FAT TUESDAY DINNER RECIPES RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F
• For the meatballs, soak bread in milk to soften
• Squeeze out all excess moisture and crumble between your fingers as you add to mixing bowl containing the meat
• Season with salt and pepper, and add parsley, garlic, egg and a fat drizzle of EVOO
• Use a small scoop or wet hands with warm water and roll golf ball-sized meatballs
• Arrange on a parchment-lined or nonstick baking sheet and roast to light brown and almost cooked through 15-18 minutes
• Meanwhile, make the sauce: Heat olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, over medium heat
• Melt butter into oil and stir in garlic and onions, thyme, salt and pepper, and partially cover
• Let sweat 5 minutes, stirring frequently, to soften
• Add stock and stir in pure and tomatoes, breaking up tomatoes with potato masher
• Stir in torn basil; simmer 45 minutes adding the meatballs after 15 minutes
• Mix together the ricotta with eggs, nutmeg and half of the Parm cheese
• Finely chop the ham
• Reduce oven temp to 375°F
• Build lasagna in 9x13 pan: first some sauce then 3 ribbons of lasagna noodles, half the ricotta, ? of the mozzarella, half the ham, another layer of pasta, a layer of half the meatballs and some of the sauce, then sprinkle with some Parm
• Repeat the layers again and top with last of the red sauce and the remaining mozzarella and Parm cheese
• Bake lasagna covered with foil on baking sheet for 45-50 minutes
• Remove foil and bake to brown, 10-15 minutes more
• Let stand at room temp 15-20 minutes before cutting