Description
There are only two things you need for great lasagna: a thick, rich, super-meaty meat sauce and lots of it, and a ricotta filling where only the finest cheeses are welcomed. For the sauce, I love a combination of half Italian sausage and half lean ground beef. I also like lots of sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
- 1 (8 ounce) package fresh mushrooms, coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning (Optional)
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 6 cups prepared marinara sauce
- 2 tablespoons water, plus more as needed
- 2 eggs
- 2 pounds whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 1 (8 ounce) container fresh mozzarella cheese, diced
- ⅔ cup freshly shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 (16 ounce) package lasagna noodles
- 1 (8 ounce) container fresh mozzarella cheese, diced
- ½ cup freshly shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Instructions
- Place sausage and ground beef into a large saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir until meat is browned and crumbly
- about 10 minutes. Break the meat apart as it cooks. Stir in mushrooms
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Italian herb seasoning
- and red pepper flakes. Turn heat to medium-high and cook until mushrooms have given off their juices and bottom of pan is almost dry.
- Pour prepared marinara sauce into meat mixture. Pour water into marinara sauce jar and shake to get all the sauce out of the jar; add to mixture. Reduce heat to low and simmer until meat is extremely tender
- about 2 hours. Add a little more water if sauce becomes too thick. Skim excess fat from surface of the sauce and season with more salt and black pepper
- if needed. Turn off heat.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Beat eggs in a large bowl and stir in ricotta cheese
- 8 ounces diced mozzarella cheese
- and 2/3 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Season cheese mixture with 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- and cayenne pepper; mix in parsley.
- Bring a large pot of 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 and rinse noodles and set aside in a bowl of cold water.
- Spread 1/4 the sauce into the bottom of a 10×15-inch baking pan. Top with 1/3 the noodles and spread 1/2 the ricotta cheese mixture over noodles. Spread 1/4 the meat sauce over the cheese
- top with 1/3 the noodles
- and spread remaining 1/2 the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Spread 1/4 the meat sauce over the cheese filling. Tap the casserole dish lightly on a sturdy work surface to settle the layers. Arrange last 1/3 the noodles over sauce and spread remaining 1/4 the sauce over the noodles. Dot top of the casserole with 4 ounces diced fresh mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
- Cover casserole with aluminum foil
- being sure not to touch the top of the casserole with the foil. Place casserole onto a baking sheet to catch spills.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and cook until lasagna is golden brown and bubbling
- 30 to 35 more minutes. Let set for 20 minutes before cutting into squares.
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 2 hrs 45 mins
Total Time: 3 hrs 25 mins
Servings: 12