Baked Ziti vs Lasagna
- Thread starter tlsmack
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Manicotti.... god I’m hungry now!
allesz
Tele-Holic
Living in Lasagna hometown I am, of course, a fan... But here the choice of pasta, baked pasta and other heavy dishes is so big it's hard to make a choice.
In the south they make some wonderful kinds of pasta al forno, with ziti or other kind of noodles. The best are from Sicily (an incredible array of wonderful dishes there) and Naples.
Eggplant lasagna is called Parmigiana here (In Naples is really good). In Greece they call it Moussaka and it's actually a cross between lasagna and parmigiana. Try it, it won't disappoint the audience.
And tomorrow, lasagna at mommy's house
In the south they make some wonderful kinds of pasta al forno, with ziti or other kind of noodles. The best are from Sicily (an incredible array of wonderful dishes there) and Naples.
Eggplant lasagna is called Parmigiana here (In Naples is really good). In Greece they call it Moussaka and it's actually a cross between lasagna and parmigiana. Try it, it won't disappoint the audience.
And tomorrow, lasagna at mommy's house
as long as i dont have to make it...either is fine for the delicious
My wife is Italian and I like both as well as her special Italian Chicken Bake with peppers and onions.
I prefer baked cut ziti, if it's made with the pasta well folded in to the sauce (so that there is no air space inside the noodles).
However, many restaurants use penne or rigatoni pasta in their so-called "ziti." This is not something I like, as the texture and sauce holding characteristics are noticeably different than cut ziti, plus the ridges of the penne and rigatoni don't handle being baked as well as the smooth sides of the ziti. Nowadays, in a restaurant, I always ask if it is actually ziti before finalizing my order. Too many times ordering ziti and getting penne or rigatoni instead!
However, many restaurants use penne or rigatoni pasta in their so-called "ziti." This is not something I like, as the texture and sauce holding characteristics are noticeably different than cut ziti, plus the ridges of the penne and rigatoni don't handle being baked as well as the smooth sides of the ziti. Nowadays, in a restaurant, I always ask if it is actually ziti before finalizing my order. Too many times ordering ziti and getting penne or rigatoni instead!
Baked Ziti says "I love, but not that much."
Go hang a salami! I'm a lasagna hog.
Wait, let me write that backwards...
Wait, let me write that backwards...
Pasta with a thin, light, meat sauce or a good garlic-y basil marinara.
Heavy it up with cheese into a brick or a pan of dried-out large scale macaroni ?
Not for me.
And a too sloppy lasagna ? Nahhh.
I like their approach to calamari though...
Heavy it up with cheese into a brick or a pan of dried-out large scale macaroni ?
Not for me.
And a too sloppy lasagna ? Nahhh.
I like their approach to calamari though...
1293
Doctor of Teleocity
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- May 18, 2006
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I'm not really a fan of pasta with red sauce. I prefer lasagne alla Bolognese.
tlsmack
Friend of Leo's
That's basically the way I see it.
Put a tray of baked ziti on the table, people go "Cool!"
Put a tray of lasagna on the table,and people go "OMG!"
Baked ziti with sausage is superior to Lasagna. I know because
1. I’m Italian
2. I never lie
3. I’m always right.
My Italian ex- mother-in-law calls ziti, "sewer pipes". Her, along with her daughter spoiled me with fantastic homemade pastas of all sorts. I now have a hard time choking down store bought pasta, but worse than that, dishes like lasagne are becoming too rich for my system, such that sewer pipe pasta has an altogether new meaning.
But you can hook each Ziti individually and practice portion control. Until you get to the sausage, that is.My Italian ex- mother-in-law calls ziti, "sewer pipes". Her, along with her daughter spoiled me with fantastic homemade pastas of all sorts. I now have a hard time choking down store bought pasta, but worse than that, dishes like lasagne are becoming too rich for my system, such that sewer pipe pasta has an altogether new meaning.
rich815
Friend of Leo's
I love both. Pasta and pasta shapes are about mouth feel and ingredient proportions. Both are terrific! Funny that: I prefer linguine to spaghetti and dislike angel hair pasta, all because of mouth feel.
Chester Burnett
Tele-Holic
Totally agree! Ziti is a thin, smooth and straight tube that lends itself well to baking. The straight tubes stack well and the moisture from the sauce seeps into the pasta as it bakes. It's a simple dish and if you need a protein a meatball or sausage link served on the side is better than adding meat directly to the ziti. Penne is a tube with an angled cut end and can be either smooth or ridged, Penne and Penne Rigate. The ridges are great for tossing with a sauce at service but not ideal for baking.
While Ziti is a simple dish that can be thrown together quickly, Lasagna is more serious affair with a lot of room for variety. I will rarely order Lasagna in a restaurant. Most of the time they are too wet without distinct layers. Just a heavy, sloppy mess. My go to alternates three basic layers. A cheese layer consisting of Mozzarella, Ricotta and Parmigiana, a marinara layer and a layer of veggies. Usually spinach, mushrooms and garlic. A few dabs of sauce go in the cheese and veggie layer but the whole thing needs to be dry enough to hold it's shape without sliding apart. A spoon of marinara underneath the lasagna on the plate at service and again meat on the side is preferable to adding to the dish before baking.
Dang it, I'm hungry now.
8barlouie
Poster Extraordinaire
I’d definitely go for the lasagna. It’s a much more expensive dish to make, so it’s an extravagance in our house. I like the idea of the eggplant lasagne. I also like the Greek eggplant dish, moussaka (sp?) which is similar and delicious.
Nickadermis
Friend of Leo's
Yip !
