Community Pick
Absolute Best Ever Lasagna
"My family's favorite. This is a very meaty lasagna. We prefer it with cottage cheese, but you can easily substitute ricotta."
photo by Ashley Cuoco
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- Ready In:
- 2hrs 30mins
- Ingredients:
- 18
- Serves:
-
12
ingredients
- 1 1⁄2 lbs lean ground beef
- 1⁄2 lb Italian sausage or 1/2 lb ground veal
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 -3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped (or canned chopped tomatoes)
- 12 ounces tomato paste
- 24 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons parsley
- 1⁄2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 lb mozzarella cheese, divided
- 12 -15 lasagna noodles
directions
- Brown ground meat, onion and garlic.
- Add salt, pepper, parsley, oregano, basil, chopped tomatoes with juice, tomato paste; stirring until well mixed.
- Cover and simmer 1 hour (or longer,but watch for getting too dry).
- Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions; drain and set aside.
- Spray a 13 x 9" baking pan with cooking spray.
- Combine riccota cheese, eggs, pepper, 2 tablespoons parsley, Parmesan cheese and 1/2 1lb of mozzarella cheese; In a lasagna pan, layer noodles, meat sauce, and cheese mixture; repeat.
- Top off with layer of noodles; sprinkle evenly with remaining mozzarella cheese; make sure to cover noodles completely.
- Bake at 375F for 40-60 minutes, or until cheese mixture is thoroughly melted. (I cover w/ foil for about 40 minutes, then uncover for 15-20 minutes.
- Let sit for 15-20 minutes before cutting and serving.
Questions & Replies
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What happened to the original recipe that called for tomato paste? I made this the other night and it came out dry because I made it without the paste. -
What can I substitute for the ricotta? Both my husband and I can't stand ricotta! Ugh. -
I notice the recipe calls for a 9x13 pan. Later mention is made of a lasagna pan, which I consider the size to be around 10x14. Some of those 9x13 photos look like there might have been some overflow of ingredients while baking. Did the author use 9x13 that is deeper than the usual 2"? -
Your ingredient list shows 1/2 lb mozz , divided BUT your instructions say 1/2 lb in cheese mixture and then 1/2 lb is layered with the noodles, meat, cheese mix and mozz. Should there be 1 lb in the ingredient list and not 1/2 lb?? -
I’d like to add thawed spinach. When should I add it?
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Reviews
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WOW!!! This was absolutely the BEST!!! I made this tonight for dinner and it was delicious. My DH had 2 BIG helpings and he LOVED it!! Definately something I will make again and again. I followed the recipie exactly and added just a bit of sugar to the sauce. I always do to tomato sauces. BRAVO. -
Made this last weekend for a special family get together. It was so outstanding. My guests thought it deserved more than 5 stars. Really, the best lasagna I have ever eaten. The preparation involves a little time but it was worth it. This is the best!!
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I added a 16 oz. package of frozen spinach (thawed) to the cheese mixture (trying to sneak in vegies where I can). My family loved it. Will definitely make it again. -
Oh my goodness sakes alive!!! This is without a doubt the best lasagna I have ever tasted. I can't rave about it enough. I love the mixture of ground beef and Italian sausage in the sauce. Rich, and cheesy as well. Thanks
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Excellent! Really enjoyed the meaty gravy and compiled a "best of" from the other comments on this board. I used half cottage and half ricotta cheese and found it to be a great combination. I used uncooked pasta (not oven ready) and it turned out perfectly. I added 1 can of tomato paste full of water to the gravy and baked it for 35 minutes covered with tin foil and 25 minutes uncovered. Let stand for 20 minutes and it was not messy at all. The pasta soaked up all the extra liquids. Wow.
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Tweaks
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Great recipe as is, and I think these tweaks made it even better: 1.) Dice one poblano pepper and saute with the onions & garlic; 2.) Use regular Italian Sausage (the Hot works but so does a little crushed red pepper for the eaters that want a little kick) 3.) For the tomatoes use a 28 ounce can of San Marzano plum tomatoes (peeled is fine) and crush with your hands; 4.) Add a layer of fresh spinach just before the final cheese topping; 5.) layer with Meat Sauce then Noodles then Cheese mixture to avoid drying out the bottom-most layer of lasagna noodles; 6.) use a tall-sided pan if you have one (I used an aluminum lasagna pan coated with cooking spray, cleanup was a breeze).
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The filling was very good but end product was a bit "watery" for my tastes. One thing I would recommend is to NOT cook the noodles! I've been doing this for years and haven't yet been disappointed. Start with a bit of sauce on the bottom, place Uncooked noodles over sauce and continue to layer as suggested. The noodles will be perfect texture and will soak up the liquid from the sauce/filling.
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Didn't this recipe originally have tomato paste? If not, I guess I just put it in automatically. My special "secret" is to add about a tablespoon of pomegranate molasses. I use it for most recipes that have meat because it gives a nice subtle richness. -
Spicy Italian sausage (we like things spicy here) Gluten Free noodles (jovial brand - no precooking necessary) Italian herb mix instead of parsley/oregano/basil Aleppo pepper added to ricotta mixture for a little extra kick -
is good or not?
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