Side dishes for lasagna

Asparagus or green beans in a vinaigrette. I'd add garlic and walnuts with the green beans.

OOOOH! What are the ingredients of a banal tomato salad?

Skillet Fried Corn

and Crispy Vidalia Onions

Tomato and basil, R2.

Crispy salad

Lasagna needs a green salad, not tomato.

R1 makes a great suggestion for a pasta dish like spaghetti, ziti, etc. However, I just don't associate an actual vegetable dish like that with lasagna; maybe it's a texture thing, but lasagna's different (yes, I know It's a pasta dish, and that salad is a vegetable).

I can't, I just can't

That being said, Op, make certain you drain the pasta, extra well.

No tomatos or pasta. Do not duplicate any ingredient in the lasagna.

Fresh, crusty bread with butter. Yumm!

Green beans are classic

Yes more carbs to go with your carbs r9. How about some sautéed garlic and broccolini ?

Salaaaaad Darling. ONLY.

A little side order of kale, spinach and sugar snap peas should do the trick.

Donkey fadjul

A shiny silver butt plug, lightly greased.

Perhaps a lovely scoop of cottage cheese?

Roast chicken? Everyone loves a roast chicken.

Anal beads, warmed slightly and dipped in amber spices.

What the hell are "amber spies?"

Are you going to serve it with "Italian Gravy"?

You mean "red gravy?"

R21 - and breadsticks. Or maybe "Italian" doughballs!

Parmesan Zucchini with Balsamic - GET TOASTED with Eric Ripert

How about a slice of pizza? It could be veggie pizza if you want.

This thread will end in the tears of fat people.

A green salad with a little tomato, red onion, banana peppers with Italian dressing. And put some spinach in that lasagna.

Sauteed spinach or escarole. Don't forget to add garlic. Of course a salad as well. Do not serve another carb or anything with tomato. I actually love sauteed spinach in tomato sauce with orzo but not with lasagna.

A green salad. and maybe some garlic bread

If OP - or anyone else - touches "Italian Dressing", I'm going to go transatlantic, hunt you down and slice your childen's fingers off in front of you. You do not need "Italian Dressing" on a salad - simply add a little bit of good olive oil to an equal amount of decent white wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar and toss to coat. "Italian Dressing" is as fictional as a New Jersey whore's claim to the Italian throne.

Chocolate cake.

Exsqueeeeze me, 29 responses, yet nobody has coached OP on their telling their dinner guest(s) to kick in the side(s)?

You ain't got not self-esteem, baby -

I've always loved French-cut green beans with toasted, slivered almonds.

R31 - I'm more concerned with OP's idea of using turkey in lasagne. What sort of mental fuckwit does that? Is her belt size "equator"?

How about a side of collective disapproval of your original recipe from all of us. With a drizzle of snarkitude if you wish.

Do NOT serve a side dish at the same time as the Lasagna. Are you nuts? You could offer one after the lasagna. A green, bitter salad, for example. Before the lasagna you should be serving wine, a few olives, maybe some thin thin dried ham or salami, etc. Or you could serve rosé Champagne.

Fried chicken!

And maybe a few sticks of deep-fried butter, that which you don't consume you can use to lube up your withered holes, OP!

If you don't have bread, how do you sop up the red gravy? Or do you just put the plates on the floor for the dog to enjoy?

I like a crisp salad with any kind of pasta. And bread. Good bread.

Roasted carrots with caramelized onions, with a bit of balsamic vinegar drizzled over.

Bleeding hearts

He's making a lasagna and is worried his tomato salad is banal...

It's probably okay as long as you don't have a cash bar.

Chianti and love. Don't listen to these meanies

I'll sit here, in the cool shade, delicately sipping on my lovely, perfectly chilled Pinot G. and enjoying a fresh Camel straight, whist you argue amongst your silly selves. Enjoy.

If I'm needed to break up a fight; let me know; always a pleasure to help. Just don't interrupt me and my cigarette -

I made one of my ex lovers Truvada on toast. He got the message.

Half of a perfectly ripe avocado with some balsamic vinegar.

avocado is too heavy to serve with lasagna. HALF an avocado? This thread is so fat.

Try at watermelon salad: watermelon, grape tomatoes, Kalamata olives, mozzarella, a fine pieces of prosciutto and lightly sprinkle with balsamic dressing

pie is your only option

Hamburger buns.. That way your guests can take the leftovers with them... in convenient sandwich-form.

R48 - yes serve a tomato and cheese salad with lasagna.

COCK

TWO TABLETS OF TRUVADA SO YOU CAN BAREBACK ALL NIGHT LONG

Why turkey OP? Why not make a vegetable lasagna with a good bechamel sauce. Then you can use in season summer tomatoes with your salad or make a Caprese salad with beautiful fresh basil. In the lasagna you can put spinach and zucchini or even some roasted red peppers. The best lasagna I ever had was a vegetable one. I actually don't like the meat versions, be it beef, turkey or sausage. While the lasagna rests after you take it out of the oven serve an Antipasto salad. You can put plenty of meat in that sliced for you at a good Italian deli. I would also stop by an Italian bakery and get some pastries for dessert or some gelato. Many Italian bakeries also make their own gelato, at least here in NY.

Do a nice green or caesar salad bc too much tomato is not a good thing.

The people who recommend something green are right. The ones recommending something red are not. I like the idea of serving it after the lasagna.

Agree with the majority here, a simple green salad is the only acceptable accompaniment.

And r29's a bitch but correct: no 'Italian' dressing, a light homemade vinaigrette is best. No need for crusty bread or garlic bread, there's enough carbs in the lasagna.

Bend him over the table, stick your tongue up his ass, and toss his salad.

Voila!

Watermelon salad? Sounds good if you want to broadcast that you're an uptight priss.

Why not a simple green salad with a good beer to drink?

