Have you ever tried making lasagna without boiling the noodles? We have, and wow, it was the best we’ve ever done. Get the secret to this amazing dish. For more Italian recipes see my Main Dish page.
We have been making lasagna the same way for years. The no-boil lasagna noodles I’ve tried in the past didn’t really impress me. Up until last week, when we prepared this perennial family favorite in our Le Cruset retangular casserole dish with a lid.
A few months ago, we tried Trader Joe’s no-boil noodles, and the lasagna was delicious. It had homemade noodles and had an identical flavor to what you would get at an Italian restaurant. Soft fork tender noodles. It was so good.
When we used the Le Cruset stoneware casserole dish, this recipe turned out even better. The entire lasagna cooks evenly in the stoneware, and the no-boil noodles perfectly absorb the sauce. We cooked the lasagna with the lid on. We think that was the key to the fluffy layers!.
Which layer of lasagna goes first?
To prevent the noodles from sticking to the pan’s bottom, spread a layer of sauce before adding the bottom layer. The additional moisture from the sauce is required for no-boil noodles in order to soften the noodles. To create humidity and more moisture for the noodles to soften, we covered the lasagna with the stoneware lid while it was cooking.
Layering Lasagna with No Boil Noodles
We did not overlap our no boil noodles. We were afraid they would stick together while cooking.
Lasagna is perhaps the quintessential feed-a-crowd casserole. Of course, there are as many different ways to make lasagna as there are Italian mothers, but this is how I like to do it. Although it is not true, lasagna is undoubtedly more time-consuming than spaghetti — but it’s oh-so-worth-it, occasionally! I was so intimidated by lasagna before I tried it because it looked like a process that would take up my entire day.
This recipe is a cross between a completely homemade lasagna and one that incorporates pre-made ingredients. I cook the meat and make my own sauce, but I substitute dried pasta for fresh, homemade pasta. If you use jarred sauce, you can make lasagna faster than this. But I really like to make my own sauce if I’m going to the trouble of making a lasagna in the first place.
This recipe is adapted from my own recipe from my book, Not Your Mothers Casserole Cookbook, which will be published by Harvard Common Press in January 2011.
This is a serious lasagna. It’s extra-deep, cheesy, meaty, and extremely chunky with beef and sausage (you’ll need a deep pan!).
Making ahead: This lasagna can be prepared up to a day in advance and stored in the refrigerator, covered. It can also be frozen, before baking. If it was frozen, bake the lasagna as described above after letting it thaw overnight in the refrigerator. If you don’t have time to let it thaw, lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees and continue baking for another 30 minutes, or until the center is steaming hot.
FAQ
What is the correct way to layer lasagna?
- Pasta sauce should be evenly distributed in the bottom of a baking dish.
- Make a layer of cooked lasagna noodles.
- Spread an even layer of the ricotta cheese mixture.
- Spread an even layer of meat sauce.
- Repeat those layers two times.
- A final layer of noodles, sauce, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese should be added on top.
Does it matter how you layer lasagna?
Don’t start layering noodles until you have some sauce underneath. As the noodles bake, the sauce serves as a barrier between the noodles and the pan, preventing the noodles from sticking. Another suggestion is to wait until the lasagna has slightly cooled before cutting it into squares to serve.
Should you overlap lasagna noodles?
Begin with sauce on the pan bottom. Doing so will prevent your bottom noodle from sticking. Try to keep the overlap between pasta sheets to a minimum as you construct each individual pasta layer. If at all possible, limit the overlap to no more than 1/2 inch to avoid having any gummy areas.
Do you layer lasagna noodles in same direction?
Prior to adding ingredients to the center, start in the corners. Another tip, alternate the direction you layer the noodles. Lay the first layer lengthwise, the middle layer across its width, and the final layer lengthwise.
