Our Very Favorite Lasagna Recipes

Steps:

• Cook noodles according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook sausage, beef and onion over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until meat is no longer pink, breaking up meat into crumbles. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Drain., Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, water, sugar, 3 tablespoons parsley, basil, fennel, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes, stirring occasionally., In a small bowl, mix egg, ricotta cheese and remaining parsley and salt., Preheat oven to 375°. Spread 2 cups meat sauce into an ungreased 13x9-in. baking dish. Layer with 3 noodles and a third of the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining meat sauce and cheeses (dish will be full)., Bake, covered, 25 minutes. Bake, uncovered, 25 minutes longer or until bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Place the beef in a large bowl and "pull" it apart with two forks as if you were shredding pulled pork, breaking up the clumps and loosening the meat without compacting it.
• Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the meat is golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the pancetta to a large bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pot.
• Spread the beef in an even layer in the same pot and cook undisturbed until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Toss and continue to cook, breaking up any clumps and scraping up any browned bits from the pot, until the meat is browned and completely cooked, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer the browned meat with a slotted spoon to the bowl with the pancetta, leaving the fat in the pot.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Add the carrots, celery, onions, half the garlic, the bay leaf, oregano, red pepper flakes, nutmeg, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender but not browned, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until it's very fragrant and brick red colored, about 2 minutes. Stir in the wine, bring to a boil and reduce until the liquid is very thick and no smell of alcohol remains, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the reserved pancetta and beef, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Add the basil and Parmesan rind and simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the sauce resembles sloppy joes, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. There shouldn't be any rapid bubbles while cooking. Instead, the ragu should release occasional small bubbles. If the ragu reduces too quickly, add 1/2 cup of water and continue cooking. Repeat if necessary. The ragu needs the full 2 to 2 1/2 hour cook time to develop the flavors.
• Discard the bay leaf, basil and Parmesan rind. Break up any remaining clumps of meat with the back of a spoon, making an even textured sauce. Season with salt and set aside until ready to assemble.
• Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the noodles, stirring occasionally and separating them to prevent sticking, until softened and bendable but are still hard and chalky in the center, about 5 minutes. Transfer the noodles to a large bowl of cold water and set aside until ready to assemble.
• Stir together the ricotta, 1 cup of the Parmesan, the remaining grated garlic and 2 teaspoons salt in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Set aside until ready to assemble.
• Lightly oil a 13-by-9-inch glass or ceramic baking pan. Spread 1 cup of the ragu evenly in the bottom of the pan. Lay a single layer of noodles over the ragu (if you're using long noodles, you will need to cut some noodles to fill the gaps). Spread 1 1/2 cups of the ragu over the noodles. Dollop 3/4 cup of the ricotta mixture over the ragu and spread lightly with a small offset spatula. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the mozzarella, followed by another layer of noodles. Repeat with the remaining pasta, ragu, ricotta mixture and mozzarella, creating 4 layers of pasta and ending with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella. (The lasagna should come just above the top of the pan but it will sink down slightly as it cooks.) Top with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.
• Lightly oil a piece of foil and cover the pan. Put the pan on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake the lasagna until bubbling gently around the edges, about 1 hour.
• Remove the lasagna from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees F. Remove the foil and then continue to bake the lasagna until the top is browned and crisp around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• For the Tomato Sauce: Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat, add the onions and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and red chili flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, bring to boil, season with salt and pepper and cook until the sauce is reduced and thickened, about 25 to 30 minutes. Stir in the parsley and basil.
• For the Bolognese Sauce: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat.
• Season the shanks on both sides with salt and pepper, place in the pan and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side.
• Remove the shanks to a plate. Remove fat from the pan. Add the pancetta to the pan and cook until golden brown. Remove pancetta with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.
• Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic to the pan and cook until soft and lightly golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Add the red wine, scrape the bottom of the pan and cook until completely reduced. Add the beef stock, diced tomatoes, thyme, rosemary and parsley and bring to a simmer. Add the shanks and 1/3 of the pancetta back to the pan, cover and transfer to the oven. Cook until the meat is tender and falling off the bone, about 2 hours.
• Remove the shanks to a cutting board and when cool enough to handle, shred the meat into bite-size pieces and place in a bowl.
• Strain the cooking liquid into a bowl. Place 3 cups of the cooking liquid into a large high-sided saute pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the liquid is reduced to about 3/4 cup. Add the shredded meat and the remaining cooked pancetta to the pan along with 1 cup of the tomato sauce, parsley and basil and stir to combine and just heat through.
• For the Ricotta Mixture: Stir together the ricotta, eggs, parsley, basil, cheese and salt and pepper in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow flavors to meld.
• For the Bechamel (Mornay) Sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and let cook for about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in 2 cups of the hot milk and continue whisking until the sauce is thickened and loses its raw flavor, about 5 to 7 minutes. Season the sauce with nutmeg, salt and pepper and whisk in the cheeses. If the sauce is too thick, whisk in some of the remaining milk.
• For Assembly: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with the butter. Ladle a thin layer of bechamel evenly over the bottom of the pan. Place a layer of pasta dough, cut to fit the inside of the pan on top of the bechamel and top the pasta with the ricotta mixture and spread evenly. Spread a thin layer of bechamel over the ricotta, sprinkle with a few tablespoons of Parmesan and some basil leaves. Top with another layer of pasta and spread the Bolognese sauce evenly over the top. Ladle an even layer of bechamel over the Bolognese sauce, sprinkle with a few tablespoons of Parmesan and some basil leaves. Place the final layer of pasta dough over the meat mixture and ladle the bechamel over the top to completely cover the pasta and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of Parmesan.
• Place the pan on a baking sheet and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F, remove the foil and continue baking until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, about 25 to 35 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before cutting. Cut into slices and top with some of the remaining tomato sauce, more grated cheese and chopped parsley and basil.

