Help me not ruin Christmas dinner for the vegetarians in the family.
December 9, 2007 11:46 AM Subscribe
Can I de-salt my lasagna filling? I'm making two spinach-pesto lasagnas and it seems I've over-salted my truly ginormous bowl of ricotta/parmesan/spinach/pesto filling. Please tell me I don't have to start over. Can it be saved? Can I add something that will take away some of the saltiness?
Other than adding more ricotta/parmesan/spinach/pesto (unsalted) to the existing (salted) stuff to dilute out the salt. sorry, the salt's pretty much there unless you rinse the filling through a sieve with water.
posted by porpoise at 11:55 AM on December 9, 2007
posted by porpoise at 11:55 AM on December 9, 2007
I recall reading in my grandmother's 1950s Betty Crocker book that in such a case you could put a raw potato in soup and simmer it for a while, then take the potato out, thereby removing some of the salt. Not sure if this would work if you're not planning to pre-cook the filling, though.
posted by tractorfeed at 11:57 AM on December 9, 2007
posted by tractorfeed at 11:57 AM on December 9, 2007
You can try adding sweet, acid (vinegar), or fat to cover the salt. I've never had luck with a potato. Don't add any more salt to the pasta water or tomato sauce. Some googling yields: one, two, three
posted by troyer at 12:01 PM on December 9, 2007
posted by troyer at 12:01 PM on December 9, 2007
Sorry, I'm with porpoise. Dilute! Dilute! with some more cheese you can grab from the store now. Then use the extra measure of cheese mixture in a truly rich baked macaroni that you can freeze separately.
I wouldn't rinse with water at all, though: the salt is bound up with the cheese now.
I think Alton Brown or Harold McGee showed that the potato thing (which is supposed to work in thinner soups and stews) doesn't actually work. I wouldn't even try it on a viscous mixture of cheeses.
posted by maudlin at 12:01 PM on December 9, 2007
I wouldn't rinse with water at all, though: the salt is bound up with the cheese now.
I think Alton Brown or Harold McGee showed that the potato thing (which is supposed to work in thinner soups and stews) doesn't actually work. I wouldn't even try it on a viscous mixture of cheeses.
posted by maudlin at 12:01 PM on December 9, 2007
I would just increase the portions, but not add any more salt. Lasagna saves pretty well. You can just send everybody home with plenty of leftovers.
posted by gauchodaspampas at 12:01 PM on December 9, 2007
posted by gauchodaspampas at 12:01 PM on December 9, 2007
The potato thing, per America's Test Kitchen, is a lie. :(
You could try cooking up a bit of the pasta and trying it with the filling: the salt level may actually balance out once the lasagna noodles are involved.
posted by thehmsbeagle at 12:03 PM on December 9, 2007 [1 favorite]
You could try cooking up a bit of the pasta and trying it with the filling: the salt level may actually balance out once the lasagna noodles are involved.
posted by thehmsbeagle at 12:03 PM on December 9, 2007 [1 favorite]
The potato is a lie, but I second the dilution method. Just add more ricotta etc. Adding sweet/sour/bitter to the mix would also work, but if you added enough to make a difference you'd have some very strange tasting lasagna.
posted by Newbornstranger at 12:08 PM on December 9, 2007
posted by Newbornstranger at 12:08 PM on December 9, 2007
I bet if you just do nothing, you'll be fine. Many people under-season homemade dishes. Don't add any more salt, then test the results after a tasting with the sauce. Boil a few noodles and make yourself a snack to test what the final product might be like.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 12:11 PM on December 9, 2007
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 12:11 PM on December 9, 2007
I would add more spinach.
posted by oneirodynia at 12:14 PM on December 9, 2007
posted by oneirodynia at 12:14 PM on December 9, 2007
Well, let's see....
What I would do is add some additional olive oil and make a sort of ersatz aioli (mayo, without the eggs) of part of your filling by putting, say, half of it through a blender or food processor and adding the olive oil in a thin stream. Then, I would dump out maybe half of the remaining mixture and fold the mayo/aioli back into the remaining half. Extra fat can blunt the saltiness of your filling. Just reduce the number of layers of your lasagna to compensate for less filling.
Also, if you haven't boiled your noodles yet, you might consider not salting the water at all or reducing the salt you add to your water. Your noodles are going to absorb some of the saltiness from your filling during baking, anyway.
As others have said, you might also up your lemon juice content or add some lemon zest to balance out the saltiness, as well.
Lastly, you could add a layer of mushrooms or more blanched spinach to your lasagna, as well, if you have those on hand or access to them.
Good luck. Keep in mind, too, that all of the additional ingredients in your lasagna will take on salt, so all is surely not lost with a little experimentation.
posted by TryTheTilapia at 12:17 PM on December 9, 2007
What I would do is add some additional olive oil and make a sort of ersatz aioli (mayo, without the eggs) of part of your filling by putting, say, half of it through a blender or food processor and adding the olive oil in a thin stream. Then, I would dump out maybe half of the remaining mixture and fold the mayo/aioli back into the remaining half. Extra fat can blunt the saltiness of your filling. Just reduce the number of layers of your lasagna to compensate for less filling.
