Try this Extra Cheesy Classic Homemade Lasagna recipe
- 4 eggs
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- chopped parsley for garnish
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 2 cloves garlic minced or grated
- water
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1 small onion diced
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated, plus more for serving
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 ounces pancetta chopped (optional but adds great flavor)
- 1 red pepper diced
- 3/4 pound ground spicy italian chicken sausage or regular spicy italian sausage
- 1/4 pound ground chicken or ground beef
- 1 cup milk (i use 2%)
- 2 1/2 cups milk (i use 2%)
- 2 cups provolone cheese shredded, divided
- Carbohydrate 60.573733965655 g
- Cholesterol 76.3435625236306 mg
- Fat 27.7584151275344 g
- Fiber 1.04327474209179 g
- Protein 24.7819856793616 g
- Saturated Fat 17.0162808457399 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (384g)
- Sodium 889.085910287667 mg
- Sugar 59.5304592235632 g
- Trans Fat 1.562306058099 g
- Calories 582 calories
Step-by-step
- Start by making the sauce. In a heavy bottomed pot, cook 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the pancetta over medium heat, stirring, until the pancetta is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, garlic and red pepper and cook, stirring, until the veggies are softened, about 5 minutes. Push the veggies off to the side of the pan and increase the heat to medium-high. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the center of the pan and crumble in the ground sausage, ground chicken or ground beef. Cook without stirring for 3 minutes and then begin breaking up the meat and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, about 5 minutes. Add the oregano, basil, parsley and thyme. Cook another minute or so.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 cups water, 1 cup milk, bay leaf, salt and pepper to the pot. Cover the pot and simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 2-3 hours. If the sauce seems too watery after 2 hours remove the lid and simmer until thickened. Discard the bay leaf, taste to season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat. At this point the sauce can be placed in the fridge overnight or up to 3 days. You may also freeze the sauce.
- When you are ready to assemble the lasagna, make the pasta dough. To make the dough using a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (my preferred method) add the flour and eggs to the bowl. Knead the dough on medium speed until the dough comes together and forms a ball. If your dough seems too dry add water a teaspoon at a time, being careful not to add too much water. I typically have to add 4-6 teaspoons of water, but live in a very dry climate. The dough should be moist, but not too sticky. If you add too much water just add a teaspoon of flour at a time to balance it out. Divide the dough into four balls and place each ball in a sandwich bag. Set aside.
- To make the dough by hand, mound the flour on a work surface; make a well in the center. Crack the eggs into the center and beat with a fork. Gradually mix the eggs into the flour. Using a bench scraper, mix in the last of the flour until the dough comes together. Scrape the surface clean and dust with flour. Knead the dough, dusting with flour, until firm and smooth, about 8 minutes. Shape into a ball.
- Quarter the dough and shape into 4 balls. Place each ball in a sandwich bag. Set aside.
- Now make the Béchamel Sauce. Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk in a steady stream. Add the nutmeg and simmer for 2 minutes, whisking. Remove from the heat, stir in provolone and parmesan and season with salt and pepper. Let cool, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming.
- To assemble the lasagna grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. If baking the lasagna right away Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Spoon a little of the red sauce over the bottom of the dish. Grab 1 ball of pasta dough and flatten the dough. Lightly dust the dough with flour, brushing off excess. Set a pasta machine to the widest setting; run the dough through. Fold the dough into thirds like a letter, then run it through again, short end first. Run it through 2 more times, dusting with flour if it seems too sticky. Now switch to the 2nd setting and roll all the dough sheets through the machine again. Switch to the 3rd setting and roll the sheets through again. Switch to the 4th setting and roll the sheets through again. Now switch to the 5th setting and roll the sheet through the machine one last time. All machines vary, but I find I like the 5th setting for lasagna sheets. Generally, when you see your hand through the pasta sheet, it's thin enough to cut.
- Cut the sheet of dough to fit inside your dish. I can normally get 2 long and wide noodles + enough extra dough on the ends to fully make one layer of pasta cover the bottom of the pan. If this is not the case just form the extra dough into a ball and roll it out again. Fit into the pan where it is needed.
- Now spoon about 1/2 of the remaining red sauce over the noodles. Drizzle about 1/3 of the Béchamel on top of that.
- Grab another dough ball of pasta and roll it out just as you did above. Layer the pasta over the Béchamel. Now add the remaining red sauce and another 1/3 of the Béchamel. Roll out another ball of dough and layer the pasta. Add the remaining 1 cup of provolone cheese and the mozzarella cheese. Roll out the last ball of dough and layer it over the cheese layer. Pour the remaining Béchamel over the noodles and then sprinkle with a little shredded provolone and mozzarella.
- Spray a piece of foil with cooking spray and cover the the lasagna. At this point the lasagna can be placed in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen.
- Bake, covered for 1 hour and then uncovered for 15 minutes more. Let stand for 15-20 minutes before slicing. If your lasagna was cold bake, covered for 15-30 minutes longer.
Where does the extra time actually go? Building a from-scratch lasagna demands patience and specific machinery. Without a pasta roller, flattening four distinct dough balls into uniform sheets becomes an exhausting manual chore. You need a heavy-bottomed pot to let the meat sauce simmer for that essential two to three hour window without scorching the bottom. Keep a bench scraper on hand for kneading if you choose the manual dough method over a stand mixer.
The Béchamel and Assembly Phase
Cook the flour and butter for exactly one minute to eliminate raw starch flavor before whisking in the milk. Let the finished white sauce cool while stirring occasionally to prevent a tough skin from forming on top. Bake the assembled dish covered at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour, then strip away the foil for the final fifteen minutes to brown the cheese.
- If the pasta dough feels too dry, incorporate water one teaspoon at a time.
- Let the baked lasagna rest for fifteen to twenty minutes so the slices hold their shape.
- Store unbaked assembled lasagna in the refrigerator for up to three days before baking.
