The Ultimate Homemade Lasagna: A Timeless Family Recipe for Unforgettable Meals
Few dishes evoke the warmth of home and the joy of gathering like a classic lasagna. It’s truly a labor of love, a culinary endeavor that, while demanding time and effort, rewards you with unparalleled comfort and flavor. The sheer indulgence of preparing this dish often limits it to special occasions, perhaps once a year in my family. However, when a dear friend suffered a loss, my husband insisted that nothing less than my homemade lasagna would suffice. So, despite the scorching 90-degree heat outside, we fired up the oven, warming our kitchen with the promise of this rich, layered pasta. Special people deserve special gestures, and for our friend during her time of sorrow, this extra effort was undoubtedly worth it, offering a small measure of solace in every savory bite.
A Recipe Woven into Family History
This particular lasagna recipe holds a deeply cherished place within our family. Its significance extends far beyond mere sustenance, becoming a backdrop to some of our most memorable moments. Our eldest son, a true connoisseur of this dish, loved it so much that he chose to prepare it for dinner on the momentous evening he proposed to his girlfriend—and happily, she said ‘yes’! What a compliment to a recipe! I’ve also proudly shared this recipe with my daughter, who, in turn, passed it along to all her teaching friends in Tennessee. And in Chicago, my youngest son, an aspiring young cook, consistently impresses his friends with this very lasagna, earning him accolades and cementing its reputation as a crowd-pleaser.
While I’ve dabbled with other lasagna variations, including a very traditional recipe for Italian Carnivale which I shared in a post in February 2011, I must confess that this current recipe truly surpasses them all. It’s even more satisfying and decadent than the “La Grande Lasagna di Carnevale,” offering a depth of flavor and a comforting richness that makes it a true standout.
The Heart of the Dish: Crafting the Perfect Bolognese Sauce
At the core of any exceptional lasagna lies an equally exceptional Bolognese sauce. While the sauce I use for this recipe isn’t my family’s inherited secret, it is undeniably wonderful and has become a beloved staple in its own right. One notable deviation from my family’s traditional tomato sauces is the addition of a small amount of sugar. Many Italian cooks incorporate sugar to mellow the natural tanginess of the tomatoes, a practice my family never adopted. However, for this specific lasagna, I find it to be a delightful enhancement, adding a subtle sweetness that beautifully balances the savory richness of the meat and tomatoes. If you prefer your tomato sauces without sugar, feel free to omit it entirely; the sauce will still be incredibly flavorful.
Embarking on this culinary journey requires a commitment of time, particularly for the Bolognese sauce. This slow-simmered, rich sauce is precisely why this lasagna is so highly regarded, but it demands patience. To ease the process, I highly recommend dedicating a significant portion of your day to making the sauce, or even better, preparing it the day before. Allowing the sauce to simmer for at least 1.5 hours, and ideally longer, enables the flavors to meld and deepen, creating a foundation that elevates the entire dish. Once cooled, the sauce can be refrigerated, making assembly on the day of baking much quicker and more enjoyable.
While delicious straight from the oven, this lasagna truly transforms into something extraordinary on the second day. Allowing the flavors to blend and “marry” overnight results in a more cohesive, deeply flavored dish, and ensures that the lasagna holds its shape beautifully when sliced, creating those perfect, inviting stacks of pasta and filling.
The Most Delicious, Awesome Lasagna
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5 from 4 reviews
Author: Roz
Prep Time: 0 hours
Additional Time: 0 hours
Cook Time: 0 hours
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Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 8 oz. packages of good quality lasagna noodles
For The Cheese Filling
- 1 lb. ricotta cheese
- 8 oz good quality Mozzarella, sliced or shredded
- 1 c. grated fresh Parmigiana – Regiano cheese
- 1 c. grated freshly grated Pecorina cheese
- 1 8oz. carton sour cream
- 1/4 c. fresh Italian parsley, chopped
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 large eggs (I use jumbo), lightly beaten
For The Sauce
- 4 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 medium onions, minced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 green peppers, chopped
- 1 4–oz. can mushrooms, chopped
- 1 lb. good ground beef/sirloin
- 1 lb. mild Italian sausage
- 7 cups Italian-style tomatoes AND the juice.
- 4 6–oz. cans tomato paste
- 2 cups water – more if you feel necessary
- 2 Tbsp. salt
- 2 Tbsp. rosemary
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp. sugar (and no more)
- 4 – 5 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Brown the onion and garlic lightly in olive oil in a large, deep pot, softening them to release their aromatic flavors.
- Add ground beef and mild Italian sausage to the pot. Cook until thoroughly browned, breaking up the meat into fine pieces to avoid clumps, ensuring it’s evenly cooked and flavorful.
- Once the meat is browned, add all remaining sauce ingredients. Stir well to combine everything.
- Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer on a low flame or burner. Cook uncovered for at least 1-1/2 hours, allowing the flavors to meld and deepen into a rich Bolognese.
- About 15 minutes before the end of the simmering time, stir in the chopped fresh Italian parsley, adding a vibrant freshness to the sauce.
- Taste the sauce and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more salt, pepper, or a pinch of sugar if you prefer.
- Crucially, remember to remove the bay leaf before assembling the lasagna!
- While the sauce simmers, cook the lasagna noodles in boiling salted water for 5 – 7 minutes. It’s important not to overcook them, as they will continue to cook during the baking process. They should be al dente.
Drain the noodles thoroughly and arrange them in a deep lasagna baking dish, creating 3 – 4 (or more) exquisite layers of pasta, sauce, and cheese. Follow these steps for perfect layering:
- Begin by spreading a thin layer of Bolognese sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. This prevents the noodles from sticking and infuses the bottom layer with flavor. Alternatively, a drizzle of olive oil can also be used.
- Carefully place a layer of cooked lasagna noodles side by side, ensuring they cover the entire bottom surface without significant gaps.
- Evenly spread a generous portion of the creamy ricotta/sour cream/egg mixture over the pasta layer, ensuring every noodle is covered.
- Next, sprinkle a layer of good quality Mozzarella cheese, either sliced or shredded, over the ricotta mixture.
- Follow with another layer of the rich Bolognese sauce, spreading it evenly over the cheese.
- Finally, sprinkle a mixture of grated Parmigiano – Regiano and Pecorino cheeses over the sauce. These hard cheeses add a wonderful salty, sharp flavor.
- Repeat the layering process, starting again with the lasagna noodles, then the ricotta mixture, Mozzarella, Bolognese sauce, and the Parmigiano/Pecorino blend.
- Continue building layers until you reach the top of your baking dish, making sure to distribute ingredients evenly for a balanced taste in every bite.
- The final layer at the very top of your lasagna should be a generous covering of the savory Bolognese sauce, preparing it for its cheesy crown.
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (160 Celsius). Bake the lasagna for approximately 40 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld and the cheese to become bubbly.
- For the last 5 minutes of baking, remove any foil (if used) and sprinkle a final, lavish layer of grated Parmigiano – Regiano / Pecorino cheeses on top. Bake until the cheese is beautifully golden and slightly crispy.
- If at any point during baking you notice the cheese on top browning too quickly, loosely cover the dish with aluminum foil to prevent it from burning.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 10