

Though it is called a salad, this dish is typically served as an appetizer – an aperetivo in Italian. But it can easily be served as a side dish, salad, or appetizer, depending upon your needs.

The chocolate syrup-looking thing in the photo below is actually the balsamic glaze. You could buy a balsamic reduction instead of making one to help speed things up slightly. But it does not save much time. It also is not very difficult to make a homemade balsamic reduction. Just start with a quality balsamic vinegar, put it on the heat, and let it simmer until it is thickened.

Bonus because it also spreads warm, slightly acidic aromas through the air as it reduces on the stove. I also recommend trying out a balsamic glaze on a watermelon feta salad instead of the original dressing I paired with it. So test that out if you have any extra glaze.

As you can see from the photos, it really is a simple dish. It is easy to make and comes together in about 15 to 20 minutes depending on how long you simmer the vinegar. In my opinion, the most difficult part is getting and using the basil at the right time before any of it has a chance to discolor.

So grab the ingredients, and make this quickly to enjoy a fresh appetizer that can be dressed up or down depending on what you serve with it.

Caprese Salad Platter with Balsamic Reduction

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: Appetizers, SaladsDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Total time

20

minutes

This bright, fresh, flavorful caprese salad is a perfectly stacked appetizer of mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil topped with balsamic vinegar glaze

Ingredients

• 1 cup balsamic vinegar

• 4 medium tomatoes

• 18 ounces fresh mozzarella

• 18 large basil leaves

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• Pinch of flaky salt

• Dash of pepper

Directions

• In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, simmer the balsamic vinegar and reduce until it has thickened by half, about 15 minutes
• While the vinegar is reducing, slice the tomatoes and mozzarella into approximately 18 thick (around 1/4 inch) rounds
• When the vinegar has reduced by half, remove it from the heat and let it cool
• On a large plate or platter, layer alternating slices of mozzarella, tomato, and basil leaves until all slices are used up
• Use two small spoons to drizzle the balsamic reduction and the olive oil over all layers of the arranged slices
• Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the dish and serve

The post Caprese Salad Platter with Simple Balsamic Reduction appeared first on Do You Roux?.

Growing up, I did not really like pasta salad. I think it is mostly because I didn’t realize there was variety to it. In my mind, I pictured some bland pasta with black olives (bleh) and hardly any other fixings. Not so with this loaded pesto pasta salad recipe. Plus, I am a fan of alliteration so a pesto pizza pasta salad with pine nuts, pepperoni, and parmesan is just too good to pass up.

This pasta salad packs a punch of flavor. It is super easy to make and comes together in 20 minutes or less. Basically, cook the pasta, get all the ingredients out, and toss it all together until mixed. It is that simple. And you have a full side salad – or double the recipe and serve it as the main dish.

Inspired by pesto pizzas I have had in the past, this takes all of those great ingredients and tosses them with pasta. I haven’t yet made a pesto pizza recipe, but I do have a delicious white pizza recipe you can give a try if you crave pizza and not pasta.

The best part is there is no need for exactness. It is easily adaptable to your own needs or preferences. Cook as much pasta as you want. Add more or less of different ingredients. Include new ingredients in your own pasta salad, or even swap things out for other options entirely. I have a few options in the following section.

Options for Pesto Pasta Salad

Pesto – Though there are 10 ingredients in this recipe, I think the one that everything most hinges on is the pesto. A pesto pizza pasta salad can’t be good if the pesto is bad. You can make your own pesto. Which I love doing. But typically I make a basil-based pesto and it takes a lot of fresh basil. So I usually don’t do that until we’re in the full summer harvest with loads of basil available from the garden. But you can make pesto with different greens or with different nuts. Experiment and tell me how it goes!

There are also a lot of great store-bought options for pesto. Those won’t be quite as fresh, but can still be delicious. Especially paired with every other mix-in.

Pasta – A lot of other pasta shapes can be used. But it is important to think of how they will grab onto the pesto. Shapes with little nooks and crannies are helpful so that you don’t just have a bunch of pesto sitting in the bottom of the bowl. Bowties are another common pasta shape for pasta salads.

Cheeses – Fresh mozzarella and parmesan cheese are classic on pizza. However, you can add your favorite cheese to the mix.

Pine Nuts – I paired pine nuts with this recipe because they are the most common nut used in making pesto. But other options could work in this recipe like chopped walnuts or sunflower seeds.

You can also add in other ingredients like a squirt of fresh lemon juice, a cup of arugula, or sliced cherry tomatoes. Sub the pepperoni with salami or a different protein. As always, feel free to make it your own.

Pesto Pizza Pasta Salad Recipe

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: Salads, SidesDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Total time

20

minutes

A pesto pizza inspired pasta salad that is loaded with mozzarella, pepperoni, and pine nuts

Ingredients

• 3 cups dried rotini pasta

• 1 cup prepared pesto

• 3/4 cup small pepperoni

• 1/2 cup pine nuts

• 3/4 cup fresh mozzarella pearls or cubed mozzarella

• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

• 8 large basil leaves

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• Cook the pasta according to package instructions
• Chiffonade the basil leaves, cutting them into thin strips
• Combine all ingredients into a large mixing bowl
• Stir everything together until thoroughly mixed

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I’m dreaming of a white pizza, cause it already seems like it will probably be a white Christmas here. And pizza tastes better than snow. Unless maybe you’re at Bahama Bucks for some shaved ice.

Anyways, while working on the post for how to caramelize onions, I remembered this pizza. I was coming up with recipes that would use the caramelized onions and had the eureka moment. And it had been a very long time since I had made the pizza. Which is unacceptable with how delicious it is. So now I bring you this delicious combination of dough, sauce, and toppings.

