Lasagna

Intermediate

There is nothing more comforting than a bubbling lasagna hot from the oven. I like making my lasagna in smaller pans so I can freeze single or double servings. Also, I never boil my pasta ahead of time. As long as you add enough sauce, you will be fine.

Serves 8-10 (very rich)

View my Lasagna Recipe on Whisk and create your shopping list.

Ingredients:

1 16 oz. Dried Lasagna Noodles - you can use regular or no bake

1 32 oz. Pasta Sauce or your favorite tomato sauce recipe - Here's my Easy Tomato Sauce Recipe

1 32 oz. Ricotta

8 oz. Shredded Mozzarella

1 cup Parmesan Cheese

2 Eggs

1 tablespoon Garlic Powder

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/4 teaspoon Pepper

1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mix the ricotta, 1/4 of the mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese, eggs, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and nutmeg if you use it.

In a 9 X 13 baking dish or two to three 5 X 7 rectangle dishes, spread a ladle of tomato sauce in the bottom of the dish.

Place one layer of noodles on top of the sauce. Break to fit into your dish. Top with tomato sauce. Then 1/3 of the ricotta mixture and the next 1/4 of the mozzarella. Add the next layer of noodles and press it down. Continue your layering until you end with noodles. Make sure to save a little sauce and mozzarella for the top.

On the last layer of noodles, spread the end of the tomato sauce and top with the last of the mozzarella cheese and the last 1/2 of Parmesan cheese.

To be safe, place it on a baking sheet and put it in the oven. Cook for approximately 45-60 minutes. Checking it frequently at the end.

Remove from the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes:

I know the layering isn't exact, but you will need to gauge how many layers you have based on how much sauce you have. The key is to have sauce and mozzarella for the top. What I've done in the past when making a large lasagna is have a spare jar of tomato sauce in case I need it at the end.

Remember, your pasta needs the sauce to rehydrate because you aren't cooking it ahead of time, so don't skimp on the sauce.

This is a very rich lasagna, so plan lighter side dishes such as salad to go along with it.

To make it even more indulgent, you could use a bolognese (meat) sauce.