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook onion in olive oil over medium heat until tender, 4-5 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 3-4 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, water, fresh basil, 2 teaspoons sugar and salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally., Meanwhile, cook bulk sausage in a skillet over medium heat until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles, 8-10 minutes; drain. Add to sauce; simmer until mixture is thickened, about 1 hour longer., While sauce simmers, preheat oven to 350°. Place sausage links on a rimmed baking sheet; roast until cooked through, 35-40 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly; slice into 1/4-in.-thick pieces., In a small bowl, mix ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, egg, dried basil and remaining sugar., In a greased 13x9-in. baking dish, spread 2 cups sauce. Arrange 4 noodles over sauce; spread with a third of the ricotta mixture. Add 7 provolone slices, a third of the sliced sausage and 1-1/2 cups mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers 2 more times, using only 1 cup sauce per layer. Spread with 2 cups sauce (reserve remaining sauce for serving on the side), remaining 2-1/2 cups mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan cheese (dish will be full)., Place dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, uncovered, until bubbly and deep golden brown, 60-65 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Serve with remaining meat sauce.

Steps:

• Heat a Dutch oven or large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir turkey sausage, ground turkey, onion, and garlic until well browned, about 15 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, uncovered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain.
• Spread 1 1/2 cups turkey sauce in bottom of 9x13 baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over sauce. Spread half the ricotta over noodles. Top with a third of the mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups turkey sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with aluminum foil; make sure foil does not touch cheese to prevent sticking.
• Bake in preheated oven until sauce is hot and cheese is melted, about 25 minutes more. Remove foil and bake until cheese is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool 15 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Cook and stir onions and garlic in hot oil in large skillet 5 min. or until crisp-tender. Add ground beef and sausage; cook 10 min. or until done, stirring occasionally. Drain. Stir in tomatoes and herbs; simmer, uncovered, 30 min., stirring occasionally.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Mix ricotta, 1/4 cup Parmesan, eggs and parsley until well blended.
• Layer half each of the noodles, meat sauce and ricotta mixture in 13x9-inch baking dish; repeat layers. Top with mozzarella and remaining Parmesan.
• Bake 30 to 35 min. or until heated through. Let stand 10 min. before cutting to serve.

