There are as many lasagna recipes as there are cooks who prepare them. The Best Lasagna recipe I have for you includes both a meat and a béchamel sauce, and it does require some preparation time. But it’s worth the time if you have it.
Tip: Speaking of serving, I like to use a metal spatula that is the about the same size as the slices. I use this one. Actually, I have two of them. I have the second one on hand just in case I need a little extra support to get the slices on the plate.
By covering the baking dish with foil, you can keep the moisture that aids in the cooking of the noodles and prevent the topping from burning before the noodles are done. If you take off the foil and cook the lasagna for a further fifteen minutes, the top will get bubbly and brown.
Whole-milk ricotta cheese is what I would use for the ricotta layer in this recipe. It seems richer to me and doesn’t seem to get mushy when baked. When ricotta cheese is combined with an egg, parsley, mozzarella, salt, and pepper, it forms a flavorful, rich, cheesy layer that sticks to the noodles when the slices are served.
Spoon a little of the meat sauce onto the bottom of the baking dish to begin assembly. This is crucial for any lasagna recipe, but it’s crucial when using this technique because otherwise, the noodles in the first layer won’t cook through. Top the meat sauce with three non-overlapping noodles. Drizzle the noodles with ricotta, then mozzarella, and finally the meat sauce. After two repetitions of the layering, add noodles, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Next, place a piece of foil over the baking dish and spray it with cooking spray. This lessens the possibility that the cheese will adhere to the foil.
How to Make this Easy Lasagna
To prepare, preheat the oven to 350ºF and spray a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray.
- The sausage and ground beef should be browned together in a big skillet over medium heat. Drain off and discard any fat. Add the minced garlic and spaghetti sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Combine the ricotta, 2 cups mozzarella cheese, eggs, ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, dried parsley, salt, and ground black pepper in a big bowl. Mix well.
- Before assembling, coat the bottom of the baking pan with ¾ cup of sauce. Cover the bottom with 3 uncooked lasagna noodles. Place a ¼ of the sauce and ⅓ of the cheese mixture on top. Repeat layers (noodles, cheese, sauce, noodles, cheese, sauce).
- Add 3 noodles, the remaining sauce, and the last cup of mozzarella and Parmesan cheese to the top layer.
- Spray a sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray. Cover with the pan with aluminum foil (sprayed side down). This prevents the cheese from sticking. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes.
- Ten minutes should pass before slicing and serving the lasagna.
If your sauce is thick and hearty, brush the pan’s edges with ½ cup water. You won’t need as much water if your sauce is runnier, like Rao’s marinara or Old World Style Ragu.
Make it a meal.
Try this simple lasagna recipe with an Italian salad and our homemade garlic bread.
Roasted potatoes and Italian green beans are also always excellent choices!