Also, if you haven't boiled your noodles yet, you might consider not salting the water at all or reducing the salt you add to your water. Your noodles are going to absorb some of the saltiness from your filling during baking, anyway.
As others have said, you might also up your lemon juice content or add some lemon zest to balance out the saltiness, as well.
Lastly, you could add a layer of mushrooms or more blanched spinach to your lasagna, as well, if you have those on hand or access to them.
Good luck. Keep in mind, too, that all of the additional ingredients in your lasagna will take on salt, so all is surely not lost with a little experimentation.
posted by TryTheTilapia at 12:17 PM on December 9, 2007
What about a sweet-ish vegetable, like some zucchini, pumpkin or squash? Never tried it, but I've polished off quite a bit of zucchini bread in the last week, so it's on my mind.
posted by mdonley at 12:18 PM on December 9, 2007
posted by mdonley at 12:18 PM on December 9, 2007
Response by poster: My hysteria was unfounded. I went back and tasted the filling (after giving it another good mixing) and it's fine. There goes my weekly MeFi question.
I think the best (if not convenient, since it would require another trip to the store) solution if it had actually been too salty would be to increase the amount of cheese (although not the parmesan, it's salty enough), pesto and spinach a little bit to make up for the salt. I'd have leftover filling, but it's insanely delicious, so who cares!
Thanks, Internet!
posted by missuswayne at 12:30 PM on December 9, 2007
I think the best (if not convenient, since it would require another trip to the store) solution if it had actually been too salty would be to increase the amount of cheese (although not the parmesan, it's salty enough), pesto and spinach a little bit to make up for the salt. I'd have leftover filling, but it's insanely delicious, so who cares!
Thanks, Internet!
posted by missuswayne at 12:30 PM on December 9, 2007
If you say it fast, it sounds like you're swearing, but you won't go to hell.
(And yay! for the saved lasagna!)
posted by maudlin at 12:43 PM on December 9, 2007 [1 favorite]
(And yay! for the saved lasagna!)
posted by maudlin at 12:43 PM on December 9, 2007 [1 favorite]
Glad your lasagna turned out OK.
I have managed to save over-salted soups and stews with a little bit of sugar. A tablespoon or so was all it took.
posted by tomboko at 2:44 PM on December 9, 2007
I have managed to save over-salted soups and stews with a little bit of sugar. A tablespoon or so was all it took.
posted by tomboko at 2:44 PM on December 9, 2007
Um, if it's not too much of a pain could you post the recipe or point to a link? It sounds awesome!
posted by fshgrl at 2:59 PM on December 9, 2007
posted by fshgrl at 2:59 PM on December 9, 2007
Seconding the request for the recipe. :-)
posted by exphysicist345 at 4:45 PM on December 9, 2007
posted by exphysicist345 at 4:45 PM on December 9, 2007
As others have mentioned..... I've had moderate amount of luck with adding sugar in similar situations.
posted by edgeways at 6:42 PM on December 9, 2007
posted by edgeways at 6:42 PM on December 9, 2007
Response by poster:
Super-Fast Spinach, Pesto And Cheese Lasagna
Happy to oblige. I sometimes find spinach lasagna a little bland, but the pesto is a great addition and makes a huge difference in the flavor. Couple notes: I use regular lasagna noodles, not no-boil. I use an extra cup of sauce (I end up using a whole jar) and I leave the spinach ever-so-slightly wet so that there's enough moisture in the lasagna to cook the noodles through. It will take longer to cook (maybe an hour at 350), but I prefer regular noodles. I also combine the cheese mixture and the spinach mixture to save time. Lastly, the filling really does require a good bit of seasoning - and as we learned at dinner tonight, I used just the right amount of salt after all. :)
Enjoy!
posted by missuswayne at 7:04 PM on December 9, 2007 [1 favorite]
Super-Fast Spinach, Pesto And Cheese Lasagna
Happy to oblige. I sometimes find spinach lasagna a little bland, but the pesto is a great addition and makes a huge difference in the flavor. Couple notes: I use regular lasagna noodles, not no-boil. I use an extra cup of sauce (I end up using a whole jar) and I leave the spinach ever-so-slightly wet so that there's enough moisture in the lasagna to cook the noodles through. It will take longer to cook (maybe an hour at 350), but I prefer regular noodles. I also combine the cheese mixture and the spinach mixture to save time. Lastly, the filling really does require a good bit of seasoning - and as we learned at dinner tonight, I used just the right amount of salt after all. :)
Enjoy!
posted by missuswayne at 7:04 PM on December 9, 2007 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by mulligan at 11:55 AM on December 9, 2007