Serve a Barolo or at half the price a Barbera with the Lasagna. I would serve an sweetish Austrian wine with a green salad tossed with oil and vinegar. That would work after the Lasagna - sweeter wine, and then a ice wine for desert with a small light pastry or simple fruit. When serving a hearty dish like lasagna to a guest, it is polite to serve very light things before and after the hearty dish that the guest can furthermore pick at. A dish of tiny pastries and the guest can eat one little one if he is already quite satisfied. Always serve tons of great booze to a romantic date. If he drinks too much, you have useful information. You might also get laid before you break off with a drunk. If he drinks just right to be lubricated, you'll move the sex along too. If he doesn't drink at all, you'll discover why. Former alchie? Well OK. No fun tight ass of some sort... Well there you go. Now you know.

I just hope R60 cooks for a stoner vegan. Who keeps telling him that he's a vegan, because he forgets.

OP, start with an antipasto and offer blue-cheese filled olives in large vodka martinis.

R51, if you reside in the Santa Rosa area, I'll be right over. I'll stop at Costco to pick up a gallon of Grey Goose.

Ooops! I'd meant R61!

I know the low carb people will crow but you *need* some kind of bread with it. When I eat lasagna I like to clean my plate with a piece of bread (tacky but I only do it at home alone or with boyfriend)

R64 is Oprah, who loves bread.

TOAST!

Spam salad and Hawaiian Punch.

r65 oh hush Stedman, I'll call you when I need you for a photo op

R64, welcome! DL Dinner Parties wouldn't be the same without you and your boyfriend and your ever-ready bread. (You'll recognize your place setting by its bread plate already prepared.)

Bon Appetito!

You are a gracious host r69

I would do a green and/or a caesar salad. I would do garlic bread, but use olive oil infused garlic, and not butter. Add garlic power, pepper and a herb like thyme, for a herbed garlic bread/toast. actually, I would do my herbed toast for the salad course and toasted Italian bread with the lasagna course.

You need to pair a simple salad with a vinaigrette (balsamic is good) - The acid based salad dressing will cut they heavy starch, cheese and allow you to offer a vegan option for any non meat eating guests.

R72, OP is only cooking for one guest, not an entire orgy.

Green salAd and garlic bread

Thank you, thank you, thank you r29.

I've got it! A shrimp aspic mold!

What have you decided, Op?

I think you need to do an antipasti (an Italian salad bar) and wine, upon your par a mour arrival.

And/Or if you want to do a formal sit down dinner, have a salad course with both a lite green salad and caesar salad served.

With Lasagna you need green herbs and lettuces to cut the fat of the oil and cheese.

Is Chianti OK for lasagna?

R78 Chianti goes better with liver and fava beans.

with fava beans

[quote] What have you decided, Op?

The aspic looks divine!

But maybe I'll go simpler. I quite like the asparagus and green salad with vinaigrette suggestions.

I don't want food that makes me gassy (for obvious reasons).

Drink the same kind of wine you use to make your Bolognese, R78. I like a light red, say Valpolicella, or a dry white.

Once many years ago I made a lasagna sandwich from the leftovers. I re-heated the lasagna and placed it between 2 slices of toasted bread. SOOO yummers!

I'm still blown away by the notion that you'd want something to eat IN ADDITION TO the lasagna.

How is that not going to fill you up?

I'd be ill if someone tried to force-feed me something else for the meal.

Please tell me you're not going to have dessert with it too?

Face slappings

Is there a stupider poster in this entire thread, nay, in all of DL, than R85?

[quote] Please tell me you're not going to have dessert with it too?

Of course we're having desser (a simple, light chocolate mousse with a raspberry sauce).

What makes your chocolate mousse "light"?

The fact that OP weighs over 300 lbs, R88

By comparison, the mousse is light

Have an enjoyable & pleasurable romantic evening, OP.

Bread and salad are the only things that go with lasagne. The vegetable sides don't sound good to me.

Tums?

Lasagne served at a formal dinner party? Some of you queens are tacky as hell.

OP, sounds like you have it down. Enjoy! Report back with good pics if you can.

We should start a thread where we post meals we've prepared...breakfast, dinner, whatever. I'd love to see what some of you have come up with. Don't even think about stealing pictures because reverse google image search will be utilized.

My aunt from NJ regularly served the 8 hour meal that started with some soup with pastina, then antipasto, then lasagna, then turkey or prime rib depending on her mood. Dinner started at noon. Turkey was served at 6. Dessert was spumoni that was served with coffee at 8 pm. This was my life on Sundays for 18 years. Her dinning room table held 12 and the children ate in the kitchen. She also ran to Newark in the morning for fresh bread. She had her main kitchen with two stoves and an additional stove in the basement. Before you laugh, this was normal for NJ Italian families in the 70s and 80s. I sort of miss it.

Should be something unrelated to lasagna ingredients. Fresh green beans stir fried lightly in olive oil.

I live in CA, but look at properties all over the US. You see a lot of extra kitchens in Italian neighborhoods.

Thin asparagus sauteéd in olive oil, then drizzled with a tiny bit of lemon juice, and then sprinkled with a whole lot of finely chopped pistachios.

Note that lasagna is better the next day, rewarmed, than it is on the day you bake it. The texture is better.

CAK! GRAXY! TURKEY MEATBALLS! NOT EVENT TOAST! ALMIQUI!

It's hot. Just do crudites, para boiled and chilled veggies with cold dips and/or dressing.

Boiled eggs.

OP, serve breadsticks with a garlic margarine fountain in the center of the table for dipping. For the dessert course, swap the margarine for Hershey Syrup, and pass Pepperidge Farms Chessmen cookies for dunking.

Simple diced beets and diced boild eggs tossed in a mayo/sour cream dressing, if you want fancier add crumpled blue cheese.

As has been offered before, a green salad, hopefully including some rather bitter greens, like endive and radicchio, to offset the richness of the lasagne.

Who are these anorexic freaks that can't fathom having bread or vegetables with pasta and ground meat. It's really no different than eating a sandwich with meat and cheese and a side of pasta salad.

OP you said that didn't want to be gassy. Obviously raw vegetables will potentially do just that.

Turkey Italian sausage would probably be a better choice, rather than plain ground turkey.

Since you like asparagus, you can either roast (while lasagne rests) for 15 minutes at 400, tossed beforehand in olive oil, salt and pepper. It's great like that. Finger food, always sexy.

