Best Lasagna Best Recipes

WORLD'S BEST LASAGNA

Ingredients:

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
• ¾ pound lean ground beef
• ½ cup minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
• ½ cup water
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried basil leaves
• ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt, divided, or to taste
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 12 lasagna noodles
• 16 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• ¾ pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
• ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

BEST LASAGNA

Ingredients:

• 9 lasagna noodles
• 1-1/4 pounds bulk Italian sausage
• 3/4 pound ground beef
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cans (one 28 ounces, one 15 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 2 cans (6 ounces each) tomato paste
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley, divided
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 3/4 teaspoon fennel seed
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 carton (15 ounces) ricotta cheese
• 4 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Steps:

• Cook noodles according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook sausage, beef and onion over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until meat is no longer pink, breaking up meat into crumbles. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Drain., Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, water, sugar, 3 tablespoons parsley, basil, fennel, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes, stirring occasionally., In a small bowl, mix egg, ricotta cheese and remaining parsley and salt., Preheat oven to 375°. Spread 2 cups meat sauce into an ungreased 13x9-in. baking dish. Layer with 3 noodles and a third of the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining meat sauce and cheeses (dish will be full)., Bake, covered, 25 minutes. Bake, uncovered, 25 minutes longer or until bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

LASAGNA

Ingredients:

• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 medium red onions, finely diced
• 2 large cloves minced garlic
• 8 ounces pancetta, diced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups good red wine, preferably Italian
• 2 28-ounce cans Italian plum tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3/4 pound ground sirloin
• 1/4 cup freshly grated pecorino Romano
• 2 eggs
• 10 sprigs fresh parsley, leaves only, washed and dried
• 2 large whole cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 pound Italian sausage, a mix of hot and sweet
• 1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 2 cups freshly grated pecorino Romano
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1 pound mozzarella, grated
• 16 sheets fresh lasagna noodles, preferably Antica Pasteria

Steps:

• For the sauce, heat 1/2 cup oil in a large heavy Dutch oven or kettle over low heat. Add the onions, minced garlic and pancetta, and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes, until the onions are wilted. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Raise heat slightly, add the wine and cook until it is mostly reduced, about 20 minutes. Crush the tomatoes into the pan, and add their juice. Add the tomato paste and 2 cups lukewarm water. Simmer for 1 hour.
• Combine the sirloin, cheese and eggs in a large bowl. Chop the parsley with the whole garlic until fine, then stir into the beef mixture. Season lavishly with salt and pepper. Using your hands, mix until all the ingredients are well blended. Shape into meatballs and set aside.
• Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dust the meatballs lightly with flour, shaking off excess, and lay into the hot oil. Brown the meatballs on all sides (do not cook through) and transfer to the sauce.
• In a clean skillet, brown the sausages over medium-high heat. Transfer to the sauce. Simmer 1 1/2 hours.
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, eggs, pecorino Romano, parsley and all but 1 cup of the mozzarella. Season well with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
• Remove the meatballs and sausage from the sauce, and set aside to cool slightly, then chop coarsely. Spoon a thick layer of sauce into the bottom of a 9-by-12-inch lasagna pan. Cover with a layer of noodles. Spoon more sauce on top, then add a third of the meat and a third of the cheese mixture. Repeat for 2 more layers, using all the meat and cheese. Top with a layer of noodles, and cover with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle reserved mozzarella evenly over the top. Bake 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.