How do I substitute regular lasagna noodles for no-boil ones?

December 2, 2011 6:29 PM

How do I substitute regular lasagna noodles for no-boil ones?

I want to make this lasagna tomorrow, but it calls for no-boil noodles, and I have gobs of regular ones. Can I just cook up the regular ones and use them instead, or will my lasagna turn out runny because some of the liquid was supposed to be absorbed by the no-boil noodles?

posted by juliapangolin to Food & Drink (11 answers total)

I have actually used regular lasagna noodles in a lasagna without boiling them (on purpose, I swear!) They come out a bit more al dente, but definitely edible. Assuming the lasagna has enough moisture you might just try that.

The recipe I used (also a squash lasagna) is here if that helps.
posted by Muttoneer at 6:38 PM on December 2, 2011

You can use no-boil noodles without boiling them. I loved lasagna as a kid but my mom hated to make it, she had some little old ladies she took grocery shopping and told them how much she hated making lasagna since she had to work with hit boiled noodles that she always managed to break. They just laughed and told her not to boil them.

The only caveat is you need to put sauce on the bottom of the baking dish, which the recipe calls for anyway.

Check this out.
posted by Ad hominem at 6:38 PM on December 2, 2011

Nthing that you do not need to boil lasagna noodles beforehand. Just layer them in (sauce on the bottom as Muttoneer says) and they'll cook along with the dish.
posted by vorfeed at 6:41 PM on December 2, 2011

same a above, just check it during baking to see if it needs more liquid.
posted by Neekee at 6:47 PM on December 2, 2011

Best answer: Yes, I've done this with the regular noodles you're supposed to boil, and it always turned out fine. Just make sure there's enough moisture (there usually is--if you put spinach in you'll be pretty much assured of it).
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 6:53 PM on December 2, 2011

I've used regular lasagna noodles plenty of time without pre-cooking them, but I do recommend soaking them in hot water for a few minutes first. I wish I had a clear formula for that for you -- but basically, I just boil some water in my electric kettle, pour it over the lasagna noodles (which I've put in the dish I'm going to assemble the lasagna in) and let them soften while I prepare the other ingredients. It seems to help give them the little bit of extra moisture they need.

(But I've also made lasagna without doing that and it's always been fine.)
posted by darksong at 7:05 PM on December 2, 2011 [1 favorite]

I just make my sauce slightly thinner and bake my lasagna a little bit longer.
posted by elsietheeel at 7:11 PM on December 2, 2011 [2 favorites]

I usually just soak normal lasagne noodles in room-temp water for about fifteen minutes before assembly. They soften a bit but don't cook and get too soft while baking.
posted by supercres at 7:25 PM on December 2, 2011

I always just make a slightly wetter sauce, and cover for the primary baking time to keep more moisture in.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:19 PM on December 2, 2011

I don't use no-boil ones because the texture seems off to me. I use regular ones with darksong's method, pretty much: bathe them in recently-boiled water to make them a bit easier to handle and fit into the corners. The water has cooled by the time I'm fishing them out with my fingers.
posted by rokusan at 3:34 AM on December 3, 2011

I've never boiled noodles for lasagna. I usually makes sure there's a layer of sauce on the bottom to cook the bottom layer and I put foil over the dish for the first half and hour to keep the moisture in then remove it for that crispy top.
posted by patheral at 7:26 AM on December 3, 2011