Steps:

• In a dutch oven over high heat cook ground beef and onions until beef is browned and juices have evaporated. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, salt, oregano leaves, thyme leaves, red pepper flakes, garlic salt, and bay leaf, heat mixture until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
• Discard the bay leaf and spoon off any grease that has accumulated on top of the sauce. Set aside.
• In another dutch oven boil water, add lasagna noodles, and cook until tender. Drain well in colander and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 375°F In a 13x9-inch baking dish add half of the lasagna noodles layering as you go.
• In a small bowl add ricotta cheese and eggs, beat well until combined. Spoon half of this mixture over the layered lasagna noodles and half of the meat sauce. Sprinkle half of the mozzarella cheese over this layer. Repeat layers and bake in oven for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Combine spaghetti sauce and browned ground beef.
• In separate bowl combine cottage cheese, 2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese, and beaten egg.
• Spread about 1 cup sauce in bottom of a 13x9x2 inch baking dish.
• Over this layer 1/3 of the cooked noodles, 1/2 of the cottage cheese mixture, and 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese.
• Cover with 1 cup sauce and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.
• Repeat.
• Top with remaining noodles, sauce, and mozzarella cheese.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbly.
• Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Steps:

• Remove sausage meat from casings and brown with ground beef, onion and garlic in a large Dutch oven or sauce pot. Stir frequently until well browned - about 15 minutes. Add basil, oregano, half the parsley,salt, and sugar; mix well. Stir in tomatoes and tomato paste, adding water if mixture is too thick. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered and stirring occasionally, for 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine ricotta, egg, remaining parsley, salt, half the mozzarella and half the Parmesan.
• When sauce is ready,preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a 13x9-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon about 1-1/2 cups sauce in bottom of pan, then layer with about 4 lasagna noodles, half the cheese mixture and about 1-1/2 cups sauce. Repeat layer again, then top off with a layer of lasagna noodles. Spread with remaining sauce; top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes longer, or until bubbly. Cool 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onions until soft. Stir in ground beef, and cook until evenly brown. Drain excess fat. Season with Italian seasoning, rosemary, garlic salt, salt and pepper. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste and water. Simmer 1 hour, or until sauce has thickened.
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion until soft and translucent. Stir in flour until smooth. Stir in Parmesan cheese, then milk. Cook, stirring, until thick. Allow to cool, then stir in egg. (Sauce will be very thick.)
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• In prepared baking dish, place a layer of noodles, meat sauce, cheese sauce, ricotta, and mozzarella. Repeat layers. Build to your desired thickness, or make another smaller pan for freezing.
• Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large wide saucepan; add the ground beef, onion and garlic.
• Sauté, stirring, over medium meat until the meat is browned.
• Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and sauce, basil and oregano.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium-low heat until sauce is cooked down and thickened, 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
• There should be about 4 cups of sauce.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Cook the lasagna noodles in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente, about 12 minutes; drain.
• Place noodles in a bowl of cool water until ready to use.
• Beat the cottage cheese, Parmesan and egg together; set aside.
• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Add about 1/2 cup of sauce to bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Lift the noodles from the water individually and blot dry on paper towels.
• Arrange a slightly overlapping layer of 5 noodles on the bottom of the dish.
• Cover the noodles with half the ricotta mix; add about 1/3 of the sauce and 1/3 of the mozzarella.
• Arrange a second layer of 5 noodles.
• Add the remaining ricotta, half of the remaining sauce and half of the remaining mozzarella.
• Top with the remaining 5 noodles, the remaining sauce and the last of the mozzarella.
• Bake until the cheese is melted and the mixture is bubbly, about 50 minutes.
• Let stand at least 15 minutes before serving.