Sunday Supper

The podcast episode is about reinventing the Sunday family dinner tradition with a simple and easy lasagna recipe. The host shares her own experiences with Sunday dinners and the importance of creating memories over homemade food. The recipe includes no-boil lasagna noodles, marinara sauce, ground beef or veggies, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, oregano, basil, and salt. The host provides step-by-step instructions for layering the ingredients and baking the lasagna. She suggests pairing it with a salad and garlic bread, and recommends Chianti or Monti Pulciano di Abruzzo wine. The episode emphasizes the joy of good food, good company, and creating memorable moments. Hey, foodies, welcome to Fork and Cork, the podcast where good food and great wine are always on the menu. I'm Claudine, your host, kitchen adventurer, and professional lover of all things tasty. Whether you're a kitchen wizard, a total newbie, or maybe you're just here for the wine, this is your culinary playground. Each episode, we're diving into easy-peasy recipes, fun food chats, and clever hacks to make cooking feel like a breeze, and sometimes we'll share the perfect wine pairing. So grab a glass, get comfy, and join me as we serve up stories and dishes that bring us all together. Let's uncork the fun. Welcome back to Fork and Cork, where we dive into delicious recipes and stories around them. Today, we're diving into a heartwarming tradition that's been bringing families together for generations, the Sunday family dinner. There's something magical about gathering around the table after a busy week, sharing stories, slowing down, reconnecting, turning off those devices, and creating memories over some amazing homemade food. But in today's fast-paced world, it's really easy to let this tradition slip away, but what if we could take this sense of tradition and give it a fresh twist? In this episode, we're reinventing Sunday suppers with a simple, comforting dish that is perfect for sharing. You know, when my kids were growing up, Sunday was always pasta night. We enjoyed a different pasta dish from grandma's extensive recipes, but this way, we always knew what kind of family dinner we were having every Sunday. We were keeping the tradition of pasta night. So I'm dedicating this episode to you, Alex, Chris, and Lindsay. Now I know life gets busy between work and school and sports and everything else in between. So having everyone around the table can feel like a thing of the past, but here's the good news. Today, we're taking it easy and bringing back that tradition, easy, comforting dishes that don't keep you stuck in the kitchen all day, but still give you that Sunday magic. You know, when I was a teenager, my mom and I would marvel at the family down the street who got all dressed up their Sunday best, set the dining room table with their best dishes and cloth napkins, and had a civilized dinner every Sunday evening. In my house growing up, we didn't have a formal dining room or good dishes, but, you know, we still had that Sunday dinner together every week. My mom spent hours making a special dinner for her family every time. It was her way to make us all feel special and loved. And my husband's Italian aunt, Catherine, made her sauce every week with some kind of homemade pasta. She was an amazing cook, and everyone absolutely loved her meals because we knew lots and lots of love went into those dishes. Today, you know, I can recognize it's a different day and time. We want the family togetherness, but without the hours spent in the kitchen. And that's what's on the menu today, a simple yet mouthwatering easy lasagna, ultimate comfort food. It's packed with all the cheesy, saucy goodness you crave, really without all the stress. I can feel some eye rolls out there thinking, this is your grandma's Sunday lasagna that takes all day. Nope, this one is a game changer. Less time in the kitchen, more time at the table with those you love. I wonder what Aunt Catherine would have done with all that extra time if she'd known about this recipe. Maybe she'd whipped up some more of her delicious crunchy cookies, but those recipes are for another time. I'll share a few hacks and shortcuts to keep this delicious lasagna weeknight friendly. So here's what you'll need. Get a pencil and paper and write the recipe down. And if you don't have that, you can go to my sub stack at Happy Cook, and I'll have the recipe and directions and the whole story there. You're going to need nine lasagna noodles, which is about a half of a pound, a half of one of those boxes, and no boiling. We're not going to boil this time. I think you'll thank me later. You need two 24 ounce jars of marinara sauce, either homemade or store-bought. So you really need about six cups, and I won't judge if you don't have homemade. You know, those jars used to be bigger. They