Best Our Lasagna Recipes

OUR FAVORITE LASAGNA

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.

OUR FAVORITE NO BOIL LASAGNA

Steps:

• Saute meat, onion, and garlic salt with a small amount of salt. Drain.
• Add spaghetti sauce, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer while assembling cheese mixture.
• In a large bowl combine ricotta, Romano, eggs. Mix well.
• Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish lightly with nonstick spray.
• Spread about 1 cup of meat/sauce mixture in the bottom of dish. Top with 3 or 4 strips uncooked lasagna noodles- however many will fit in a single layer.
• Cover with 1/3 the meat/sauce mixture then 1/3 the cheese/egg mixture, then 1/3 the shredded Mozzarella.
• Repeat layers of uncooked noodles, meat/sauce, cheese/egg mixtures and Mozzarella, ending with the 3rd layer of Mozzarella on top.
• Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
• Cover tightly, bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
• Let stand covered 15 minutes before serving.

OUR BEST LASAGNA

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.

OUR FAVORITE MEXICAN-STYLE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Brown meat in large skillet; drain. Return meat to skillet. Stir in salsa and seasoning mix; simmer on medium-low heat 10 min., stirring occasionally.
• Spread 1/2 cup meat mixture onto bottom of 8-square baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; cover with 2 tortillas.
• Top with layers of 1/2 cup of the remaining meat mixture, half the beans, 1/2 cup cheese and 2 of the remaining tortillas; repeat layers. Top with remaining meat mixture and cheese; cover.
• Bake 30 min.; uncover. Let stand 5 min. before serving.

OUR PERFECTLY EASY LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• In a large skillet brown the sausage and ground round; drain well.
• Add 1-1/2 jars spaghetti sauce, diced tomatoes, water, garlic, oregano, basil, parsley & 1/2 teaspoons black pepper.
• Stir to mix well; cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
• In large bowl combine ricotta cheese, 4 cups mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, eggs, remaining black pepper, and spinach. Mix well.
• In 10x11x3 lasagna pan, cover bottom with approximately 1 cup meat sauce.
• Place 4 uncooked lasagna noodles over sauce;cover with an additional 1 cup sauce.
• Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture over the sauce.
• Place the 6 slices of Provolone over cheese mixture.
• Repeat layers of noodles, sauce, cheese, noodles and remaining sauce (including remaining jar).
• Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.
• Remove foil; top with remaining 2 cups cheese.
• Bake for additional 15 minutes.
• Remove from oven and let stand 20 to 30 minutes before cutting.

OUR FAVORITE LASAGNA WITH SAUSAGE, SPINACH, AND THREE CHEESES

Steps:

• Preparation:
• Position the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 375°F.
• Make the sauce:
• In a large pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the sausage, onion and 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook, breaking up sausage with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic, red-pepper flakes, and tomato paste; cook, stirring often, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes more. Add tomatoes (along with their juice) and oregano; bring to a simmer, and cook, breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon until in small pieces, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more red-pepper flakes if desired.
• Make the filling:
• In the bowl of a food processor, combine all of the filling ingredients and process until mostly smooth.
• Assemble the lasagna:
• Squeeze the spinach in a paper towel or clean dishcloth until very dry. Transfer to a bowl and season with a pinch of salt.
• Coat baking dish with cooking spray and spread the bottom with 2 cups sauce. Top with a layer of three noodles, then a third of the ricotta mixture (about 1 1/3 cups), and a third of the spinach (about 2/3 cup). Sprinkle with 1 cup grated mozzarella.
• Repeat twice more, skipping the mozzarella on the third layer. Top the lasagna with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle the remaining 2 cups mozzarella in clusters so some of the sauce peeks through.
• Place the baking pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Lightly spray a piece of foil with cooking spray, cover the lasagna, and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until lightly browned and bubbly, about 20 minutes more. Let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.
• DO AHEAD: The sauce can be prepared up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated. The filling can be prepared up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated.

OUR LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Brown pork OR sausage and beef in a dutch oven or similar large, deep skillet.
• Once meat is browned, add tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, and 1 tablespoon parsley.
• Add garlic, oregano, onion, sugar, basil and salt.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and let sauce simmer for 30 minutes.
• Give it a good stir every 5 minutes or so.
• In a large bowl, combine cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, 1 tbsp parsley, salt and pepper.
• Cover the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish with a thin layer of sauce followed by 1 or 2 layers of uncooked lasagna noodles; Assemble the remainder in the following sequence: cheese-egg mixture, sauce, mozzarella cheese (sliced or shredded), noodles; repeat layers ending with a layer of noodles covered with a thin layer of sauce and some shredded mozzarella.
• Cover with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes .
• Remove foil, cover top with more mozzarella and grated parmesan.
• Bake for another 5-10 minutes .
• Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.
• NOTE: When assembling the lasagna, we use medium- thick slices of mozzarella rather than shredded.
• Either works great, the sliced cheese just seems to add a little extra cheesiness.
• We use shredded for the mozzarella topping that is applied at the end.

OUR FAVORITE LASAGNA WITH SAUSAGE, SPINACH, AND THREE CHEESES

Steps:

• Preparation:
• Position the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 375°F.
• Make the sauce:
• In a large pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the sausage, onion and 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook, breaking up sausage with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic, red-pepper flakes, and tomato paste; cook, stirring often, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes more. Add tomatoes (along with their juice) and oregano; bring to a simmer, and cook, breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon until in small pieces, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more red-pepper flakes if desired.
• Make the filling:
• In the bowl of a food processor, combine all of the filling ingredients and process until mostly smooth.
• Assemble the lasagna:
• Squeeze the spinach in a paper towel or clean dishcloth until very dry. Transfer to a bowl and season with a pinch of salt.
• Coat baking dish with cooking spray and spread the bottom with 2 cups sauce. Top with a layer of three noodles, then a third of the ricotta mixture (about 1 1/3 cups), and a third of the spinach (about 2/3 cup). Sprinkle with 1 cup grated mozzarella.
• Repeat twice more, skipping the mozzarella on the third layer. Top the lasagna with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle the remaining 2 cups mozzarella in clusters so some of the sauce peeks through.
• Place the baking pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Lightly spray a piece of foil with cooking spray, cover the lasagna, and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until lightly browned and bubbly, about 20 minutes more. Let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.
• DO AHEAD: The sauce can be prepared up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated. The filling can be prepared up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated.