Description
Rich Italian layers of pasta, cheese, and savory meat sauce come together in this classic lasagna. Comfort meets culinary tradition, promising a hearty meal that brings families around the table with delicious, nostalgic flavors you’ll savor.
Ingredients
Scale
Meats:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 0.5 pound sweet Italian sausage
Cheeses:
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 0.75 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 large eggs
Additional Ingredients:
- 48 ounces spaghetti sauce
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 0.25 teaspoon salt
- 0.25 teaspoon ground pepper
- 0.25 cup water (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare a 9×13 casserole dish with a light cooking spray coating, ensuring even coverage.
- In a skillet over medium heat, thoroughly brown ground beef and sausage, carefully draining excess fat to prevent greasiness.
- Incorporate minced garlic into the meat mixture, then gently fold in spaghetti sauce, allowing flavors to meld during a brief 5-minute simmer.
- Create a creamy cheese blend by combining ricotta, most of the mozzarella, eggs, Parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper in a spacious mixing bowl, stirring until uniformly incorporated.
- Establish a foundational layer by spreading a thin sauce base across the bottom of the prepared baking pan.
- Carefully arrange the first layer of uncooked lasagna noodles, ensuring complete coverage of the sauce.
- Generously distribute one-third of the cheese mixture over the noodles, followed by a quarter of the remaining sauce, creating a rich and flavorful stratification.
- Repeat the layering process two additional times, building complexity and depth of flavor with each successive layer.
- Culminate the layering with a final noodle sheet, topped with remaining sauce, reserved mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese.
- If the sauce appears thick, delicately add water around the dish’s edges to maintain moisture during baking.
- Shield the lasagna with aluminum foil that has been lightly sprayed to prevent sticking, then bake for 50 minutes in a preheated oven.
- Remove foil and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes to achieve a golden, slightly crisp top.
- Allow the lasagna to rest and settle for 10 minutes before serving, which helps maintain structural integrity and enhances flavor melding.
Notes
- Drain excess fat thoroughly to prevent a greasy lasagna and ensure a cleaner, lighter texture.
- Layering technique matters: start with sauce, then noodles, cheese mixture, and meat sauce for perfect structure.
- Adding water around edges helps prevent dry edges and ensures even cooking throughout the dish.
- Letting the lasagna rest for 10 minutes allows layers to set and makes cutting and serving easier.
- Cover with cooking spray-coated foil to prevent sticking and protect the cheese from burning during baking.
- Use freshly grated Parmesan for richer flavor compared to pre-packaged grated cheese.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 487
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 915 mg
- Fat: 27 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 36 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 107 mg