I read somewhere that you are not supposed to cut the onions ahead of time. Something about them spoiling due to bacterial growth,
Everything else sounds good to go.

For my money you can certainly do the lasagna today but I always use more sauce than usual if I make ahead as the noodles tend to absorb some.

I would do the lettuces for the salad today but other ingredients such as onions, peppers, tomatoes should be done the day of as they tend to weep and loose some texture.

Have a great holiday!

So if the pasta will soak up more sauce, what should I do since sauce seems pretty thick, should I add...water or tomato sauce, more wine????

I'm making two so doubled the recipe, it's so good, specially the leftovers.

I'll wait on the onions and tomatoes then, thanks for the info?

I've made Joe's Lasagna before and you're right , it's very thick ( and oh so good!)

If it was me I would add a bit more tomato sauce. What else I have done is add extra tomato sauce to the top just before putting into the oven. I use a knife to push the lasagna back from the edge of the pan a bit and let the sauce seep down the sides.

AFAIK, there's no problem with chopping onions ahead of time as long as you refrigerate them until you use them. I always chop my celery and onion the day before I make the dressing/stuffing for my Thanksgiving turkey. I refrigerate them together in a zipper bag, then pour them into a saute' pan the next day to prepare them for the dressing. Works great every time -- and it's so convenient. A wonderful time-saver on the big day.

When I was at Walmart this morning for some last-minute supplies, I noticed they had chopped onion and celery packaged together in a container in the refrigerated produce section. I don't think they could do that if there was a health issue.

Mara, I prepare onions and celery for stuffing in advance too, no problem when you are going to saute them. Same thing if they are going in a sauce, then texture is not an issue.

However, if you intend to use the veggies raw, as in a salad, they are much better cut closer to the time you want to use them. Nice and crisp.

I would like more tomato sauce to Joe's sauce....
For me It's way too thick....I want a saucy lasagna.
But if you add more sauce, you will dilute the good flavor....SO>>>
I would make a quick marinara sauce and serve it on the side.
And I sure would cut the salad stuff today and even slice the onions and peppers and bag separatly.
Even if bacteria does grow on the onions, it certainly won't be more than grows on sliced meat in the refrigerator.
I would have the lasagna ready to pop into the oven, the salad stuff bagged, the dressing mixed.....and all you have to do is heat the bread, empty all the baggies into the salad bowl....toss and serve.
Linda C

Another one that says it is ok to chop the veggies tonight. Be sure to hand chop the onions as the FP machine will cause them to give off more juice than you may like.

I routinely chop onions, grate carrots, etc on the weekend for the weeknight salads. I ain't got the time to do that after work!

If you haven't already done it... You can always cook the pasta and assemble tomorrow. Just dunk the cold cooked pasta in hot water for a few seconds tomorrow and proceed with the assembly.

It works well!

I think lasagna is actually better the next day for some reason, so I don't see a problem with prior assembly. I haven't made Joe's lasagna but the boss has and said her husband loved the stuff.

I wouldn't cut onions the day before either, I think they lose taste and texture after being refrigerated, but I don't think it's a safety issue at all. As a matter of fact, if the onions are strong, maybe losing a bit of taste might not be a problem!

Annie

Restaurants prep all manner of vegetables ahead of time for cooking, salads, sautes, just about everything. The trick is simply to make sure everything is clean and dry before slicing and sealed tightly before refrigerating.

Lettuces should be cut or torn, soaked for 15 to 29 minutes in cold water and then spun vigorously so that they are quite dry when put into the fridge. It helps also to put a paper towel in the bottom of the container to absorb any liquid you missed. If you haven't a salad spinner...use my emergency method. Put the lettuces in a clean, lint free pillowcase, and then go outside and spin the bag in circles as fast as you can. The centrifugal force will dry the lettuces and your neighbors will think you are quite odd.

Onions don't collect bacteria any more than any other vegetable, though I have heard that old wive's tale before. In fact, onions have been used for generations as a poultice because of their anti-microbial properties.

Ta-da!!! I'm finished, thanks to all of you. Two lasagna's with a little extra sauce, 2 loaves of french bread, lettuces all washed, torn, spinned and in bag w/paper towel. Table set, flowers, presents wrapped, now off to bed and tomorrow night I won't have aching feet, just fun.
Thanks for all the great tips. Merry Christmas

Yep, for years I chop up my veggies and bag them separately in ziplock sandwich baggies the day before and refrigerate. There's never ONE drop of liquid in the pkg. when I go to use them and they are as crisp as they were when I chopped them.

Same here, arlinek. Whether I later saute' the veggies or use them fresh in salads, they stay nice and crisp in zipper bags.

Ha ha, I just reread my post and realized I hit the 9 instead of the 0...looks like you have to be really careful about lettuce timing when you soak. It's all good up until 29 minutes, but if you hit the big 30 it all what(?)....turns to slime?? :D