Lasagna - Vegetarian or Beef

[pearlD]

I am having a dinner in a couple of weeks and would like to buy a home-made (as opposed to P.C) 'great-tasting' ready made Lasagna, preferably cheese with spinach but if you can suggest a great beef one I would think about that instead...yes, I know I am being lazy but oh well!! I will do the rest of the dinner........

[cocolou]

On Dufferin, a couple of steps south of Lady York (North of Glencairn) there is a Pasta Shop. Good (frozen) lasagna.
In the latest Thornhill Magazine, they mention the following:
1st place: Sotto in the village 425 Spadina - (416-322-8818) -- $18.95
2nd place: Oregano Pizza and Pasta 10909 Yonge (905-884-8600) ($11.95)
3rd place : Paisano's Italian Garden Cafe 116 Willowdale Ave. (416-222-5487)
Fort lots of cheese: Dante's Italian Foods 267 Baythorn Drive (905-881-1070)
Rossini Restaurant 1988 Ave. Rd (416-481-1188) is among the finalist.
Spiga Restaurant/Boccone Deli 1378 Yonge (416-960-1500) and Camarra Pizzeria Restaurant 2899 Dufferin St. (416-789-3221) are cheaper but get good reviews too.
I did not try any of these, except the first one (next to Lady York) : very good but expensive. They carry a very good selection of sauces.

[millygirl]

Hey pearlD, which did you end up going with?

[JayVaBeach]

Ina Garten's sweet Italian turkey sausage Lasagna - it's wonderful.

http://www.recipezaar.com/146200

[Yum2MyTum]

I made this once too, and I have to agree, it is quite delicious. But not as easy as purchasing frozen lasagne, that's for sure.

[Helina]

Friends who live in Riverdale have served us the Veggie lasagne from Dash Kitchen, a catering shop on the north side of Danforth around Chester. I know they are pricey but it was very good.

[bjinyyz]

Lenny's in Etobicoke.

Meat lasagne/Salad/extra sauce and a loaf of bread!

19.95 and it is very good.

[Bigtigger]

Pusateri's has pretty good lasagne - lots of meat and cheese in fairly thick pasta - flavourful and pricy, fresh and frozen.
Camarra has excellent lasagne for take out or delivery: thin pasta layers.
Also Tre Mare on St Clair W (near Lansdowne) has a good everyday homestyle lasagne.
All of these infinitely better than anything Loblaw's et al have to offer !

[miranda]

Best melt in your mouth Lasagne...Veggy...Meat...Cheese & Spinach...from Bologna Pastifico on Dufferin North of Eglinton at Glen park....Cash only though...Miranda

[peppermint pate]

I second the rec for Bologna Pastico - sensational home-made lasagnes. If you'd like, they'll also layer it in your dishes (as opposed to a tin foil pan) so you can serve it straight from the oven (not that you can't serve it in a tin foil pan but if you were looking to dress it up a bit - okay 'nuf said).

[erly]

I too agree that Bologna is the best ready-made in T.O.

[magic]

Bologna Pastificio is probably the best lasagna I've ever had. The veal one...

[deabot]

Would anyone have directions to Bologna Pastificio, my interest has been piqued! What part of town is it in? Thanks!

[peppermint pate]

It's on the east side of Dufferin, a few(ish?) blocks south of Lawrence.

[JamieK]

Ther's a map at the place link -

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Bologna Pastificio
2895 Dufferin St, Toronto, ON M6B, CA

[lamaranthe]

Isn't the place where they only sell frozen pasta dishes?

[pearlD]

I ordered mine a few days ahead of time...it wasn't frozen, fresh as can be in fact. I did notice some other 'fresh' items in their fridge but perhaps they were orders waiting to be picked up..I would call them and ask before going there.

[magic]

Nope.

[callitasicit]

What is so good about it? Is there any cheese inside or just veal?

[magic]

I don't know, it's just delicious. Go try for yourself.

Cheese and veal inside. But they aren't heavy-handed with the cheese, which is nice. Makes it a lot more digestible and a tad lighter than other lasagnas. But yes, there is cheese there.

[callitasicit]

I just tried the veal lasagna and you were so right, it was delicious! It was lighter but so tasty! I usually like a lot of cheese in my lasagna but I didn't miss it here.

[magic]

So glad you enjoyed:) I'll give that a Yayyyy!

[callitasicit]

Damn right!! I will be going back, thanks to your recommendation!

[magic]

Pleasure :)

[Vinnie Vidimangi]

How much was it before tax? What weight? Size? How many good sized servings did you get out of it?

[magic]

They have different sizes, ranging from smalls that can feed two people for one dinner (with a bit leftover if you are not a big eater) to very large ones that can feed a party. Can't recall the prices offhand. They are not cheap that's for sure, but you get what you pay for. Or so I think at any rate.You can buy the smaller sizes frozen at Dave Young Fruit Market on Eglinton (near Avenue Rd) if that is closer to you than Dufferin. I must say there is no difference between the frozen ones and fresh ones. The frozens warm up beautifully, you cannot tell the difference.. and I've had both.

[downtown]

Also try their sweet potato agnolotti, which is made with a rose sauce. Subtle flavours, delicious.

[pearlD]

Thanks to all who responded... I will contact either Summerhill or Bologna Pastico...I am looking for 6 servings size and to have it put in my own casserole would be a definite plus.. I know I should know where Summerhill is but I don't ( I was thinking it was one of the (late) 7 Thieves at the LCBO??)
Actually either place would be convenient since I live near Dupont & Davenport. Who has the 'address for Summerhill? Thanks again , I appreciate all of the suggestions...........

