Lasagna, a Little Bit Hard but can afford 12 People

A classic recipe of one of the most loved foods in the world. The ultimate comfort food = homemade lasagna. Family and friends gather around the dinner table at any time for this lasagna recipe. A big warm comforting hug within layers of pasta, tomato sauce, white sauce and melted cheese!

You can make it in many different ways, but lasagna with meat sauce and Italian sausage is for me, the best! Italian sausage gives it a unique and spicy flavor that is balanced perfectly with the use of a creamy layer of ricotta cheese.

This lasagna recipe with beef is so good because the meat and sausage sauce is simmered for more than an hour, which makes it amazing.

You might even want to make a little extra, freeze it, and have it later with some spaghetti and Chianti!

How to Make

1. Using a dutch oven over medium heat, cook ground beef, Italian sausage, minced onion, and garlic, until browned
2. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, and sugar.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste and two tbsp chopped parsley. Turn heat to low and simmer the sauce for 1 ½ hour, stirring occasionally.
4. In a small mixing bowl, mix ricotta cheese, egg, remaining two tbsp chopped parsley, and ½ tsp salt
5. preheat oven to 375F
6. Assemble lasagna: Using a 9 x 13-inch baking dish,

First layer: 1 ½ cups meat sauce

Second layer: arrange precooked noodles over meat sauce to cover

Third layer: spread ½ of the ricotta mixture over the noodles

Fourth layer: top the ricotta mixture with a third of the mozzarella cheese slices

Fifth layer: Spoon 1 ½ cup meat sauce over mozzarella and sprinkle with ¼ cup Parmesan cheese

Repeat layers and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese

Cover with aluminum foil (spray foil with oil spray to prevent it from sticking to the cheese) and bake for 25 minutes covered. Remove foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Let lasagna cool for 10 minutes before serving.

How to Reheat Without Drying It Out

Avoid reheating lasagna in the microwave oven without covering it. This will dry it out. For best results, place leftover lasagna in an oven-safe dish, cover it with foil and place it in a 350F hot oven until the sauce is bubbly again, anywhere from 15 to 30 mins depending on the amount of lasagna.

How to Layer It

There’s no bad way of layering a lasagna really. It depends on your taste. For better results, always start with a layer of meat sauce. Then, a layer of pasta. You can then add a layer of your creamy component and cheese.

Depending on how much pasta you like on your lasagna, you can divide your creamy and sauce layers with a layer of pasta. I prefer to have less pasta in mine, so I add a layer of cheese between ricotta and meat sauce.

So, here’s how I made it: meat sauce, pasta, ricotta, mozzarella cheese, meat sauce, Parmesan cheese, and start over again with the pasta layer. Ending with a layer of meat, mozzarella, and Parmesan.

You can assemble Lasagna and cook it later, but only keep assembled lasagna, covered in plastic wrap, for one day in the fridge before baking it. Be sure to let the meat sauce cool completely before assembling the lasagna if you are not going to bake it immediately. Using hot sauce on a dish that won’t be baked right away may promote the growth of bacteria.

Tips :

1. You can use lasagna noodles that are not pre-cooked, but I find the extra step unnecessary.
2. Make a little more meat sauce and freeze it. It makes for a great ready-made spaghetti sauce.
3. I find it is easier to use the back of a spoon to spread the ricotta and meat sauce layers, rather than a spatula.
4. Fresh mozzarella cheese is the creamiest for this recipe. If you can’t find it, you can use shredded mozzarella instead.

Recipe

Lasagna