Or blanche asparagus ahead of time for a couple minutes- shock , dry well, and wrap in paper towel- put in fridge. To serve, salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon. Use one half for asparagus, the other slice for garnish on plate. Can serve with a mayo/parmesan dip or not.

Caesar salad always good, and serve like Bel Air Hotel. Eaten with fingers too, use entire hearts of romaine leaves- not cut, with dressing and parm.

Bread, good baguette- rub with garlic after heating slices and add a drizzle of olive oil to each piece.

Not a dessert lover, but fresh berries with a splash of liqueur is always nice when it's summer.

[quote] The only idea I came up with was a banal tomato salad.

I'd avoid the banal tomato salad. You can't find fresh, locally-grown banal anywhere this time of year. If you see it in the produce section I can guarantee it's been shipped from South America.

Asparagus seems like a bad idea--for obvious reasons.

From our friends at Psychology Today:

[quote] Former porn actress, Annie Sprinkle, who tasted hundreds of men's semen, says vegetarians taste best, that eating fruit and drinking fruit juices a few hours before sex improves the taste, and that smoking, alcohol, meats, and asparagus make semen less palatable.

r84 portions darling...

Annie Sprinkle - blast from the past.

[quote]Asparagus seems like a bad idea--for obvious reasons.

R110, the OP only referred to the new fellow in his life. There is no indication he's planning to swallow semen or get pissed on (but then again.......).

I think the trolling OP meant anal tomato salad. And you know how THAT is made.

More of a chunky sauce, really.

I don't know nothin bout no "Italian dressing," but the proper ratio for vinaigrette is one part vinegar to three parts olive oil. I like to mince shallots and soak them in the vinegar for a bit before slowly adding the olive oil while whisking constantly. Add a tsp-tblsp of Dijon mustard to aid emulsification and add flavor, if you like.

This is an easy Caeser salad dressing recipe that shouldn't work as well as it does because you're not supposed to put olive oil in a blender, but hey, it's delicious. I squeeze in the juice of half a lemon, skip the anchovies and croutons, substitute freshly grated Pecorino Romano for extra tang.

Lasagne is very filling. Go light with salad and garlic bread.

It's a lot different R106

Lasagna has lots of fat and protein and carbs, not to mention calories. It's very heavy and very filling. Not sure how you could eat more than a light salad without feeling overly stuffed and ill.

I am far from anorexic but the amount of food some of you guys can eat at one sitting is sort of mind blowing.

OP can use the leftovers to make lasagna grilled cheese.

I went to a fun Italian American Thanksgiving served as a buffet.

Really enjoyed the classic turkey and fixins complemented with a tasty square of lasagne

Stuffed shells is better

Creamed corn and an old tampon.

R119 - you type fat. Do your elbows have fat-rolls?

[quote] OP only referred to the new fellow in his life. There is no indication he's planning to swallow semen or get pissed on (but then again.......).

You might have a valid point R113 if OP were simply preparing a lasagna dinner for his gentleman caller. In this case however, he's adding a side dish AND dessert. Plus, he's consulting DL. Clearly he's intending to get a little after-dinner ROI.

Egg salad, made from hard boiled eggs and Miracle Whip (no other ingredients!). Put small scoop in some fancy crystal bowls and it will assuredly be a hit with the lovely lasagna dinner!

Another good choice is celery stuffed with peanut butter. Yummers! It makes a tasty crunchy side to go with the lasagna.

Also a fancy jello mold like Sunshine Salad, which is lemon or orange jello with shredded carrots and canned pineapple; makes a refreshing side.

Serving salad after the main course is odd in the States; if anything, bring out the salad first.

I'm *shocked* that our quivering mimsy OP hasn't had the brain-stroke to make a meatball lasagne. After all, meatballs appear to be the only thing that "Italian Americans" can claim as their own, well, next to pasta in ranch dressing.

[quote]Serving salad after the main course is odd in the States; if anything, bring out the salad first.

Salad comes after to cleanse the palate before dessert.

Broccoli rabe sautéed with garlic and olive oil and a little hot red pepper

I thought that was the function of sorbet (sherbet)?

American palates don't need a lot of cleansing, just bring on the dessert!

As for Italian "correctness", who wants spaghetti and meatballs served separately?

I'd lay off the extra garlic suggestions if you are planning intimacy. The fruit suggestions seem better. You also have to know your what your man prefers.

papayas

Possibly no one, R129 - given that spaghetti and meatballs are a purely American invention...

Spaghetti and meatballs as a side with Lasagna? What is this world coming to? ** clutches pearls to death while gasping for air **

correction: **clutches pearls to DUST (not death).......**

Given the bookend-size portions of lasagne that Americans prefer, it doesn't really matter what else you serve.

Caesar with roasted peppers, black olives and radishes sounds deeeeeelish. I jadore the Marie's Caesar Dressing.

R117 It's not "a lot different". It's essentially the same ingredients (meat, pasta, cheese, bread). You don't have to stuff yourself with lasagna. You actually eat as small or large a portion as you choose.

I can't even....

And, we are hoping, R138, you won't.

Wow I just thought, how about making the lasagna with breakfast sausage, then serving it breakfast-for-dinner style with eggs, pancakes and bacon?

R140 i cant even..

Don't think, leave recipes like that to Ree and Sandy.

Deep fried zuchinni,mozzarella sticks, antipasto plate.

Neatly sliced crisp iceberg lettuce on a plate with some eye-talian dressing on top.

I'll take the breakfast, r140, and pass on the lasagna.

[quote]Neatly sliced crisp iceberg lettuce on a plate with some eye-talian dressing on top.

Wouldn't that be a chiffonade of lettuce? How fancy!

Two scoops of ice cream with chocolate pie. Your guest only gets one scoop however.

What are you doing for dessert, OP?

And when is this romantic interlude with your paramour?

What is the finally menu, include your liberation selection/pairing?

[quote]You do not need "Italian Dressing" on a salad - simply add a little bit of good olive oil to an equal amount of decent white wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar and toss to coat.

Equal parts vinegar to oil -- never! 3 parts oil, ONE part acid.

[R149] actually, if you are Italian you just splash it (aka eyeball it).

Correct r149. Maybe two parts oil to one part vinegar? Add salt/pepper to taste. My mother would sometimes add a drizzle of organic honey to lightly sweeten, to cut the salty bitterness.

I thought the idea of grilled lasagne sandwiches at r118 was disgusting until I watched the video - not bad, I may try this but with meat only and no pork.

Escarole salad and red wine.

[quote] And when is this romantic interlude with your paramour?

It didn't go as well as I had planned :*( I think the dessert was a bit too much. Should have served a fruit plate.

Details, OP, details!

R146, unless he was referring to a wedge salad.

[quote]Escarole salad and red wine

This sounds pretty good, actually. R150, I'm sure Italians can eyeball it -- but probably not on a 50/50 ratio.

Details, OP. what happened?

[quote]Equal parts vinegar to oil -- never! 3 parts oil, ONE part acid.

Agreed

[quote]I'm making turkey lasagne....

Turkey Lasagne? Hopefully not with a tomato sauce. Make it with a white sauce instead of a tomato sauce...

Take half of your white sauce and blend it with chopped cooked broccoli, take the other half and blend it with the turkey, season it to taste, let it sit so the salt balances out and there's a transfer of flavours, then do your layers and finish it with some mozarella (or spread it with some white sauce that you would reserve before you mix it with other stuff) a nice helping of grated parmesan and dabs of butter. You can also do two different vegetables and then alternate all three for a more colourful effect. I would suggest something like sauteed carrots (browned a bit) or another root vegetable--NOT FUCKING SWEET POTATO--to keep it hearty. Basically any vegetable that contrasts colour wise with what you have already that has some kind of bite to it. Mushrooms would be an excellent choice as well--no parsley or garlic required. Ham even. Ham would be nice actually.

THEN you can do your tomato salad no problem--lose the basil; I would add cucumber and oranges if you have them to make it a bit nicer; also honey and a touch of dijon or dried mustard--no leafy greens. If you're adding onions, you soak them in water first to kill the harshness a bit. That would work better with the recipe I'm suggesting... Scratch that. Arugula (or just get mixed greens) and apple or pear salad with pine nuts or walnuts or something (not a sweet nut), no cheese. If there's already a green vegetable in the lasagne so you can do any vegetable you want as long as it isn't already featured in the lasagne with the salad... Or you could serve something rich to compensate for the light flavours of the other dishes that contains meat--maybe a stewed beef/lamb dish--something easy that you can throw together in a pot, cover and cook. Or possibly a richly flavoured eggplant or zucchini dish. I would stick with vegetables, because the prep is easier.

Basically:

Lasagne - prep the night before all the way up to the point where it goes in the oven, put in the fridge, put it in the oven the next day--plan to eat it at LEAST 1/2 and hour after it comes out of the oven. It WILL have to sit so that it "sets up" properly and again, to equalize all of the flavours and seasoning etc etc etc. - Should be hot-ISH.

Vegetable (That isn't in the lasagne) - Should be hot OR Stewed/Braised meat and/or vegetable dish - Should also be hot

Salad - Should be nice and cold unless it's a tomato salad, then you want it to be more room temperature.

That will work. There's only two of you.

The best thing you can do for yourself if you're going to be getting laid is have fruit for dessert. That'll clean you out nicely for him before he gets to bending you over the side of the couch. Mango and strawberries. Fresh pineapple, green apple slices and concord grapes. Some combination of something with different colours so it looks nice. Or purchase some nice pastries. The lasagne is already labour intensive, so you want to reduce your stress level by making everything else as simple as possible.

If you want to do appetizers, do a spread of meats and cheeses with some bread and a spread or two. That always works in a pinch.

Make sure you have a nice loaf of bread for dinner as well <-- Important!

Do not dress your salad in advance <-- Important!

Don't cut the lasagne until AFTER it sits and sets up a bit <-- Very important!

[quote]Details, OP, details!

He didn't like the food (said it was too fatty) or me (said I looked nothing like the pic I put up in my Grindr profile)

I can't believe anyone is shocked that someone wants to serve something like salad and bread with lasagna. Who in hell just slaps a lasagna down on the table and calls it dinner???? Of course you need a side and some bread and I'd say dessert too. Just keep it light like the salad and or some vegetable and maybe fruit and cheese for dessert or ices or ice cream.

When I was a kid I was really skinny and my father used to make me leftover lasagna on a very soft and delicious egg roll or maybe it was a Challah or potato roll, it was soft and eggy (sp?) and yellowish in color and fluffy, I remember that. He'd put extra sauce on so it wouldn't be dry and it was DELICIOUS! I was a weird kid and used to eat the filling out of my sandwiches and leave the bread, even peanut butter and jelly I would find a way lick off the bread. But this was so good I remember eating every bite and licking up the leftover crumbs and sauce.

[quote]Take half of your white sauce and blend it with chopped cooked broccoli

Dis-fucking-gusting.

[quote] When I was a kid I was really skinny

But after eating all those lasagna-on-challah sandwiches my creepy father made for me, I quickly gained 200 lbs and now serve as chairman of the Ozark Region Gay Bears Social Committee.

[quote] Who in hell just slaps a lasagna down on the table and calls it dinner????

Things didn't go so well OP?

I hope you didn't decide on a Nutella dessert. That stuff looks the same going in as out.

Make a Sunday Gravy next time, OP! I'll lend you my mom's 6-hour recipe...

also, take a photo of your lasagne, OP. Surely, you have leftovers?

Sorry that things didn't work out so well, OP. A man who puts some time into planning the menu for a home-cooked meal is a catch.

Sorry OP it didn't work out for you

Somehow, I'm really coming around to the idea that this thread is a hoax.

You should have microwaved him a Lean Cuisine lasagna

Nope, still on the thin side and I don't still eat lasagna sandwiches. First they don't make rolls as wonderful as they did back in the day and I'm still not a huge fan of bread. Sometimes a really good French bread almost right out of the oven, still warm, is something I like, but there really isn't any place I can find that without really traveling and I'm not about to do that just for bread.

I also don't like lasagna anymore. I don't like any form of pasta with tomato sauce and melted cheese with it, not even pizza. I think it was my father's touch and caring that also made it so good. I'm not going to get a sandwich or a lasagna filled with love anymore.

You doing that for your BF was a very loving thing to do OP. Sorry if it didn't go well. However how you cook should not be a judge of what kind of BF or friend you'd be. Just the act of going to a lot of trouble to do something special would make me think I got to get to know this guy better. You need someone who sees what you're worth. I think that's probably a lot.

R171, Well said. You're a catch, too.

Awww, thank you R167/172. Too bad I never met someone like you. You seem like quite the catch yourself.

Here it is my masterpiece, for those who asked for a photo.

So this was for real? Girl, don't ever cook a homemade meal for a first date. No man is worth that.

So many spazzy culinary queens on this thread.

Lasagna demands a vinegar-dressed salad. There should be a lot of garlic in the lasagna sauce, so I usually slice and toast onion bagels to go with. Oh, plate a few, whole pepperoncini next to the lasagna.

(BTW, I made a lasagna for dinner tonight, too. Not turkey, but Italian sausage.)

HOW FAT EXACTLY ARE YOU, R177?

Fatter than you could every imagine, [R178]!

Cole's zesty garlic bread. So good and just pop it in the oven a few minutes.

That lasagna looks good OP

OP, were you trying to cook for an Italian-American man?

R171 and R172, sittin' in a tree....... :)

OP is a liar, trying to pass that off as his lasagna.

A young Michael Corleone, Italian Wedding Cookies, and a bottle of Asti Spumante.

I season the ground beef with all the same ingredients that I use in my home-made meatballs, and brown the beef, and add it to my home-made sauce. Really gives it a great flavor.

If you eat at my house, you will get fresh Italian bread, antipasto salad, and a great dessert . Great Lasagna is a celebration, and it should be savored. It's not as though you eat like this every night, so just enjoy!

R127 Real Italians put everything on the table at the same time. This way everybody can dive in and enjoy the meal without making anyone get up and down to serve one course at a time. It's just the right thing to do!

OP, I think your error was using Pyrex. Tasteful stoneware baking dishes from a place like Williams-Sonoma conducts the heat better and makes for a lovely presentation.

Maybe you can hook up with the guy that just bought the Corelle.

There is nothing wrong with Pyrex. My mom has used that for years...

Btw, I love that there is a damn lasagne thread every week now

Turkey lasagna is an abomination.

There's nothing wrong with Tupperware either, if you're a Frau.

[quote]Turkey lasagna is an abomination.

It's just a matter of making Bolognese with 7% fat ground turkey. It tastes better than ground beef.

Turkey is meant to be served with stuffing, mashed potatoes, and TURKEY gravy. And all of those other wonderful things that go with it.

Lasagna is now getting fucking demanding? When will it end? First they replace the garlic bread in the basket with deplorables and now we have to deal with noodles? Who/what else has been ignored to the point of insufferable whining?

Pumpkin Spice Lasagna ?

R195, I have no words for you. None. Loads of letters, no words.

Pumpkin Spice Lasagna = layers of flaky pie dough, alternating with layers of pumpkin pie cheesecake filling, and caramel and pecans. Topped with whipped cream and a light sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.

A sight to behold. A treat to eat.

This thread has gone on far too long and is over-indulgent. Half of you are disgusting fat cows.

Serve american style lasagne with something LIGHT before and after. VERY light. Do NOT repeat any of the ingredients of the lasagne in the sides or desert. Match each course with the wine.

Ingrates.

I love the traditional Italian-American lasagne, but I wouldn't be against trying out this pesto and bechamel version...

[quote]Serve american style lasagne

No, don't. Ever.

R174, Thanks! Looks delicious!

American style ...........isn't that made with hot dogs,beans,relish, and American cheese, topped with ketchup/barbeque sauce?

(+_+) I'm hungry.

Serve it with Broccoli Rabe which is healthy and very easy to make. You only have to saute the rabe with olive oil and fresh garlic.

Serve it with a sliced avocado tossed with Italian dressing

Broccoli rabe is a fraud. Avoid it at all costs and especially late in the season (like now).

A great spinach salad, OP, with candied walnuts. Simple and yummy.

r206 Silly Mary cunt.

Do we have a Broccoli Rabe Troll now?

Lasagna with a side of bacon double cheeseburger 🍔

zucchini carpaccio is a fraud

DL fave Giada has a great recipe for vegetable lasagne that is delicious. I'm sure it's online.

It is kinda funny about the broccoli rabe troll, because he's right about rapini being sorta tough this time of year. I bought some for dinner last night, and it was overgrown, chewy, and too bitter. It's late in the season for leafy greens. The romaine lettuce I purchased was the same - overgrown, dark green, too tough and bitter.

So my date just left!

I served up the lasagne with a green salad but my date hated the turkey and we had a row.

Devastated. I wanted to impress him.

OP - take it from someone from NJ - no one wants to eat lasagna with fucking turkey. What state do you live in? Maybe it's different where you live.

[quote]I served up the lasagne with a green salad but my date hated the turkey and we had a row.

A row of coke?

I was told turkey would make the lasagna more healthy and lower in fat, but my bf accused me of implying he needed to lose weight and we had a terrible fallout. No sex for me tonight.

R215 probably eats Lasagna Americana

[R217] what? I am Italian and we use Turkey in our meatballs. We do a cheese lasagna or ravioli and serve the turkey meatballs on the side. This guy sounds like a nutcase.

R219, he is really sensitive about his weight. He is 240 pounds and I think he looks okay, but obviously we don't really want him to put on more weight.

Circus peanuts.

[R220] ripping pasta and cheese from an Italian is a dangerous mission, this is true. I hope you used olive oil, which is the only oil an Italian will use, and it is healthy.

Make Turkey meatballs and serve them on the side. We freeze them, so you can make a batch, keeping just a few ready to eat.

For dessert fresh fruits only, Melon and Figs. This is so Italian, so he cannot bitch about this.

I'm fine with ground beef only, but my aunt would use equal parts of ground beef, pork, and veal.

I love roasted turkey but despise ground turkey. It tastes awful and has a bad texture.

Have to agree with R33 …. turkey lasagna? WTF? I fear NO classic lasagna recipe used turkey! WTF? And as fort sdides, SIDES? Way too low-lass. ANY major lasagna dinner I've ever had, that was it. The lasagna, a large gravy boat of meat sauce … garlic bread, a green/spinach salad. A flan at dessert. If you must have sides, zucchini (the bit unthread I like) or eggplant. If you must. If you want to woo your man, woo him as if you know what you're doing, as if you know your way around a kitchen. "Chianti and love" helps, yes! Hon, R54 you nailed it, but our Miss Thing OP probably lives in Alliance, Nebraska. Doesn't make a simple dressing or garlic bead. Oh … the antipasti could be a can of Progresso! R95 I love you. So true. I've been to such, loved it. I felt quite honored to be asked. R103, ditto! Bravo!

He just called me and said he went and got pizza after he left me. Dough balls as a side and a pint of Ben and Jerry's, too.

I feel bad for triggering a binge. He was insulted by the green salad as well as the turkey.

This has got to be a joke thread by OP.

R214 is not the OP.

R225 is not the OP either.

R227, this guy sounds like a douche. Seriously, he is overweight and is giving you grief for cooking a perfectly decent meal for him and 'triggering' him into stuffing his face. Sounds like you would be better off with someone else.

I agree, my ideal body type is basically Harry Styles' physique but this guy said he would lose weight. I guess we'll never know.

"I'm Eye-Talian and we have turkey allatime!"

Honey, no. You're a overbite-ridden back-street whore from New Joisey. You're as Italian as a taco. Fuck off now.

The turkey queen is actually the smug queen actually from Italy.

R232 - yeah, right.

Don't take my word for it. I am sure she'll tell you all about it, herself...

[quote]DL fave Giada has a great recipe for vegetable lasagne that is delicious. I'm sure it's online.

I have a kind of policy never to take food or cooking advice from someone who looks like she needs a sandwich before she falls over from anorexia.

OP, he was looking for an excuse to binge. If you bought the wrong toilet paper, that would have done it too.

I use Prego in my lasagna

You should just prepare for him melon and figs and tell him to shut the fuck up. That is, completely Italian too.

Giada hardly looks like she's falling over. She's toned AF. She just doesn't eat like a PIG.

What is a Broccoli Rabbi?

I've never heard of such a thing?

Giada looks great.

You must have her confused with Ghouliana Rancid.

All y'all STFU and prepare MY lasagne, dammit!

I like mashed potatoes, canned green beans and Stove-Top stuffing as sides, OP.

I grew enough of that fucking rabe, rappini shit to know it's a waste of time and money. It's a rip off weed sold to hipsters at urban farmers markets. Anyone else knows enough to stay away from it. How much did they get you for? 4.99 a lb? a bunch? For twigs, essentially. Broccoli flavored twigs.

I have no idea what they put in that stove-top stuffing shit, but I always liked it. Don't tell my granola friends.

R241 Tongs for lasagne? Mama mia.

R245 - Frau's got to get the "noodles" out of the water somehow...why not use a ladle?

Lasagne is never served with a side dish. Never, ever. Not even bread.

Lasagne is served alone. It is traditionally a first course. A small square. You have a glass of wine with it.

You then move on to the second course.

Even if lasagne is the entire meal, it's still served alone. Afterwards you might have a salad. And you might proceed the lasagne with an appetizer of prosciutto, cheeses....that sort of thing.

But it is never served with a side dish.

Speak for yourself. My grandma cooked for days prior to Holidays or any family gathering, and lasagne was just one of the things served- along with other pasta dishes, meats, fish, bread and several types of greens.

In Italy, yes or maybe an upscale Italian restaurant.

R248's belt size is equator. *Jupiter's* equator. Lardy sow.

I could eat like that when I was a kid, R249. I weighed 145 from puberty in the '60s until I started lifting weights in 1979, and I went to 162. I could eat anything I wanted, from birth until I quit smoking in 1987. Completely fucked up my metabolism.

R248 You can eat lasagne however you want. It's a free country. I'm only telling you how the dish is eaten in it's country of origin.

I still like it with the turkey buffet

Love,

r119

The Italian kids in my 1960s North Jersey Catholic grammar school all had turkey and lasagne on Thanksgiving. But not turkey lasagne.

Smegma. The smell of one will cancel out the other.

Dear Eyetalian European Person,

The idea of serving a salad after a meal is very strange in the States. Here, salad is either eaten before the main course, or with it. Just call it a cultural difference if you must.

Bread is generally served with these dishes as well, especially spaghetti and meatballs (together, not two separate courses).

Given the state of the majority of the lardos and lardettes of Mid-West Murica (and Joisey), you'd think that *any* type of salad is "strange".

Thanks 255. No one gives a shit about how things are served in Italy- the OP posted from the US and got advice mostly from Italian-Americans.

Shove a bread stick up your ass, in fact a dozen ,so you feel something.

Uncultured idiot at R257.

Some people actually are interested in the origins of a particular dish.

Why is knowledge so threatening to you?

One cooks in Romertopf clay vessels, vintage french glass casseroles, or plastic baking bags.

Some might appreciate the "common" knowledge. Most don't care for the smug, know-it-all tone.

Served with anything else, lasagna becomes a noodley mess in comparison. Serve it alone, and without fucking rabe, sucky salads, or gravy, red or white.

French pyrex is still cheap and great. Have the prices gone up in the USA? Why would one buy Chinese glass?

fuck again? sorry

Written for DL:

What to serve:

how about this:

I want that fucking red dress. It looks like it would be edible.

Serve it alone. There is nothing more heartbreaking than watching someone cut up and mix a lasagna into a salad. I quit a bitch that did that to me.

I googled "Lasagna" and "menu" to see how restaurants serve it, and mostly it is alone on the plate.

For regular meal: Green salad

For something special: Ratatouille

This is for the Rabe troll. Go die in turkey rabe grease fire!

Even worse than serving lasagne with a side dish, is making lasagne with turkey. Turkey? Why would anyone want to eat lasagne made with turkey?