The first incarnation of this recipe comes from my mom many years ago. While on a trip to Utah to see family she had a white pizza at The Pizza Factory. She loved it. But once she was back home, she wanted to recreate it. So she got to work and made her own version from how it was in her head.

And then it got interpreted again. Because this here is not exactly her recipe. It is my take on what she did. I loved the white pizza and hadn’t really had a non-red sauce pizza before she made it at home. It was a whole new world that I decided to dive into.

White Pizza Toppings

You can really customize this however you’d like. A lot of things taste great on a white pizza. This can make it really great for having people over because you can have everything ready to go and just let people choose their own toppings. But this combination below goes extremely well together.

• Cheese – The cheese obviously makes the pizza. This one uses a combination of fresh mozzarella, a block of mozzarella, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Using too much of the thick slices of fresh mozzarella seems to overload the pizza. But I like cheese everywhere so I shred a block of mozzarella to sprinkle over top and in between. Then the shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano is a finishing touch on top.
• White Garlic sauce – For this, you essentially make a garlic béchamel sauce using a roux with some garlic and parmesan added for flavor.
• Chicken – Cooked and chopped beforehand, I prefer to use some marinated and grilled chicken but had to improvise for this one since I didn’t want to go out and grill in below freezing temps. So I used a grill pan on the stovetop. You can use whatever chicken you’d like – rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken from another recipe could work here.
• Bacon – Salty. Fatty. Cooked crisp and crunchy. I crumble the slices of bacon once they are cooked to sprinkle over the pizza.
• Caramelized onion – The inspiration for posting this recipe came when I was making caramelized onions. These lend a complex mix of savory and pop of sweetness to the recipe that helps balance some of the other toppings.
• Spinach – Wilted in a bit of olive oil, this lends some greens to the pizza and another texture to the mix.
• Pine nuts – These take on a toasted quality that brings out their crunch and buttery flavor when cooked on the pizza

Assembly and Baking

To put the pizza together, I find it helpful to set all the toppings out in bowls around where I will roll out the pizza dough. You can kind of see this in the photo above. Then after rolling and pre-baking, it is easy to grab a little of each and sprinkle it around to top it just how you like.

Below is a little before and after photo comparison slider for what the pizza looks like before and after baking.

To bake, you want your oven as hot as it will go. With my last oven, it was only 500°F, and I don’t think that it actually got that hot inside. While testing this recipe in the new house, I realized this oven went to 550°F (290°C) and it seems to actually reach those temperatures. The new one is also gas which likely affected how it cooked for me. But the dough came out perfectly crispy with a nice crunch as I rolled my pizza wheel through to cut slices.

For this recipe, I tried flipping the pizza crust after the initial 2 to 3-minute pre-bake and then putting the toppings on the side that was originally the bottom. This really helped the crust fully cook and crisp, even with the fresh mozzarella that tends to put out a lot of moisture while cooking.

Things will tend to get messy and you may feel like a flour monster attacked you and your kitchen, but it is fairly easy to clean up. Maybe you are neater than my sous chef and I are when in the kitchen. A damp rag or paper towel is usually enough to wipe things down. And, of course, it is much easier to clean up after having eaten some delicious homemade pizza.

Chicken Bacon White Pizza

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: EntreesDifficulty: Intermediate

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

25

minutes

Cooking time

35

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

Chicken, bacon, caramelized onions, and a deeply garlic sauce make this pizza stand out from the norm.

Ingredients

• Pizza dough for three 12-inch pizzas (this Serious Eats recipe is my go-to and gets the perfect amount, but it takes 24 hours to rest in the fridge, so prepare ahead)

• Garlic Béchamel Pizza Sauce

• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 3 tablespoons flour

• 1 cup milk

• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

• 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated

• Pizza Toppings

• 24 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced about 1/4″ thick

• 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded 

• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped (or about two cups chopped rotisseries chicken)

• 4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

• 1/2 cup caramelized onions

• 2 handfuls of spinach, sautéed in 1 tablespoon olive oil for 5 minutes

• 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shredded

• 1/4 cup pine nuts

• 6 large basil leaves, cut in a chiffonade or long, thin strips

Directions

• Garlic Béchamel Pizza Sauce
• Add garlic, butter, and olive oil to a sauce pan over medium heat
• Stir to melt the butter and sauté the garlic for 2 to 4 minutes until garlic is fragrant
• Mix in the flour to combine and stir while cooking for 3 minutes
• Whisk in milk, heavy whipping cream, and 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano until fully combined
• Heat the sauce until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes
• Remove from heat
• Pizza Assembly
• Preheat the oven to 550°F (290°C)
• Prepare all pizza toppings and have them easily accessible for putting on the pizzas
• Take a portion of dough for one pizza and roll it out on a floured surface to 12 inches in diameter
• Place the dough on a pan or pizza stone in the oven and cook 2 to 3 minutes until no longer doughy
• Remove from oven and flip the pizza crust over
• Top with fresh mozzarella, shredded mozzarella, chicken, bacon, caramelized onions, spinach, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and pine nuts – but do not overload the crust
• Put the topped pizza back in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes until cheese is melted and edges are golden brown
• Remove from the oven, sprinkle with sliced basil, and let cool
• Repeat steps 3-8 for remaining dough and toppings
• Slice and enjoy

Notes

• To reheat any leftovers (if that ever were to happen), just preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and put the slices in for 5 to 7 minutes until the bottom is hot and you hear everything sizzling

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