make my lasagna taste less like a backyard

April 19, 2009 11:46 AM

how can i rescue my broccoli lasagna?

we made a vegetarian broccoli lasagna using pureed broccoli (blender) mixed with ricotta and egg, garlic, and spices, then alternating layers of marinara and chopped carrots. the broccoli makes it tastes like lawn grass. no amount of salt or pepper is remedying this. can anyone offer a way to salvage our dish?

posted by Señor Pantalones to food & drink (17 comments total)

Saute more garlic with olive oil and salt, and sprinkle it on top? Then lots of Parmesan.
posted by exceptinsects at 11:48 AM on April 19, 2009

First off; DONT PANIC!

It doesnt taste like lawn grass; it's just that once you get that idea into your head, it cannot taste like anything else.

Serve it with a crisp white wine and dont tell anyone about what you think it tastes like. No-one else will taste grass.

(Even if they did; is lawn grass such a bad taste?)
posted by BadMiker at 11:58 AM on April 19, 2009

Garlic fixes everything. Some onion, too. Specifically, the powdered varieties for a major flavor fix.
posted by zerokey at 12:10 PM on April 19, 2009

Whip up an alfredo sauce to serve over it. Everything tastes better with more butter on top.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 12:12 PM on April 19, 2009

Crunchy things always save bad mushy veggie meals for me.
Depending on how much there is, I'd put something like crunchy on the top like "funions" or bread crumbs.

Maybe some just this side of burned mozzarella cheese.
posted by bottlebrushtree at 12:12 PM on April 19, 2009

More marinara will help. See if you can concentrate it a bit. Don't add another flavor, just add more of one already in the dish.

Next time, don't puree the broccoli, just chop it into tiny bits.
posted by iconomy at 12:25 PM on April 19, 2009

You need something that will stand up to broccoli. Maybe romano cheese, aged cheddar cheese, swiss cheese, some hot pepper flakes? Something aggressive.

Anchovies, black olives, capers, and garlic work with broccoli, but I'm having a hard time imagining how to incorporate them into a pre-existing lasagna.

The other thing that might work in your favor is just playing the percentages, separate into two layers, put into separate casserole dishes, and then recompile w/more mozzarella, marinara, etc., so you can reduce the overwhelming presence of broccoli.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 12:51 PM on April 19, 2009

I'd probably served the lasagna in a puddle of strong, garlicky marinara sauce with a healthy dollop of cream in it. The tomato and garlic will intensify the good flavors currently in the lasagna and the cream will add some heavy, mouth filling creaminess to detract from the grassy flavor. A handful of shredded mozzarella sprinkled over the top and browned under the broiler would probably also help add cheesy richness. Doing it this way also means you won't end up having to fuss with the actual strata of the lasagna and risk ending up with a pile of mush.
posted by mostlymartha at 1:05 PM on April 19, 2009

Pesto.
posted by sciencegeek at 1:10 PM on April 19, 2009

Sorry, sounds like a misbegotten Quixotic endeavor to me. Abortions like broccoli lasagne are what gives vegetarianism a bad name.
posted by Huplescat at 6:54 PM on April 19, 2009 [1 favorite]

While lots of the suggestions above might work (tons of garlic & olive & onion marinara sounds like the most likely to overpower the badness), i have to say, that unless there are some mitigating circumstances that make you feel like you MUST eat this, i vote that you throw it out. Or, if you are just eating this your self, and don't care what it looks like, you could deconstruct the layers, scraping out the brocco-cheese layer, and eat the rest of it as big, flat, messy spagetti.

Also: Huplescat, could you perhaps not use the word 'abortions' as short form for 'things that are awful', unless you really trying to bring a stance about abortion to a discussion about lasagna? (I am fully aware that you probably used the word ironically, but its kinda like using 'gay' as a sub for 'stupid' - it might be funny but its not so cool.)
posted by Kololo at 7:18 PM on April 19, 2009

Maybe you also need a stronger pepper, like cayenne.
posted by aquafortis at 8:28 PM on April 19, 2009

Thanks so much for all the great answers. We're going to try a few of the above, in sequence, beginning with toppings and sauce, moving on to some sauteeing, and if we're not satisfied, taking kololo's suggestion of letting it go. I really appreciate all the information and great suggestions. Sometimes being a CSA member can be a bit too much to handle.

Huplescat, I've had an alfredo asparagus lasagne that stands out as better than any meat-based lasagne in my life. So there's no reason broccoli should be bad...it's just that the one I made happens to be. Also, we chose not to use the fetus the recipe called for, so I don't think it should be considered an abortion.
posted by Señor Pantalones at 11:24 PM on April 19, 2009 [4 favorites]

Broccoli lasagna is in no way a bankrupt idea--there are many ways it could be delicious.

However, in the future, think long and hard before you puree anything. There are a few, but only a very few, cases where mush in your mouth is preferable to the excellent textures things already have.

Also, lose the carrots. And the marinara. Make a bechamel and stir in lots of fresh herbs before you pour it.
posted by Darth Fedor at 5:07 AM on April 20, 2009

Broccoli does not bake well in a casserole setting, the moisture just break it down and turns a wonderful vegetable into something much much less appealing. Now you can put it on a sheet pan drizzle it with olive oil sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and parmasan and bake or broil it for 10 minutes and you have something good. But the idea of it ground up in lasagna makes me want to gag.

What I would suggest is gently smashing black beans (you want to break them down, but not lose the texture) mixing with roccotta and sauce, and using that. Black bean lasagna is my favorite vegetarian variety, and I am a lasagna expert.
posted by BobbyDigital at 8:19 AM on April 20, 2009

You don't have to bake the broccoli for 30 minutes to get a broccoli lasagna--roast it like you suggest, then assemble the lasagna, and stick it under the broiler 'til hot and melty, just a few minutes. No textural sacrifice will be made.

(I, however, am not an accredited lasagna expert :)
posted by Darth Fedor at 10:23 AM on April 20, 2009

This came to me today: crushed fritos. yum.
posted by bottlebrushtree at 8:44 PM on April 22, 2009