Lasagna Al Forno
This lasagna mixes both seasoned ground beef, Italian sausage and fresh herbs to bring a satisfying and filling meal. I like to serve it with my Zesty Garlic Bread on the side and a fresh salad.
This lasagna mixes both seasoned ground beef, Italian sausage and fresh herbs to bring a satisfying and filling meal. I like to serve it with my Zesty Garlic Bread on the side and a fresh salad.
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped
- olive oil
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano chopped
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 cloves garlic sliced
- salt and black pepper
- 1 pound dried lasagna noodles
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1 pound ground italian sausage
- 6 ounces tomato paste (1 can)
- 30 ounces ricotta cheese (2 containers)
- 1/4 cup italian flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
- 6 cups tomato sauce prepared
- 1 pound mozzarella cheese shredded
- grated parmesan and mozzarella
- Carbohydrate 74.5830104145667 g
- Cholesterol 189.06753865 mg
- Fat 55.0275976288591 g
- Fiber 13.9563999959936 g
- Protein 57.2006918686003 g
- Saturated Fat 23.0477648228191 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (1171g)
- Sodium 5221.48963126568 mg
- Sugar 60.6266104185732 g
- Trans Fat 9.3072053585919 g
- Calories 992 calories
Step-by-step
- Cook the lasagna noodles in plenty of boiling salted water until pliable and barely tender, about 10 minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking. Drain the noodles thoroughly, coat with olive oil keep them moist and easy to work with.
- Coat a large skillet with olive oil. Saute over medium heat, onion, garlic and herbs. Cook 5 minutes. Brown beef and sausage until no longer pink, about 15 minutes. Drain fat into a small container and discard. Stir in the tomato paste completely. Set aside to cool.
- In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta, parsley and oregano. Stir in beaten eggs. Add Parmesan, season with salt and pepper.
- To assemble the lasagna: Coat the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch pan with a ladle full of tomato sauce. Arrange 4 noodles lengthwise in a slightly overlapping layer on the sauce. Then, line each end of the pan with a lasagna noodle. This forms a collar that holds in the corners. Spread 1/2 of the meat mixture over the pasta. Dollop 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the meat, spread to the edges with a spatula. Sprinkle 1/2 of the mozzarella on top of the ricotta. Top with a ladle full of tomato sauce, spread evenly. Repeat with the next layer of noodles, meat, cheeses and sauce. Top last layer with noodles, sauce and shredded mozzarella and Parmesan. Tap the pan to force out air bubbles. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Remove from oven. Let lasagna rest for 30 minutes so the noodles will settle and cut easily. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.
Throwing boiling pasta straight into a baking dish without an oil coating guarantees a gummy, fused mass. Cook dried lasagna sheets in heavily salted boiling water for roughly 10 minutes until barely pliable. Drain them thoroughly and toss the hot pasta in olive oil to prevent the starches from gluing the sheets together before assembly. Building layered pasta dishes requires structural integrity. A proper assembly uses overlapping noodles along the base and creates end collars to lock in the corners, preventing the ricotta and meat fillings from sliding out during baking. Tomato paste cooked directly into the browned ground beef and Italian sausage drives out excess moisture, concentrating the savory umami base before it meets the dairy layers. Combining ricotta with lightly beaten eggs creates a thermal binder. This egg protein coagulates at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, setting the cheese filling so individual squares hold their shape cleanly when served. Scaling this massive twelve-serving recipe up or down requires careful pan selection. A standard 13 by 9-inch baking dish accommodates the listed quantities precisely, but reducing portions means stepping down to a smaller vessel to maintain the necessary depth for multiple strata. Resting the finished dish for thirty minutes after baking is non-negotiable. This cooling window allows the gelatinized starches and melted mozzarella to relax, making clean slices possible without collapsing the layers. To freeze this bake successfully, assemble the dish completely in a freezer-safe container without baking it. Wrap the unbaked pan tightly in plastic wrap and heavy-duty foil, storing it for up to two months. Thaw the frozen lasagna entirely in the refrigerator for twenty-four hours before baking at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, adding twenty minutes to the initial cooking time to ensure the center reaches a safe internal temperature.