-------

[quote]The idea of serving a salad after a meal is very strange in the States.

Perhaps it is among your crowd in Ohio.

(But you are joking, right?)

R271, now that is a revolting combination. What a waste of grapes. You don't eat fruit with anything else, either, if you want to have good digestion. Eat that shit alone. Skip the fucking rabe.

A nice cool slice of cantaloupe

I always grew up with my mother and aunts putting all the food out on the table simultaneously.. not unlike this photo, except women served the men who usually sat at the table, talking. On more special occasions, there is the antipasto, followed by the main meal, followed by dessert (fruit, nuts, cannolis on even more special occasions). Wine throughout, of course.

First of all if most people closed their eyes they would not be able to tell the difference between ground dark meat turkey and ground beef, especially if it's mixed in with something else.

Second, if someone who has just been served something with pasta, sauce and cheese thinks someone is trying to control his weight because they used ground turkey instead of ground beef they have worse problems than being fat. If you ever cook for the guy again next time don't serve him any pasta or cheese or sauce, sides, salad or bread. Just serve him a big bowl of sauteed ground beef. Then he'll know what being on a diet is really is.

We were together two years but I've had to end it since this lasagna disaster.

Good, you're boring and I'd rather hear about hot sex than a fatty fake boyfriend.

R253 - it continued into the 70s and 80s too. I was the Irish kid whos family married into the Italian food fest. My aunt made it seem effortless.

R275 - I think my aunt served it over an 8 hour period to keep us hostage so she wouldn't be bored. Still, I miss Sunday dinners. T When a birthday cake was cut, did your family cut a circle in the center? I assumed that was a Sicilian thing. My Irish relatives never did that. Their goal was to maximize the icing on a slice.

[quote]Lasagne is never served with a side dish. Never, ever. Not even bread.

Every good Italian restaurant I have been to serves a salad and bread with lasagna.

Hey, R257 - do you have a special keyboard with large keys? You type fat, you morbidly-obese dipshit.

R279, my family still enjoys lasagne at Thanksgiving. It is the true star rather than the turkey (which is more of a visual centerpiece).

My nonna used to bring out the food in progressive batches. I didn't know her too well because she passed while I was still young, but one thing I did know about her (besides her delicious food) was that the woman never sat down! She was always on her feet, in the kitchen or cleaning. I am not sure I ever saw the woman down for 5 minutes straight...I think my mom and aunts put out all the food at once because they wanted a chance to actually sit down and have a glass of wine!

Never heard of the circle cut out of the middle of the cake unless it was one of the few times my mom was worried that the center did not set all the way. Your explanation makes sense though!

I've read that when Bill and Hillary entertain at home, she always serves spaghetti and garlic bread with her lasagna.

Midwestern thing?

Melania, OTOH, makes her lasagna with wild boar sausage which is a unique Slovenian twist on the classic Italian recipe!

Interesting, R284.

I had an Armenian co-worker who said his family prepared a lasagne with ground lamb. I love lamb,so I would not be opposed to trying a lamb lasagne.

That's probably pastitsio, aka Greek lasagna. It's delicious.

Yes R280, The Olive Garden does serve bread and salad with lasagna, as I learned in another DL thread about fraus. I, however, do not eat at such horrific places so I would not know from first hand experience.

That's probably pastitsio, aka Greek lasagna. It's delicious.

Check out what R287 is up to when he's not flouncing around about Olive Garden.

He's calling gays "fags" and shrieking about the evils of YouTubers while the country is "going down the shitter"

You're getting posters mixed up R289. Are you hearing voices in your head?

R262, the story of Pyrex in the U.S. is sorta sad. PYREX France, a subdivision of Arc International, licenses the brand "PYREX" (all upper case) from Corning Glass in the U.S., which is the originator of Pyrex ware. This glass is made of borosilicate glass, as Pyrex was traditionally.

In the U.S., Corning sold the rights to make pyrex to another company, World Kitchen. The product they make is "pyrex." (all lower case letters). With the company's sale, the formula was changed to soda lime glass, which is cheaper to produce.

This soda-lime glass has been reported to fracture, sometimes violently, when in use. This problem, which the manufacturer mostly denies, has led to major U.S. consumer organizations not recommending the use of this type of pyrex.

Because of brand licensing issues, it's probable one cannot purchase French PYREX from the U.S. Too bad, because many of the pieces are in shapes and sizes unavailable in the U.S. I see a few pieces available on Amazon, at more than double the French prices, and the sellers are very low-key about the provenance of their wares - they don't make it obvious it's French PYREX. The French site you linked to has no provision for shipping outside France and Belgium.

[quote]Every good Italian restaurant I have been to serves a salad and bread with lasagna.

I can just imagine. And they serve chicken breast on top of linguine too, no doubt.

Interesting trivia, Corning Glass was founded by one of Katharine Hepburn's relatives on her mother's side.

In case it has not yet been established, there are obvious differences between the preparation of dishes of Italian food in how they are served in the native country vs. how some of those dishes evolved in the States.

Case in point: there is at least one poster here who has a near heart attack or stroke at the thought of meatballs being served with spaghetti, nevermind that that version is over 100 years old by now.

Keep your smelling salts handy for her.

The word you're looking for (and failing, probably because your dictionary can't be seen because of the universal blob you call a stomach), R294, is "bastardisation".

Do you mean bastardization? At least spell it right you dumb, numb cunt.

*sigh* "bastardisation" is the correct English spelling.

I cannot be bothered to argue any further with you, you insufferable, northern Italian, know-it-all twat, since all you ever do is troll Italian-American threads to snidely interject about how inauthentic or deficient something is.

Yes, it's not traditional or the same as prepared in Italy. We know that. Nobody is arguing otherwise. People, things and recipes change according to differences in environment and climate. When Italian immigrants (essentially peasants) migrated primarily to the eastern cities, they had neither the time or access to certain ingredients to prepare certain dishes a certain way. So they improvised.

There is nothing unique or astounding about that.

I serve meatloaf on the side. Not balls. LOAF. With ketchup on top. And a spaghetti salad.

