Lasagna Night

Lasagna Beef Ragu · 120 servings

Ingredients

20 lb ground beef (≈9.1 kg)
5 gal red sauce (≈18.9 L) - house marinara
Salt and pepper - to taste
Italian herbs - to taste

Instructions

Brown the ground beef in a large pot, breaking it up as it cooks.
Drain off the excess fat.
Add the red sauce and stir to combine.
Season with salt, pepper, and Italian herbs.
Simmer 20-30 minutes until thickened. Do not rush it - the sauce should reduce and deepen rather than stay loose.

Lasagna Bechamel · 120 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat.
Whisk in the flour and cook 5-7 minutes, until pale golden but not browned.
Slowly whisk in the warm milk.
Simmer, whisking, until thick and smooth. It should coat a spoon but stay pourable, like heavy cream - not pasty.
Season with the salt and nutmeg.
Keep warm for assembly.

Hotel-Pan Beef Lasagna (Assembly and Bake) · 120 servings

Ingredients

108-144 lasagna sheets - 3-4 layers per hotel pan; par-boil if not no-boil
18 lb mozzarella (≈8.2 kg) - shredded, for the layers and a heavy top
6 cups grated parmesan (≈600 g) - for the top

Instructions

Par-boil the lasagna sheets 4-5 minutes, until flexible but still firm. Skip this if using no-boil sheets. Lay them flat and keep them lightly oiled so they do not stick.
Spread a thin layer of beef ragu across the bottom of the pan.
Repeat this cycle three times: noodles in full coverage, a bechamel drizzle ladled evenly, a beef ragu layer, then a sprinkle of mozzarella.
Finish the top with noodles, a thick bechamel layer with no ragu, then a heavy layer of mozzarella and parmesan.
The filled pan should sit about 1/2 to 3/4 inch below the rim.
Cover tightly with foil and bake at 375°F for 50-60 minutes. More trays in the oven need more time.
Uncover and bake another 15-25 minutes, until the cheese is browned and the edges are bubbling.
Rest 15-20 minutes before cutting, or it will come out sloppy.

Lasagna Ragu (Vegan Mince) · 60 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

Saute the chopped onion in the olive oil until soft.
Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add the vegan mince and brown it well.
Stir in the diced carrot and celery.
Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and vegetable stock. Season with salt, pepper, and Italian herbs.
Simmer 20-30 minutes until thick. Do not rush this step - the tomatoes need the time to cook out and deepen.

Lasagna Bechamel (Vegan) · 60 servings

Ingredients

1⅞ cups vegan butter or olive oil (≈426 g)
1⅞ cups flour (≈225 g)
3¾ qt plant milk (≈3.5 L) - warmed, unsweetened and unflavored
1¼ tbsp salt
1½ tsp nutmeg - optional but recommended

Instructions

Melt the vegan butter, or heat the olive oil, in a large pot over medium heat.
Whisk in the flour and cook 5-7 minutes, until pale golden but not browned.
Slowly whisk in the warm plant milk.
Simmer, whisking, until thick and smooth. It should coat a spoon but stay pourable, like heavy cream - not pasty.
Season with the salt and nutmeg.
Keep warm for assembly.

Hotel-Pan Vegan Lasagna (Assembly and Bake) · 60 servings

Ingredients

54-72 lasagna sheets - egg-free; 3-4 layers per hotel pan; par-boil if not no-boil
9 lb vegan mozzarella (≈4.1 kg) - shredded, for the layers and the top

Instructions

Par-boil the lasagna sheets 4-5 minutes, until flexible but still firm. Skip this if using no-boil sheets. Lay them flat and keep them lightly oiled so they do not stick.
Spread a thin layer of vegan ragu across the bottom of the pan.
Repeat this cycle three times: noodles in full coverage, a vegan bechamel drizzle ladled evenly, a vegan ragu layer, then a sprinkle of vegan mozzarella.
Finish the top with noodles, a thick vegan bechamel layer with no ragu, then a heavy layer of vegan mozzarella.
The filled pan should sit about 1/2 to 3/4 inch below the rim.
Cover tightly with foil and bake at 375°F for 50-60 minutes. More trays in the oven need more time.
Uncover and bake another 15-25 minutes, until the top is browned and the edges are bubbling.
Rest 15-20 minutes before cutting, or it will come out sloppy.

