Make Monica Geller Proud With This Friends-Inspired Three-Course Meal

Like most people, I am an avid Friends fan and have rewatched every episode countless times. The series is filled with innumerable food moments: Monica's Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich, Mama’s Little Bakery Cheesecake, and Rachel’s infamous English Meat Trifle. Food moments such as these and the frequent ones at Central Perk contribute to the iconic feeling of Friends.

Many of these food moments center around Monica Geller, a chef and obvious foodie of the group. Over the course of the sitcom, Monica takes on a number of food-service jobs, including waitressing at the Moondance Diner, drafting recipes for Mockolate, and working as a head chef at Allesandro’s.  

September 2019 will mark 25 years Friends will be on air. In celebration of that, I wanted to share three recipes for dishes inspired by the ones Monica made throughout the seasons of Friends.  

Lasagna Bites 

In the Season One episode “The One with the Dozen Lasagnas," Monica makes a dozen lasagnas for her aunt who later refuses to take them from her because the lasagna had meat on every third layer. 

At my house, I'd always help my grandma layer the lasagna. Due to my grandparents' dietary restrictions, we made lasagna using a soy protein substitute, so I will be using that instead of meat in this recipe. 

Lasagna Bites

• Prep Time:20 mins
• Cook Time:50 mins
• Total Time:1 hr 10 mins
• Servings:6
• Medium

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground meat or alternative
• Half onion diced
• 1 cup frozen spinach
• 36 oz pasta sauce
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 tsp black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tsp basil
• 1 1/2 tsp oregano
• 9 lasagna noodles
• 4 cups grated mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup water

• Step 1

  Preheat oven to 400ºF.

• Step 2

  In a medium-sized pan, cook ground meat and onions until browned, breaking up any large clumps while ground meat is cooking.

  

• Step 3

  Add spinach, pasta sauce, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, basil, and oregano to cooked meat. Stir to incorporate mixture evenly. Once meat mixture has come to a simmer, take off heat.

  

• Step 4

  In a 9x13 tray, spread 1/4 cup of pasta sauce along the bottom.

  

• Step 5

  Place 3 lasagna noodles along the bottom of the tray. Place 4-5 tablespoons of meat mixture on each noodle and spread mixture to get an even layer. Sprinkle a handful (approximately 1/3 cup) of mozzarella cheese on each noodle layer.

  

• Step 6

  Add a layer of the lasagna noodles, the meat mixture, and the mozzarella cheese. Repeat until three sets of layers are made.

  

• Step 7

  Sprinkle the final cheese layer with some basil and oregano. Add water to the sides of the dish.
  Cover with foil and place in oven to bake for 50-60 minutes then remove from oven. Take off foil top and let sit for 10 minutes.

  

• Step 8

  Cut the lasagna into 1-inch square bites. Plate, serve, and enjoy.

  

Lamb Burgers

When working at Moondance Diner, Monica serves her share of burgers on skates. This lamb burger is much more Monica than your average diner's burger and will put all the burgers she served to shame with its simplicity, juiciness, and intense flavors. My dad came up with this recipe for one of our burger nights and it has been a hit ever since. 

Lamb Burgers

• Prep Time:35 mins
• Cook Time:10 mins
• Total Time:45 mins
• Servings:4
• Easy

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground lamb
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
• 1 onion
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 burger buns
• 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha
• 4 slices cheese—try pepper jack
• 4 pieces washed lettuce
• 4 slices tomato

• Step 1

  In a large bowl, add in the herbs, spices, and liquid smoke to ground lamb. Mix thoroughly. Separate seasoned meat into four patties approximately 1/2-3/4 inch thick. Let rest for 30 minutes before grilling.

  

• Step 2

  While meat is resting, cut onion into long strips and place in a saucepan along with oil. Sauté onions until caramelized and golden brown in color. Set aside.

  

• Step 3

  On a grill or in a pan on medium-high heat, cook lamb patties for three minutes on each side. Remove patties from heat and let rest for 1 minute.

  

• Step 4

  Warm the hamburger buns in toaster for 2-3 minutes. In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise and Sriracha until combined.

  

• Step 5

  Assemble hamburger: spread mayonnaise mixture on both sides of hamburger bun. Place lamb patty first, followed by a slice of cheese, a spoonful of caramelized onions, a slice of tomato, a piece of lettuce, and a top bun. Plate and enjoy.

  

Chocolate Truffles

In numerous Christmas specials, Monica is always seen making her famous Christmas cookies or candies to impress all the neighbors—and Joey. In the Season Seven episode “The One with All the Candy,” Monica makes countless batches of these “little drops of heaven.”

While it was never explicitly said what Monica used to make these heavenly candies, these chocolate truffles will match—if not exceed—the reputation of the little drops of heaven. 

Monica's Christmas Candies

• Prep Time:5 mins
• Cook Time:1 hr
• Total Time:1 hr 5 mins
• Servings:24
• Easy

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate
• 1 tsp oil
• 1/2 cup white chocolate

• Step 1

  In a saucepan, bring heavy cream to a simmer. Stir occasionally to ensure the cream doesn't burn. Once cream is at a simmer, take off of heat and add milk chocolate chips. Mix until completely smooth and add in vanilla extract.
  #SpoonTip: If you don't have milk chocolate, use 1 cup semisweet chocolate and 1/2 cup white chocolate.

  

• Step 2

  Transfer chocolate mixture into a square container. Spread mixture approximately 3/4-1 inch thick and let harden. Once the chocolate mixture has hardened, cut into 24 rectangular pieces.
  #SpoonTip: Speed up this process up by placing the container in the fridge.

  

• Step 3

  Roll these logs in either chopped almonds or shredded coconut. Place on a tray lined with parchment and put the tray in fridge to harden.

  

• Step 4

  Using the double boiler method, melt the semisweet chocolate chips and stir in oil until completely melted. Dip chocolate rolls one at a time into melted chocolate to coat candies completely. Use a fork to remove candies from melted chocolate and allow excess chocolate to drip.

  

• Step 5

  Place coated candies back on parchment paper. Repeat dipping process until all candies are coated. For the coconut rolled candies, sprinkle a little extra coconut on the top of chocolate coating to help identify the candy.

  

• Step 6

  Place white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in 15-second increments, stirring between each heating until completely melted. Transfer melted white chocolate into a resealable bag. Cut a small corner off of the bag and drizzle melted white chocolate over candies.

  

• Step 7

  Allow candies to completely harden, plate and serve.

  

Food and Friends just work, especially with your own group of buddies. Each of these dishes are perfect by themselves or together at your next Friends binge-watching session. Always remember, just like the Rembrandt's iconic theme song: "When your job's a joke; you're broke; your love life's D.O.A.; when it hasn't been your day, your week, your month or even your year," food—and Friends—will be there for you.