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You are here: Home / Recipe Archives / The Ultimate Lasagna

The Ultimate Lasagna

May 4, 2014 by Danelle 7 Comments

Friends, I have to apologize. I’ve been sharing recipes at Let’s Dish since 2009 and somehow, I’ve never shared my lasagna recipe with you. I’m not sure how this happened, but I’m taking care of it today!

The Ultimate Lasagna
This isn’t a quick and easy recipe, but the time and effort is so worth it! It’s not hard to make, you just need time for the sauce to simmer, mainly. I wouldn’t attempt this lasagna on a busy weeknight, but it’s perfect for a lazy weekend. The good news is, it will probably feed you for at least two days, if not longer.

There is plenty of room in the recipe for your own adaptations, but I definitely recommend using a combination of beef and pork. And also, the whole slices of mozzarella cheese–they’re kind of what makes this lasagna epic!

One final note. I don’t care much for oven-ready lasagna noodles. But I also don’t like the extra step of boiling regular noodles. So I use regular noodles and let them sit in a pan of hot water–with a bit of olive oil–for 10-15 minutes to soften them up.

It’s less hassle, the texture of the noodles is great, and my lasagna holds together perfectly using this method (provided you let it sit for 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving). Of course, you can feel free to use whatever method you like best.

The Ultimate Lasagna

The Ultimate Lasagna

Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Italian sausage
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
  • 2 (6 oz.) cans tomato paste
  • 1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • 3 teaspoons dried basil leaves, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 12-16 lasagna noodles
  • 16 ounces ricotta cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 1 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. In a large pot, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water.
  2. Add sugar, 2 teaspoons basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and fresh parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
  3. Fill a 9x13 pan with hot tap water and a drizzle of olive oil. Lay uncooked lasagna noodles in pan to soften.
  4. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, egg, remaining teaspoon basil and a dash of salt and pepper.
  5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Assemble lasagna as follows: Spread about 1/2 cup of sauce in the bottom of a deep 9x13 dish. On top of sauce, layer 4-5 noodles, 1/2 of ricotta mixture, sliced mozzarella, about 2 cups of sauce, and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.
  6. Repeat once. For the last layer, add 4-5 more noodles, followed by remaining sauce, and sliced mozzarella.
  7. Cover with aluminum foil coated with cooking spray and bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 25 minutes. Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving.
© Danelle

Who Dished It Up First: Adapted from All Recipes.

Filed Under: Recipe Archives

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Gina

    May 4, 2014 at 12:23 pm

    Jaw on the floor – So happy you shared this Danelle!! YUM

    Reply
  2. Joanne

    May 4, 2014 at 12:53 pm

    Thank you for sharing your delicious recipe! Your lasagna is similar to mine, although I have subbed a pre-made spaghetti sauce when in a pinch for time. 🙂

    Reply
  3. diane streicher

    May 4, 2014 at 7:47 pm

    I’m with you on the oven-ready noodles. They soak up too much sauce and have a weird texture. I mean, come on, if you can’t make room in your life for a few extra minutes to prep regular noodles, you might need to reevaluate priorities. 🙂

    Reply
  4. Dana

    August 26, 2014 at 5:13 pm

    I was just thinking there must be a soak lasagna noodle way to soften them and bam you have the answer. Thanks!

    Reply
  5. Lisa Penn

    September 15, 2014 at 2:39 pm

    This is an excellent dish for a family get together. We’ve always wanted a ‘great’ lasagna recipe; now we have it. Thanks so much!

    Reply
  6. Suzanne

    June 26, 2016 at 11:33 pm

    Have you ever frozen this before baking it? Sounds delish! Thanks for all the yummy recipes!

    Reply
    • Danelle

      June 27, 2016 at 8:08 am

      I haven’t, but I’m sure it would work just fine if you thawed before baking.

      Reply

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