Alright, so the other day, I decided I was gonna make lasagna. And not just any lasagna, mind you, but the big, hearty kind that feeds an army, or at least my very hungry family. Now, when you’re going to all that trouble for the main course, you gotta have some decent starters, right? Can’t just plonk down a massive tray of lasagna without a little warm-up act. That’s just not how we roll in my house.
Thinking Time: What Goes with Lasagna?
So, I started thinking. What really complements a rich, cheesy, meaty lasagna? You don’t want anything too heavy, ’cause then nobody will have room for the star of the show. And you don’t want anything too complicated either. I was already putting in the hours on the lasagna; the appetizers needed to be pretty straightforward.
My first thought, almost instantly, was garlic bread. I mean, it’s a classic for a reason. You need something to mop up all that amazing sauce. Store-bought is fine sometimes, but I figured, hey, I’m already in the kitchen, might as well make it a bit special.
Then I thought, we need something a bit fresh, a bit lighter to balance out all that richness. Something with a bit of a zing. That’s when Caprese skewers popped into my head. Easy peasy, and they look kinda fancy without much effort at all.
Getting Down to Business: The Prep Work
So, the game plan was set. First thing, I dealt with the garlic bread situation. I had a nice baguette from the local bakery – nothing fancy, just a good, crusty loaf. I sliced it, not all the way through at first, more like a Hasselback potato, you know? So the yummy garlic butter could seep down into all the crevices.
For the butter, I just took a good chunk of unsalted butter, let it soften on the counter. Then I minced up a bunch of garlic – and I mean a BUNCH, ’cause we love garlic around here. Threw that in with the butter, a good sprinkle of dried parsley (fresh is great if you have it, but dried works in a pinch), a pinch of salt, and mixed it all up. Then I slathered that mixture all over the bread, getting it into all those cuts. Wrapped the whole thing in foil, ready for the oven later.
Next up, the Caprese skewers. This part was almost laughably easy, which was exactly what I wanted. I grabbed a punnet of those little cherry tomatoes, a container of those small mozzarella balls (bocconcini, I think they’re called?), and a bunch of fresh basil leaves.
- I rinsed the tomatoes and the basil.
- Drained the mozzarella balls.
- Then it was just assembly time. Grabbed a bunch of small wooden skewers.
- On each skewer, I went: tomato, basil leaf (folded if it was big), mozzarella ball. Repeated it if the skewer was long enough.
Lined them all up on a platter. Looked pretty good already! For a final touch, just before serving, I planned to drizzle them with a bit of balsamic glaze. You can buy it, or just simmer some balsamic vinegar until it gets thick. Easy either way.
The Grand Finale: Serving it Up
So, the lasagna was bubbling away in the oven, smelling incredible. About 20 minutes before it was due to come out, I popped the foil-wrapped garlic bread in there too. The whole house just smelled like an Italian festival, it was amazing.
When the lasagna was resting (you gotta let it rest, super important!), I unwrapped the garlic bread for the last few minutes to get it nice and crispy on top. While that was happening, I drizzled the balsamic glaze over my Caprese skewers. They looked so fresh and colorful.
And that was it! We had our amazing lasagna, piping hot garlic bread that was soft on the inside and crispy on the outside, dripping with garlic butter, and these lovely, fresh Caprese skewers to cut through all the richness. Success! Everyone dived in, and there wasn’t much left of the appetizers, which is always a good sign. The lasagna was a hit too, but having those simple, tasty starters just made the whole meal feel a bit more special, you know? Definitely a combo I’ll be doing again.
