I water down my tomato based sauce if I'm not cooking the noodles.. Freeze, thaw and cook, might soften the noodles a bit more than just putting together and baking...But either way..yummy... :o)

I think we might have Lasagna tonight or tomorrow..

terri, about how much water do you add to your sauce? Can you tell I'm clueless?!!!

OB, I don't know exactly..I made it tonight.. and I added about half as much water as canned sauce. My husband prefers meat and cheese..less tomato sauciness.

I just use my regular sauce....and maybe add 1/2 cup more to a pan full...
The amounts are not engraved in stone...a little more or less will really not matter at all.
Linda C

If I remember right, the recipe I had once had you add 3/4 c water to 2 quarts of sauce. When I do it now I use more sauce and make larger lasagnas so I add a cup or so...Just so it's a bit extra soupy. It doesn't have to be exact...I don't really measure any of it any more. I would cook, then freeze...I can't say it won't work to freeze, then thaw and cook, but I always thought it wouldn't be great for the texture of the noodles, plus being safer, since everthing is heated through before freezing, rather than mixing uncooked and cooked, then freezing. Anytime you add the uncooked elements, you could be introducing bacteria, which might survive in the freezer if not cooked first.

I always made lasagna in the 11x15 glass pans and added about a cup more extra water around the edges. Keep an eye on them as they bake, and if they start looking too dry, drizzle some more water (you could even use tomato juice) around.
I have never cooked lasagna noodles to make lasagna. The no-boil noodles have an "off" texture to me.
Lisa

I use the thin Barilla no cook lasagna noodles and just add a little more water to my sauce, maybe 1/2 a cup - you just can't had thick, splodgy sauce. In addition, I always top my lasagnas with a bechamel sauce (butter & flour to make a roux and then add milk, salt, pepper & a pinch of nutmeg...I also add mozz, swiss, & parm cheese to make it cheesey). Even if you don't use the bechamel sauce on top, just make sure to cover with foil for the first 30 or so minutes of baking. I also make & freeze my lasagnas all the time. Just be sure to take them out of the fridge the day before you want to bake them as they do take a while to thaw and I find that they cook better if they are completely thawed. I remove the foil during the last 15 or so minutes of baking so that the lasagna can brown up.

If you can find whole wheat lasagna noodles, I imagine they will do fine. It's very easy to overcook whole wheat pasta, however, and this makes it mushy. Not sure how it would hold up in a longer cooking lasagna. I use Barilla whole grain (not 100% whole wheat) pasta all the time and I wish they would make a whole grain lasagna noodle. I always reduce the cooking time on my whole grain pasta to about 4-5 minutes, from the 6-7 minutes on the box.

Hope your lasagna turns out good!

Thanks everyone for your suggestions! I'll be using Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Wheat Blend noodles, and will report back how this works out. Oooo, I sure hope they don't get mushy...yuk!

I make a recipe with uncooked noodles all the time. With that recipe, you add 1 cup of water (or thin sauce) at the very end and cover tightly with foil. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 15 - 20 minutes longer or until the noodles are tender and top layer of cheese is browned. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.
Clare

This was posted here a couple years ago and I've been making them this way ever since. Really easy to handle, they don't fall apart and I never have to worry about how the texture will come out. Post is gone but I've copied & pasted from my clippings with thanks to Bejay.

RE: No Boil Lasanga noodles (Follow-Up #1)
posted by: bejay9_10 on 04.03.2006 at 03:56 pm in Cooking Forum

My son makes the best lasagna that I have ever tasted. (Actually, he embellished on the family recipe - his secret).
I will say this, however, he fixes the pasta by placing the strips in the lasagna baking dish, pours boiling hot water over them and lets them soften in the hot water. Perhaps adding more boiling water - maybe. Then he prepares the recipe as usual, and lets the pasta finish cooking along with the sauce and cheeses.

I have to admit his pasta stays "together" a lot better than mine and the dish seems much tastier, not overcooked as when the pasta is boiled first.

He also adds some Paisano wine to the sauce when cooking. -That may be helpful.

Just my 2 c's.

Bejay

OB, That's good pasta..Before I went wheat free I tried it..It's a firmer pasta, so it holds up lasagna well.

I now use Brown Rice Pastas.

Hmmm...I never add extra water and it comes out fine! I use R&F pasta, and follow the recipe on the back of the box. I think it calls for two 26 oz jars of sauce, but zero water.

A somewhat related question - Has anyone tried Dreamfield's (lower carb, low GI) pasta yet?

I've made this recipe several times. Calls for uncooked lasagna noodles. Not sure how it would translate to whole wheat noodles, but you can use it for guidance as to amount of water/liquid. (originally found on the lasagna box)

VIRGINIA'S EASY LASAGNA
1 lb. ground beef
32 oz. thick spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 c. water
2 c. (15 oz. container) Ricotta or sm. curd cottage cheese
3 c. (12 oz.) shredded Mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1/4 c. chopped parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
8 oz. lasagna, uncooked

Brown beef in 3 quart saucepan; drain off excess fat. Add sauce and water; simmer about 10 minutes. Combine remaining ingredients, except lasagna, for filling. Pour about 1 cup sauce on bottom of 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan. Layer 3 pieces of uncooked lasagna over sauce; cover with about 1 1/2 cups sauce. Spread 1/2 of cheese filling over sauce. Repeat layers of lasagna, sauce, and cheese filling. Top with layer of lasagna and remaining sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes. Remove foil; bake about 10 minutes longer. Allow to stand about 10 minutes before cutting for easier handling. 8 to 10 servings.
Lasagna will expand to fill empty spaces.

Another related question. Can you use freshly made noodles in lasagna without pre-cooking?

I finally had time to make lasagna. I used uncooked Ronzoni Healthy Harvest whole wheat noodles and it turned out really good. The noodles were perfectly cooked al dente and not gummy at all. I had to use a few more noodles than the recipe called for and added half again as much water which seemed to work well (recipe called for 30oz tomatoes, so I added ~15oz water). Although it was a little soupy because I didn't let it cool enough before serving, it was set perfectly when I went to put the leftovers away. Next time maybe I won't be as hungry and will be able to wait a little longer!

Now, how to reheat single servings? I wrapped individual portions about 3"x6" in foil and then popped them in the freezer. Does frozen lasagna nuke well? Or should I thaw then nuke, or should I thaw then heat in the oven?

I freeze my lasagna in plastic, then unwrap and put on a plat for thawing in the microwave. Then, once it's thawed, crank up the power to heat it through. It's comes out fine.
s

OB, glad to hear you were happy! Before I went wheat free, I used the Rozoni..it is good pasta and it holds up very well.

RE Leftovers~I like to cut my lasagna into bite size pieces and then nuke. That way every bite is heated through evenly.