[millygirl]

If you call ahead to bring in your own casserole dish Summerhill will accomodate. Just do a search on here or go to the Places board for Summerhill Market, Jamie K. has already added it in. Note, the 5 thieves are still alive and well, they just shuffled around during the renovations. Summerhill Market is not part of the 5 thieves.

[JamieK]

In the box at the upper right corner of this screen, (under the title "Places Mentioned"), click on the link that says "Summerhill Market". It will take you to a place that shows you a map, address and phone number.

[JamieK]

I have had good "home-made" beef lasagne from Bruno's (the noodles are thick, lots of sauce in between), Nunzio's on Bayview (more layers of thiner noodle layers), Cumbrae's (lots of meaty sauce) and Summerhill food shop (very tasty)

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Summerhill Market
446 Summerhill Ave, Toronto, ON M4W, CA

Nunzio's
1605 Bayview Ave, Toronto, ON M4G, CA

Bruno's
1560 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M4T, CA

[JamieK]

Forgot to add, the lasagne's at Bruno's and Nunzio's are frozen and economical -- big about 2 or 2.5 lbs for abou $14 to $16. The lasagne's at Cumbrae's and Summerhill and not frozen and are pricier.

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Oregano Pizza
10909 Yonge St, Richmond Hill, ON L4C3E3, CA

[cupcakez]

the cumbraes large sized lasagna weigh in around 2 lbs, but they don't look as big as the other stores in the boxes. I realized this when I brought a crappy grocery store one the other day, which was flat, bland, and mass produced, and while it was a bit cheaper per pound, wasn't worth it.

I agree w/ the brunos/pusciateris suggestion, never tried the nunzios though.

[millygirl]

Hey Jamie, you beat me to it re: Summerhill. Sounds like your hooked now :)

[JamieK]

Yes, hooked. Don't know whether to thank you or curse you. I go about once a week now, it's just a quick detour on my way home from work and I try to go when it's least busy there.

Family favourites are turkey, chicken and steak&mushroom pot pies. Now with the cooler weather, it's great to have something warming in the oven. Haven't tried the frozen version of the pot pie yet but I have a steak pie in the freezer to have on hand. Have tried the quiches and soups too. And the lasagne. All good. Pricier but worth it. So I guess it's actually a thank you to you!

[vorpal]

millygirl: I'm hooked, too! I'm TTC dependent and it's quite a trip for me, so that's a bit of a deterrent to going often (which is good as I'm a poor grad student), but I went a week ago and bought a huge whack of food. I figured it would last about a month, but it was so delicious that I devoured it all in six days.

I couldn't believe how much chicken breast was packed into the chicken pot pie. The prices may be more than I can afford with regularity, but the value is great, IMO.

Thanks for this recommendation! It's excellent to know of a place that makes such natural, tasty food. Also, the staff is incredible! On the way to Summerhill, I had to stop at the Dominion at College Park to pick up a quick snack for my diabetic SO. The cashier was slow as molasses and didn't acknowledge our existence until it came time to state the total. At Summerhill, though, not only were there floor staff who took me to the products I couldn't find, but the cashier engaged me in pleasant conversation (making me feel welcome), and the bagger (!!! I thought this job was obsolete in the pursuit of corporate profits!) offered to help me take my groceries out to my car, had I one! What a great shopping experience.

[millygirl]

I know, the service really is incredible...it's like walking in to Pleasantville, huh! Even when I only have a bag or two, they take it out to the car without even asking. Once I said, oh I can manage, and the girl laughed and said she wanted some fresh air. Plus they love to say hi to our dogs in the car :) I agree the prices are somewhat higher, but like you both said it's well worth it. They must use a whole chicken in each pot pie. Their cabbage rolls are really good too! And I also love their chicken fingers and pad thai....oh heck everything there is wonderful. My only regret is that I don't have shares in the place.

[downtown]

I think I must have been in line with you at the College Park Dominion a couple of weeks ago. They are without a doubt the worst group of employees ever.

If anyone ever is in the Dufferin & Lawrence area the frozen veal lasagne is excellent. Thin homemade noodles, nice sauce and ground veal. Not much cheese (if any) so feels a bit healthier going down. Comes in small (serves 2 or 3) and large sizes.

[downtown]

I just realized that I forgot to mention where to actually purchase the frozen lasagne. Duh. Its at Lady York. Of course for fresh in the neighborhood nothing beats Bologna.

[pearlD]

I made a the 'big' choice....I ordered from Bologna and am looking forward to eating the cheese and spinach lasagna they are making for me next week. ...by the way... they no longer make it in your own container..she said it became too much of a hassle. They were most helpful and friendly on the telephone and a plus for me quite close to where I work 2 days a week (that was part of the 'clincher' I must admit...Thanks to all..will report back after the meal....

[millygirl]

Hi PearlD, when I spoke about bringing in your own dish I was referring to Summerhill Market.

[magic]

Meh, who cares about your own dish anyways, nothing wrong with a tinfoil container really.

pearlD, next time try the veal one as well. I like the ricotta and spinach very much but the veal is heaven.

[pearlD]

Bologna's Lasagna was fabulous....very rich and very filling. I had ordered enough to feed six as a main course and we had more than enough...there were only 4 of us and tonight's dinner will be the remainder. I particularly liked that the noodles were on the thin side and had a delicacy about them (not normally something I associate with Lasagna. I had made an Antipasto Plate before the dinner which had different salami types, marinated artichokes and roasted red peppers, pickled mushrooms and a small wedge of a very good Asiago..served the Lasagna with a mixed green salad...my guests were happy...I was happy and YES I will order more from Bologna! A really positive experience, I'll try other items from them in the future.
p.s. they are located right next to Cammarra's(?) on Dufferin...closer to Glencairn than Lawrence West.

[peppermint pate]

Yay!! Glad you liked it. The rest of your dinner sounds delicious. Now you've got me craving some lasagne.