World's Best Lasagna
I have been making this recipe for 4 years and it's a big hit my family constantly requests it
I have been making this recipe for 4 years and it's a big hit my family constantly requests it
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tablespoon italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper ground
- 1/2 cup onion minced
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 1 pound sweet italian sausage
- 3/4 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 16 ounces ricotta cheese
- 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese sliced
- 1 can (12 oz) tomato paste
- 1 28-oz can tomatoes crushed
- 2 6.5-oz can tomato sause
- 2 tblspoons dried basil leaves
- 4 tblspoons fresh parsley chopped
- Carbohydrate 26.648536325398 g
- Cholesterol 116.49019003125 mg
- Fat 26.0666847505963 g
- Fiber 2.50628910623686 g
- Protein 30.8941199525386 g
- Saturated Fat 12.0393220048576 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (283g)
- Sodium 1073.89104275303 mg
- Sugar 24.1422472191611 g
- Trans Fat 1.86157705565911 g
- Calories 460 calories
Step-by-step
- In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Operating inside a standard 9x13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish demands careful volumetric management when layers exceed standard depths. Doubling this assembly to feed a larger crowd will not work safely in a single vessel; instead, divide excess components into a secondary pan to maintain uniform heat penetration. Glass retains heat differently than metal, meaning lower oven temperatures or extended baking times become necessary to prevent the edges from burning before the center reaches serving temperature.
Determining Doneness Visually
Visual cues replace internal probes reliably here, since deep casseroles rely on structural setting rather than a specific core temperature. Watch for bubbling tomato oils escaping around the perimeter of the dish, which indicates the internal moisture has reached a simmer. Resistance to a paring knife inserted into the center confirms the noodles have absorbed adequate moisture and the protein binders have firmed.
- Let the assembled dish rest for precisely fifteen minutes before slicing to allow the melted fats and starches to redistribute.
- Covering the baking pan with parchment paper before applying foil prevents acidic tomato reduction from reacting with the aluminum.
- Drain cooked noodles thoroughly and rinse them in cold water to halt internal starch gelatinization before assembly.