Garlic Bread (Co-op Batch) · 180 servings

Ingredients

18 loaves French or Italian bread
4¾ cups butter (≈1.1 kg) - softened or melted
48 cloves fresh garlic - finely minced
2⅜ bunches fresh parsley - chopped
3⅝ cups grated parmesan (≈360 g)
Salt - small amount, taste first - the parmesan also adds saltiness
2⅜ tbsp Italian seasoning

Instructions

Mix the softened or melted butter with the minced garlic, chopped parsley, a small amount of salt, and the Italian seasoning if using. Taste before adding more salt, because the parmesan will add saltiness as well.
Slice the loaves lengthwise or into large serving pieces.
Coat the cut surfaces generously with the garlic butter, and top some of the loaves with parmesan.
Arrange cut-side up on sheet trays.
Bake at 375°F for 8-12 minutes, until the butter has melted into the bread, the edges are lightly crisp, and the parmesan is beginning to brown.

Italian Chopped Salad (Co-op Batch) · 180 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

Wash the romaine and dry it thoroughly, then chop into bite-size pieces. The lettuce needs to be quite dry or the dressing will turn watery.
Halve the tomatoes, slice the cucumbers, drain and slice the pepperoncini, and drain the olives.
Keep all the prepped vegetables refrigerated until close to service.
For the vinaigrette, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning.
Adjust the acidity before service. It should taste slightly stronger than seems right, because the lettuce will dilute it.
Shortly before serving, combine the lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, and pepperoncini.
Add the dressing gradually and toss.
Add the parmesan last. Do not dress the salad early.

Italian Roasted Vegetable Tray (Co-op Batch) · 180 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

Cut the vegetables to similar cooking size rather than identical physical size: carrots smaller, broccoli into medium florets, bell peppers into large strips or chunks, onions into thick wedges, and zucchini into relatively large pieces. Large zucchini pieces keep them from going mushy.
Toss the vegetables with generous olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.
Spread in a single layer on sheet trays. Do not overcrowd the trays.
Group vegetables with similar cooking times on the same trays - carrots, onions, and broccoli together; zucchini and bell peppers together.
Roast at 400°F for 20-30 minutes, stirring and rotating the trays halfway through.

Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms (Co-op Batch) · 180 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

Clean the mushrooms and trim the stems if needed. Halve the medium ones and quarter the large ones. Do not slice them thinly - thicker pieces brown better and lose less water.
Toss with the olive oil, salt, black pepper, and minced garlic.
Add the first cup of balsamic vinegar conservatively. Too much liquid at the start makes the mushrooms steam instead of brown.
Cook on the stovetop in a wok or large pan to release their water. They should reduce to about half their original volume.
Once browned, drizzle with the remaining balsamic vinegar and toss. Adding balsamic a second time keeps the vinegar flavor fresh instead of cooking it all away.
Add the chopped parsley and adjust the salt and pepper.

Lasagna Night

Lasagna Beef Ragu · 120 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

Lasagna Bechamel · 120 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

Hotel-Pan Beef Lasagna (Assembly and Bake) · 120 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

Lasagna Ragu (Vegan Mince) · 60 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

Lasagna Bechamel (Vegan) · 60 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

Hotel-Pan Vegan Lasagna (Assembly and Bake) · 60 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

Garlic Bread (Co-op Batch) · 180 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

Italian Chopped Salad (Co-op Batch) · 180 servings

Ingredients

Salad

Red Wine Vinaigrette

Instructions

Italian Roasted Vegetable Tray (Co-op Batch) · 180 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms (Co-op Batch) · 180 servings

Ingredients

Instructions