This homemade lasagna is a tried and true family favorite. It took me a while to perfect the recipe but my oh my it was worth the wait. The rich and creamy layers of ricotta and mozzarella cheeses along with the robust and flavorful sauce make it so very delicious it’s hard to stop at just one serving.
Sauce
Prep Time: 30 min. Cook Time: 3hrs.
Ingredients:
- ½ lb. ground beef
- ½ lb. ground sweet Italian sausage
- 1 medium onion (finely diced)
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tbsp. white sugar
- 3 tsp. dried basil
- 2 tsp. dried parsley
- 1 tsp. fennel seeds
- 1 tsp. ground oregano
- ½ tsp. Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp. ground black pepper
- ½ cup white wine (Pinot Grigio)
- 1 Parmesan rind (cut in half)
- 1 (28oz.) can San Marzano whole tomatoes (crush tomatoes with hand or hand held masher)
- 1 (15oz.) can unsalted tomato sauce
- 1 (6oz.) can unsalted tomato paste
- ¼ tsp. baking soda
- large frying pan
Directions:
- In a large frying pan over medium heat, cook up onion, ground beef and sausage, breaking up the meat into crumbles.
- Drain the fat.
- Over medium heat, add in garlic to the meat and onion mixture and cook for 1-2 min. stirring constantly.
- Stir in sugar, basil, parsley, fennel seeds, ground oregano, Italian seasoning and ground black pepper.
- Add ½ cup wine and simmer for 2 min.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste.
- Stir in both halves of Parmesan rind.
- Simmer uncovered on low heat for 3 hrs. stirring occasionally.
- Discard Parmesan rind and stir in ¼ tsp. baking soda.
(Make day before preferred)
Prep Time: 45 min. Bake Time: 30 - 50 min.
Servings: 12
Ingredients:
- homemade sauce (recipe above)
- 1 lb. lasagne noodles (I used Barilla)
- 30 oz. whole milk ricotta cheese (I used 2 Galbani 15 oz. containers)
- 2 - 1 lb. packages of whole milk mozzarella cheese, (I used Galbani Italian Style) shred using a grater.
- 4 oz. softened cream cheese (I used 1 - 8oz. package of Philadelphia Cream Cheese cut in half). You can soften cream cheese quickly by microwaving for approximately 20 seconds.
- ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp. salt
- 13 x 9 deep rectangular pan
- large pot (noodles)
Directions:
- Prepare and cook homemade sauce.
- When the sauce is done cooking, set aside.
- Add 6 quarts cold water to a large pot, cover and bring to a boil.
- Add salt.
- Add lasagna noodles and stir frequently to ensure that the noodles do not stick together. Cook according to the time on the box for al dente (approx. 8 min.)
- Drain noodles, do not rinse.
- Place noodles in between parchment paper. ** Be careful when handling hot noodles.
- In a bowl, add ricotta cheese, cream cheese and nutmeg, stir until well combined.
- Spread 1 cup of the sauce evenly on the bottom of the 13 x 9 pan.
- Place 4 lasagna noodles slightly overlapping each other on top of the sauce.
- Spread 1 heaping cup of ricotta cheese evenly over the noodles.
- Sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella cheese evenly over the ricotta cheese.
- Spread 1 cup sauce evenly over the mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat the layering process two more times.
- Top with the last 4 noodles (discard leftover noodles).
- Spread remaining sauce evenly over the top of the noodles.
- If baking right away, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake on the middle oven rack for 25 min.
- Remove the foil, sprinkle 2 cups of mozzarella cheese evenly over the top and bake for another 5-10 min. until the cheese is melted.
- If you want to refrigerate the lasagna and bake it the next day (preferred way because it allows all of the flavors to meld together), lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the lasagna making sure there isn’t a gap between the lasagna and the plastic wrap (this will prevent excess moisture from seeping into the lasagna. Cover the top of the pan with another piece of plastic wrap and refrigerate.
- Make sure you bring the lasagna to room temperature before baking, approximately 1hour.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees, discard plastic wrap and cover with aluminum foil. Bake on the middle oven rack for 45 min.
- Remove the foil, sprinkle 2 cups of mozzarella cheese evenly over the top and bake for another 5-10 min. until the cheese is melted.
- Let rest for 10 min. before serving.