used to be 32, then they went to 28. Now I believe they're only 24. That's what inflation does for you folks. You're also going to need a pound of ground beef, or you could use Italian sausage, or you could use a combo. And for my veggie lovers out there, you can always mix sautéed spinach and mushrooms together, or really any cooked veggies that you like. You need a 16 ounce container or two cups of ricotta cheese, two cups of shredded mozzarella cheese, two cups of shredded, I'm sorry, of grated Parmesan cheese divided. Freshly grated is the best, but if you have to already buy the grated, please just don't buy the one in the green can. Use the one from the dairy aisle. Two eggs, lightly beaten, a sprinkle of dried oregano and basil for that Italian flavor, and a pinch of salt. Now I know what you're thinking. No boiling the noodles, Claudine? Are you crazy? But trust me, once they soak up all that sauce in the oven, they're going to get perfectly tender without any extra steps. So easy. First start, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare your 9 by 13 inch baking dish. And I like to spray my baking dish with a thin coat of cooking spray. So then pull out a pan and brown your ground beef or your sausage. And you can brown them together. They don't have to be separately if you decide to use a combo. Cook it until it's nice and brown and crumbly. And for my veggie folks, just saute your veggies in a little butter until they're softened and then set these things aside. In a separate mixing bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese, one cup of mozzarella, and a fourth of a cup of Parmesan cheese, the two beaten eggs, oregano, basil, and a pinch of salt. Stir it up until you don't see any more of the yellow part of the egg in the mixture. Now for the fun part. Let's start layering. Here's where the kids can help. If you've got kids, bring them in. They'll love helping in the kitchen and it's really easy for them to do this layering part. You're going to spread a thin layer of marinara sauce on the bottom of the pan. This keeps the noodles from sticking and gives them a layer of moisture to help them soften up. Then we layer. Add three of those beautiful no-boil noodles on top of this sauce. Spread half your ricotta mixture, followed by half the beef or veggies, and a good helping of sauce, about two cups, and one tablespoon Parmesan cheese. Repeat this until you have two delicious layers. Then top it off with the last three noodles, the remaining sauce, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese. That's it. That's all the layering that we need, but we do need to cover this pan tightly with foil and place it in the oven. Set the timer for 45 minutes. When the timer goes off, remove the foil, sprinkle on the remaining cup of mozzarella cheese, and put back in the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese on top is all melty and almost golden. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. This is the only hard part, waiting for it to cool so slightly so that it all comes together before slicing into squares for serving. Trust me, it's worth the wait. And just like that, you've got yourself a crowd pleaser. It's cheesy, it's meaty, or veggie-y-y. And it's all anything you'd ever want from a Sunday supper without spending all day in the kitchen. So, you know, lasagna is one of those dishes that just feels like a hug in food form, seriously makes your house smell amazing. It's the kind of meal that brings everyone to the table, whether it's your family, your roommates, or a bunch of friends. It's layered, much like our relationships, you know? Each layer adding something a little different, but when it all comes together in one delicious bite. Okay, okay, I'm getting too deep over here, but seriously, lasagna is one of those meals that makes people linger at the table a little longer, laugh a little louder. And isn't that what Sunday suppers are all about? Good food, good company, and moments you'll remember. I miss you and Catherine with your manja manja, but I think you would approve of this recipe. And there you have it, an easy lasagna that's going to steal the show at your next Sunday supper. Pair it with a simple salad, maybe some garlic bread, and you're going. And it's so inclined, and you want a bottle of wine, you want to have a little vino with it. I would suggest Chianti or Monti, this is really hard to say because it's Italian, Monti Pulciano di Abruzzo. Either one of those would be a great choice. These wines have a bright acidity that cuts through the cheese and meat while still bringing out the luscious flavors of that sauce. So until next time, I'm Claudine, reminding you that good food and good company are the best ingredients for any meal. Don't forget to share your favorite Sunday traditions with us and tag me at Forks and Corks. Cheers and happy cooking.