I don't know any restaurant which would serve a slab of lasagne on its own, ffs. Obviously peasants in Italy might do that as they wouldn't have the money for anything else, plus it would be dripping in oil. Gross.

R298, do you know whether your Neapolitan or Sicilian or Calabrese ancestors rolled their own pasta, or was that an exclusively Northern Italian thing?

French fries

R298 is TRIGGERED, the fat Joisey cunt! Watch as her hooves pound those keys (sort of like her feet on sidewalks) as she vents her anger and pent-up sexual frustration because her husband Donny's too busy getting his hole filled by the Iranian guy down the street!

Not from Joisey. Not a woman. Keep trying.

But on behalf of all fat Joisey cunts who probably did feel triggered,R303: 🙂😈

Damn, I was looking forward to a nice banal salad, all sort of flattened out.-Cowboy.

Seriously, OP. Side dishes? Lasagna is a meal all by itself. What R35 said. And please, people. Stop putting meat in lasagna.

I serve deep fried ravioli on the side, with three different dipping sauces: Marinara, Alfredo and Pesto Ranch.

lol^

Give all your guests a warmed whole eggplant they can put in their laps while they eat your lasagne.

For the male guests you can core out a plug and they can stick their dicks in theirs while they eat -- not too hot now!

A really good side to have is Roquefort soup, accompanied by cottage cheese stuffed Arancini.

Lasagnable Corelle.

I started with "uncultured idiot" above, and I can't stop laughing now. And, with R309, the thread goes completely off the rails in spectacular fashion!

The important thing is a *really good* lasagna. If you start out with that, you could serve grandpappy's cummy crust jockstrap on the side and your guests would still be happy.

R314 I stopped watching as soon as he pulled out the canola oil.

My best friends mother owned a restaurant the was somewhat successful here in NY it was Zagat listed in any case. Her mother is an Italian from Rome born and raised. She had a fantastic lasagna made with spinach and pesto. The meat lasagna was also quite good. You eat lasagna alone. Italians like to serve good roasted vegetables which is so easy to make. Grilled vegetables like Portobello mushrooms , zucchini and eggplant are excellent. All you do is brush them with some olive oil and thin slice some garlic and let it sit for a little so the garlic permeates and the cook on a grill pan. Easy peasy ! Italians eat fruit in their salads all the time. Proscuitto with melon is fantastic. Arugala , pear and shaved Parmigiano topped with olive oil and a balsamic or even lemon juice could not be more simple and delicious. Delicious for after would be something like fresh peaches sliced and left sitting in a glass of white wine with a little sugar. A scoop of ice cream dumped in a cup of hot coffee or espresso is Afogato style is a little more of a desert. BTW I visit my friends mother all the time. She eats broccoli rabe all the time. Pretentious Rabe troll fuck off. My family is Italian from Brooklyn. Nothing wrong with American Italian food either. So munch pointless snobbery here.

R309, I used to masturbate with warmed eggplants that I would steal as my grandma would bake them!

It was all fun and games until my gram found me mid-eggplant!

R314 It's not how I make lasagne, or even Bolognese, but he ends up with something that looks delicious. And he's fun. And then there was his Paradise Garage T-shirt.

People who say "Easy peasy !" should be shot.

Wait. Is this fucking baked eggplants a real thing for guys?

And cue the guys fucking eggplants clips

[quote]Dis-fucking-gusting.

You're thinking of burritos and custom soup restaurants.

[quote]custom soup restaurants

????

For r319

Yes R320. Fucking baked eggplants is an Italian-American custom and rite of passage for all boys of a certain age.

The only difference is that I would shoot my load over the top of the crispy eggplant skin and put it back to bake an extra 15 minutes. It's a dish called "melanzane al cum-mo!"

Way better than eggplant parm!

No side needed. Lasagna is sufficient.

Dear Lord in Heaven!

I don't like breaded and fried eggplant but I like it cut in chunks mixed with salt, pepper and olive oil and roasted until tender and caramelized. It's good as a side dish or mashed and eaten on Bruschetta or mixed in with pasta. No sauce, no cheese. Beware though that even roasted eggplant sucks up oil like crazy. Use a good tasting oil because you'll really be tasting it.

I am so disappointed in this thread. How did it take 329 replies to get to the simple answer? To get to the truth, simply ask yourself this question: "What would Vivian Vance do?"

I agree, R328.

bump

.

bump

A green salad or an escarole salad is sufficient as a side, OP.

A nice glass of red wine.

A green salad and maybe grilled /oven toasted Italian bread/ garlic rub bread.

You need an antipasti course- veggies and dip

Then, DESSERT

Do not trust anyone who says "veggies."

I find people who say veggies highly trustworthy, in my experience.

A good side dish for me is spaghetti and meatballs. Then I can just throw away the lasagna. I hate lasagna. I don't like cheese mixed with meat and tomatoes, except for cheeseburgers but no red sauce other than ketchup and most of the time I just use it on the fries. I don't like it touching my cheeseburger. Not a pizza fan either.

[r339} On the side?

Yeah, it can sit on the side of the empty lasagna dish after I've thrown the lasagna in the garbage. LOL, I was attempting to be funny. Guess it didn't work. IOW, I hate lasagna. I'd rather have spaghetti and meatballs with no cheese on it.

All you need is a great salad, Italian stuffed olives, and a fresh loaf of good crusty Italian bread. And it should all go on the table at the same time. Forget the courses, it doesn't work. Everyone should be able to SIT and ENJOY the meal TOGETHER.

Crusty shmusty^^^

This thread is hilarious. The only acceptable side dish for lasagne is bread. A salad might be nice for a first course, but tomatoes would not be the star since they feature so heavily in the main course.

Seriously, do you know *any* Italians, OP?

R339, take your food issues somewhere else.

[quote]I don't know any restaurant which would serve a slab of lasagne on its own, ffs.

Wow, how is the Olive Garden in your small town?

Turkey lasagna, yuck...its as bad as chicken sausage

For the "new guy in your life" you will need to do at least three deep douchings. I've seen many a relationship go by the wayside because of laziness on the part of the bottom.

You have been warned.