Can I make this veggie-heavy lasagna the day before?

December 16, 2016 8:29 AM

I've made Cook's Illustrated delicious vegetable lasagna several times but it has been a few years. I'm not a very experienced cook. Do you think I could assemble the lasagna today and bake it tomorrow evening? It's very vegetable heavy and I'm worried the spinach will get wilted or the noodles soggy in the fridge. Thank you!!
posted by pintapicasso to Food & Drink (7 answers total)

Best answer: Lasagna is one of the most reliable make-ahead meals. The vegetables might wilt or weep a bit, but that's not all bad news -- it's part of the process we're referring to when we say to "let the flavors meld" overnight or what have you. Note that the cream sauce is thickened with cornstarch. That'll help the liquid stay a little less runny while it sits in the fridge and waits for you to dive in.

Looks delicious!
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 8:37 AM on December 16, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: My experience is that lasagna recipes where you boil the noodles before assembling can get kind of gluey if you hold them too long, but that ones where you assemble them with the noodles uncooked work out fine with some extra fridge time before cooking.
posted by nebulawindphone at 8:49 AM on December 16, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: IME the only way to "ruin" no-boil lasagna noodles is to have too little liquid to soften them. If you follow the directions about draining the vegetables before building the lasagna, you should be just fine. Oh, and don't forget to cover the lasagna well, especially if you have a frost-free refrigerator, so it doesn't dry out.
posted by DrGail at 9:11 AM on December 16, 2016 [2 favorites]

Best answer: You'll be fine
(and that lasagna looks really good, i am totally stealing that recipe)
posted by Fig at 9:26 AM on December 16, 2016 [2 favorites]

Best answer: From their spinach and mushroom lasagne, which also uses no-boil noodles:

Planning ahead: Assemble the lasagna as directed... but do not bake. Wrap the dish tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 day...

To bake: Allow the lasagna to sit at room temperature for about 1 hour... and then the baking directions look about the same as if you hadn't done it the day before.
posted by The corpse in the library at 10:10 AM on December 16, 2016 [4 favorites]

Response by poster: Thank you !!
posted by pintapicasso at 10:46 AM on December 16, 2016

One thing I've noticed with not baking lasagne straight away is that the pasta can curl up at the edges and stick out of the sauce, especially the top layer. Then if you can't get the edges don't go back in you have sad corners that just dry and burn sticking out. It might just be the brand of sheets I use (Barilla). If you see yours starting to do this, lasagne is an excellent candidate for pre cooking and reheating.
posted by stellathon at 3:14 PM on December 17, 2016