This classic lasagna is made with a simple meat sauce as the base. Layer the sauce with pasta and cheese, then bake until bubbly! This is great for feeding a large family and freezes well too.
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Everyone loves a good lasagna, right? It’s a great way to feed a crowd and a perfect dish to bring to a potluck. It freezes well. It warms up well. Leftovers will keep you happy for days.
Video! How to make lasagna
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How to make lasagna
The secret behind this classic lasagna recipe
As far as I can tell, the secret behind Alton’s Lasagna is adding some sugar to the sauce and using a little more cheese than most other recipes.
There are a few minor tweaks to his original recipe that I felt were necessary, such as adding a dash of wine vinegar to the sauce and changing the amount of Parmesan cheese.
How to make lasagna
- Begin by preparing the sauce with minced meat, bell pepper, onions and a combination of tomato sauce, tomato paste and tomato passata. The three tomato varieties give the sauce a great depth of flavor.
- Let this simmer while you cook the pasta and prepare the cheese. We use ricotta, grated mozzarella, and parmesan—like the tomato mix, this 3-cheese mix adds great flavor to the lasagna!
- From then on it’s just assembly work. A cup of meat sauce, a layer of pasta, more sauce, followed by a layer of cheese. Repeat until you have three layers and have used up all the ingredients.
- Bake until bubbly and you’re ready to eat!
How to store and reheat leftovers
Half the fun of making a lasagna is enjoying the leftovers! The lasagna will keep in the fridge for at least 5 days. Reheat individual slices in the microwave or reheat the whole casserole (covered with foil) in the oven at 350°F until bubbly again.
How to Freeze and Reheat Lasagna
You can also freeze the lasagna baked or unbaked.
- To freeze an unbaked lasagna: Line the pan with foil before assembly, then assemble the lasagna directly. Let cool completely and then freeze until firm. Once frozen, lift the frozen block of lasagne out of the baking dish, wrap in more foil, then freeze for up to 1 month.
- To reheat an unbaked frozen lasagna: Remove the lasagna from the freezer and unwrap all layers of foil. Place in the original casserole dish, cover and thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Once thawed, bake as directed.
- Freezing Baked Lasagna: Line pan with foil prior to assembly, then assemble and bake as directed. Let cool completely, then freeze until firm. Once frozen, lift the frozen block of lasagne out of the baking dish, wrap in more foil, then freeze for up to 1 month.
- To reheat a baked lasagna: Remove the lasagna from the freezer and unwrap all layers of foil. Place in the original casserole dish, cover and thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Once thawed, reheat whole casserole (covered with foil) in oven at 350°F until bubbling again.
- To freeze and reheat individual slices: Slice the baked and cooled casserole and wrap each slice individually in foil. Combine them in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Unwrap from foil to reheat, place on a microwave-safe dish and microwave for a few minutes until bubbly.
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Looking for more great lasagna recipes?
- Classic Lasagna Bolognese
- Vegetarian lasagna with spinach and mushrooms
- Butternut Squash Lasagna
- Zucchini Lasagna Roll-Ups
- Three Cheese Pesto Lasagna
The best lasagna
ingredients
For the meat sauce:
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2 teaspoon Extra virgin olive oil
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1 lb ground beef
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1/2 Middle Onion, diced (about 3/4 cup)
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1/2 big Bell peppers (green, red, or yellow), diced (about 3/4 cup)
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2 cloves garlic, chopped
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1 (28 ounces)can tomato sauce of good quality
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3 ounces Tomato paste (half a 6-ounce can)
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1 (14 ounces) can crushed tomatoes
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2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano, or 2 teaspoon dried oregano
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1/4 Cup chopped fresh parsley (preferably flat leaf), packaged
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1 tablespoon Italian spice
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1 prize garlic powder and/or garlic salt
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1 tablespoon Red or white wine vinegar
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1 tablespoon to 1/4 Cup Sugar (to taste, optional)
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Salt
Prepare the Lasagna:
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1/2 lb dry lasagna noodles (requires 9 lasagna noodles – unbroken)
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fifteen ounces Ricotta cheese
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1 1/2 pounds (24 ounces) Mozzarella cheese, grated or sliced
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1/4 pounds (4 ounces) freshly grated parmesan cheese
method
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Bring pasta water to a boil
Place a large pot of salted water (1 tablespoon salt for every 2 liters of water) on the stove over high heat. It may take a while to bring a large pot of water to a boil (this will be your pasta water), so prepare the sauce in the next few steps while the water is heating.
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Fry ground beef
In a large skillet, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and fry until lightly browned on all sides.
Place the beef in a bowl with a slotted spoon. Drain off all but a tablespoon of fat.
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Cook peppers, onions, garlic, add beef again
Add the diced peppers and onions to the pan (in the photo we use yellow peppers and red onions).
Cook until onions are translucent and peppers are soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and cook half a minute longer.
Return the browned ground beef to the pan. Stir to combine, reduce heat to low and cook for another 5 minutes.
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Place in a medium saucepan, add tomatoes and remaining sauce ingredients to build sauce
Transfer the beef mixture to a medium (3 to 4 quart) saucepan. Put the tomato passata, the tomato sauce and the tomato paste in the saucepan.
Add the parsley, oregano, and Italian seasonings, adjusting amounts to taste. Sprinkle with garlic powder and/or garlic salt to taste.
Drizzle with red or white wine vinegar. Stir in the sugar, tablespoon at a time, taste after each addition. (The amount of sugar you need depends on how acidic the tomatoes you are using.)
Add salt to taste and note you will be adding parmesan later which is salty.
Bring the sauce to a simmer, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook for 15 to 45 minutes, stirring frequently. Scrape the bottom of the pot from time to time so nothing sticks to the bottom and burns.
Remove from stove.
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Cook and drain the lasagna noodles
By now the salt water you heated in step one should be boiling. Add the dry lasagna pasta and cook al dente according to package directions. (Note that pasta can be cooked ahead of time.)
Stir frequently to prevent sticking. Make sure the water is simmering throughout the cooking process so the pasta doesn’t stick.
When done, drain in a colander and rinse with cold water, gently separating any pasta that is stuck together.
Spread a little olive oil on a large rimmed baking sheet and place the cooked pasta on this sheet, turning to coat with a little olive oil. This will prevent them from sticking together.
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Heat oven to 375°F
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Assemble the lasagna
In a 9×13-inch casserole or lasagna dish, scoop a cup of sauce and spread over the bottom of the bowl. Arrange a layer of lasagne noodles lengthwise (approx. 3 long noodles, the edge may protrude depending on the pan) over the sauce. Ladle a third of the remaining sauce over the pasta.
Sprinkle a layer of one-third of the grated mozzarella over the lasagna sauce. Add half of the ricotta cheese, placing dabs of cheese every few inches. Sprinkle half of the grated parmesan evenly over the ricotta cheese.
Apply the second layer of pasta and cover with half of the remaining sauce. Add half of the remaining mozzarella, the remaining ricotta cheese and another half the remaining Parmesan.
Finish with another layer of pasta. Spread the remaining sauce over the top layer of pasta and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
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Bake
Cover the lasagna pan with aluminum foil, stretched slightly so it doesn’t touch the pasta or sauce). Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes. Discover in the last 10 minutes if you want a crispier top or edges.
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Cool and serve
Allow the lasagna to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Leftovers keep for about 5 days. Can be reheated in the conventional oven or in the microwave. Leave the aluminum tent on for storage. (Try to keep the aluminum foil from touching the sauce.)
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 813 | calories |
| 51g | Fat |
| 30g | carbohydrates |
| 60g | protein |
