Pasta – How is this lasagna pasta supposed to be cooked

lasagnapasta

I will try to do lasagna and I have doubts about how to deal with the pasta. The bolognese and bechamel sauces are fine (at least I know how to approach them).

The problem I am having is with these "pre-cooked" lasagna pasta sheets (this is in France, Barilla is a very common brand of pasta over here)

enter image description here

Instead of a written description of how to use them, they only went for a few icons:

enter image description here

What does the first icon mean?

It could be a part of the bechamel sauce recipe, but it misses everything else (the roux, etc.).

Am I supposed to boil 0.9L of milk, pour it in the flat bowl, then put the sauce (I cannot believe that, maybe a first layer of pasta on top of the milk? – still does not make a lot of sense) and then the layers of bechamel and sauce?

In other words: where does this 0.9L of milk go?

EDIT: on The French Barilla site they have a section with recipes, including a few lasagnas using the pasta I have. https://www.barilla.com/fr-fr/recettes/collezione/lasagnes-a-la-sauce-napoletana-et-legumes-grilles for instance mentions milk only in the context of the bechamel sauce.

FINAL EDIT: I got a message from Barilla telling me that the first icon is "the recipe for bechamel"… Well never mind. I had the bolognese sauce done my own way and I used a 50 g flour + 50 g butter (roux), + 0,9L milk and the texture & amount was perfect. Thanks everyone.

Best Answer

I found written instructions for how to use this pasta on the Barilla website. They are pretty much the same as you have interpreted the iconic instructions, which is to say, it's not a full recipe.

COOKING YOUR PASTA

  1. Boiling is not necessary for Oven Ready Lasagne.

  2. Add contents of package directly to baking dish and add Lasagne, sauce and filling.

  3. Alternate layers with Lasagne, sauce and filling until desired number of layers is achieved. Bake according to recipe directions.

  4. Lasagne may be prepared up to 24 hours in advance without baking it. Prepare and store the Lasagne in the refrigerator at or below 40°F. Since the Lasagne will be cold it will require a longer baking time, approximately 60 minutes at 375°F.

  5. To freeze Lasagne, we recommend that you do not bake it before freezing. You may assemble the Lasagne in a freezer safe/oven safe container, cover tightly and freeze. When you are ready to bake the Lasagne, defrost it in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Bake it at 375°F and increase bake time to 70 minutes.

On a separate page with "tips and tricks" for preparing lasagne, they have these instructions for using the precooked lasagne sheets:

Barilla Oven Ready Lasagne sheets make assembling this classic pasta dish uncomplicated. For the best results, we offer the following tips for assembling your lasagne:

  • Begin with a 13 x 9 x 3-inches deep baking pan, sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Spread 1 cup of sauce on the bottom of the baking pan and begin layering.
  • Place 3-4 sheets of uncooked Barilla Oven Ready Lasagne side by side on the bottom of the pan. The lasagne will expand to the edges of the pan during baking.
  • Top with filling or sauce as directed in your recipe on every layer, spreading each to the edges of the pan to seal in and cook the lasagne during baking.
  • Repeat this process for a total of 4-5 layers.
  • The final layer will be 3-4 sheets of uncooked Barilla Oven Ready Lasagne plus the remaining sauce and cheese, if included in recipe.

They also have these Q&As:

Q: I am using my own homemade red sauce, the recipe on the back of your box does not indicate how many ounces of sauce this recipe requires.

A: Our recipe requires a minimum of 48 ounces of sauce. It's important to have enough sauce to ensure the lasagne is moist and rich.

Q: If we wanted to use the Oven Ready Lasagne with a cream sauce, how much sauce will it require?

A: We believe a minimum of 6 to 8 cups is necessary.

These Q&As seem to refer to the 9oz (255g) box size available in the US. So for your 500g box, you would want double the recommended amount of sauce. For red sauce, use at least 48 oz (1.4 L) of sauce for 255 g of pasta or 96 oz (2.8 L) of sauce for the full 500 g box. For white sauce (bechamel sauce), use 1.4 L to 1.9 L for half the box, or 2.8 L to 3.8 L for the full box.

Barilla provides several recipes for their pre-cooked lasagne sheets here.