To assemble, fill a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce. Arrange noodles over meat sauce. Dollop one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese. Top mozzarella with 1 1/2 cups meat sauce and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, then with foil. To prevent sticking spray the plastic wrap with cooking spray.
I’ve spent the last ten years honing my lasagna-making technique. It’s a bit of a personal obsession. This recipe represents the result of years of experimenting and fine-tuning to suit my tastes.
It’s always amazing how different and inventive each chef can get with this traditional Italian dish. The staff at the Alaskan restaurant I worked for was enamored with the copious amounts of ricotta cheese that the chef used. To counterbalance the acidic and bitter taste of the tomatoes, a line cook from outside Cincinnati would incorporate sugar into the meat sauce. It seemed like a simple solution and it was. That Italian restaurant’s owner, I recall, didn’t like his attitude but loved his sauce. With just a tiny bit of sugar, his Bolognese sauce went from being mediocre to outstanding.
Finally, I was patiently taught how to make the lasagna noodles using semolina flour by a chef I know in Big Sky, Montana. Sometimes I just don’t have the time or want to take the trouble to make homemade pasta. You may not want to make the pasta either. Don’t worry, your lasagna will still be a huge hit even with store-bought dried lasagna sheets. You can use dry pasta instead of fresh noodles by simply following the recipe below. There’s no need to parboil the pasta.
This is a great recipe to make and freeze. To make two dinners out of one, I usually bake it and freeze half of it. I hope you love this recipe as much as I do, whether you try some or all of it!
See how enjoyable and simple it is to make fresh, homemade lasagna noodles by watching my how-to video.
If your processor is too small to blend everything at once, split the recipe into two batches. In the event that you lack a food processor, mix all ingredients together in a bowl, stirring to ensure everything is well combined. Remove from bowl and knead on a flour surfaced. Let rest. Enough will be made in one batch to cover one 9 x 13 lasagna.
