Mom's Homemade Lasagna
My Mom has been making this for my siblings and I since we were real little! We all love it so much! YUMMY
My Mom has been making this for my siblings and I since we were real little! We all love it so much! YUMMY
- Carbohydrate 39.233785644644 g
- Cholesterol 103.4707410376 mg
- Fat 26.476831736986 g
- Fiber 3.473799913764 g
- Protein 29.991453496744 g
- Saturated Fat 11.3363319996692 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (301g)
- Sodium 1143.4926451 mg
- Sugar 35.75998573088 g
- Trans Fat 2.19904039021139 g
- Calories 518 calories
Step-by-step
- Boil Lasagna noodles in a pan of water and a splash of oil until noodles are soft but kind of "Gummy".
- In a skillet, Brown the ground beef and ground pork sausage together, Pour the spaghetti sauce, Black Olives and Mushrooms in and let simmer until sauce is bubbly.
- In a pan, spread a very thin layer of the sauce on the bottom. Lay one layer of noodles lenth wise covering the bottom of the pan. Scoop some of the meat mixture on top of the noodles then a layer of Ricotta or Cottage cheese (Which ever you prefer) Lay another layer of the noodles across the top width wise, Repeat... Once you have used all of the meat mixture lay one last layer of noodles over the top and cover them with Mozzarella.
- Bake in a oven at 400 degrees until cheese is bubbly and brown. Take out of oven and let sit for a couple of minutes. Cut into 8 - 10 squares
Undercooking baked pasta usually stems from the mistaken belief that pre-boiling noodles guarantees a tender final texture, completely ignoring how densely packed layers absorb and retain heat during baking. When building the dish, alternating the orientation of the pasta sheets from lengthwise to widthwise creates structural cross-support that prevents sliding when portioning squares later. Salt the pasta boiling water generously to season the interior of the starch, because once the noodles are locked inside the casserole with bland ricotta and sauce, seasoning them externally becomes impossible.
Testing doneness requires visual and tactile observation rather than probing with a thermometer, which only measures localized pockets of heat. Watch for the edges of the top mozzarella layer to turn a deep golden brown while the sauce underneath bubbles vigorously through the noodle seams at temperatures reaching 400 degrees Fahrenheit. If the center remains pale while the edges darken too quickly, loosely tent the baking dish with aluminum foil for the final ten minutes of the baking cycle to halt surface browning.
Swapping canned mushrooms and black olives for fresh varieties introduces excess moisture that requires prior sautéing to evaporate water before assembling the layers. Fresh mushrooms release substantial liquid as they cook, which will liquefy the ricotta layer and ruin the structural integrity of the slices if not pre-cooked in a dry skillet. Canned alternatives arrive pre-sterilized and drained of free liquid, maintaining a predictable moisture balance that prevents the sauce from thinning out during the bake.
Allowing the baked lasagna to rest undisturbed for fifteen minutes on a wire rack is chemically necessary for the gelatinized starches and melted dairy proteins to cool and set. Cutting into the pan immediately while internal temperatures peak causes the ricotta and melted mozzarella to hemorrhage steam and liquefy, resulting in a collapsed heap rather than clean, distinct squares.
