Tandoori Lasagna

Yes this is lasagna with a twist, a fusion of Indian and Italian cuisine.

I wanted to make a lasagna, spice it up, give it a "desi" (generally used to refer to Indian) touch, but was skeptical about the outcome. Well, the outcome was wonderful , it was a hit and liked by the ones I made it for. Though I could not take decent , "blog-worthy" pictures , the recipe was too good not to share.

Lasagna is made in stages, then assembled and baked, so the list of ingredients may seem pretty long but it actually is a very quick, easy, no-fuss preparation. Using no boil noodles also cuts on the cooking time and process.

Ingredients:

7-8 no boil lasagna noodles,
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese,
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese,
non stick spray, (optional)

For the meat sauce:

2 - 3 tbsp. oil,
1 medium onion, chopped,
1.5 tbsp ginger paste,
1.5tbsp garlic paste,
1.5 lbs minced meat, (lamb/beef/turkey/chicken),
3 medium tomatoes, ground to paste without using water,
6 tbsp. tandoori chicken masala, (I used 2 different brands, 3 tbsp. of "Shan" and 3 tbsp. of "Badshah"),
2 tbsp. tomato ketchup,
salt, to taste,
chili powder , to taste (optional)
4 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped
3 tbsp. mint leaves, chopped,
juice of a lemon/ lime

For the ricotta mix:

1 15oz. container of ricotta cheese
2 eggs, slightly beaten,
few mint leaves, chopped,
few coriander leaves, chopped ,
3 tbsp. Parmesan cheese,
salt and pepper to taste.

Method:

Cook the meat sauce, make the ricotta mix, assemble the noodles and bake.

To cook the meat sauce:

Heat oil , add onions and fry till translucent. Add the ginger , garlic pastes and fry for a min. Then add the minced meat and cook till its no longer pink. Add the tandoori masala, chili powder if you want it more spicy, salt , coriander and mint leaves and fry for some time. Now add tomato paste and ketchup and cook on low /med. heat until the meat is cooked. Add lemon juice and mix.

To make the ricotta mix:

Beat together all the ingredients .

To assemble and bake :

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F

Spray a 8"X 11" glass baking dish with non stick spray. This is totally optional, i like to do it to make sure the food does not stick and the slices come out easily . Pour some meat sauce and arrange the noodles. Pour some more meat sauce, then layer it with ricotta mix, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and repeat the layer one more time starting with the noodles . Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for an hour or follow the baking instructions on the box of noodles. Remove from the oven and let it rest for few mins. before you serve. Enjoy !

Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to a week, it does reheat beautifully.

The tandoori chicken masala is a real saver. I suggest even the vegetarians to keep a packet of this in their pantry. It can be used to flavor paneer, roasted vegetables,potato fries, chips, burgers, soups, sauces, curries, parathas, salads, nuts, vegetable biryani, breads/ rotis etc. etc.

This is my contribution to the following events :

Presto Pasta Nights hosted by Amy originally created by Ruth
and Original recipe created by Lore of Culinarty.

I am also sending this recipe as an entree menu to Yasmeens Health Nut Challenge where she asks us to prepare a heathy three course meal . My appetizer would be the Roasted Red Pepper Hummus and for dessert its Healthy Choco Logs.