Make-Ahead Lasagna
This is an old standby when time's limited and guests are expected for dinner. It's a combination of several easy lasagna recipes I have tried over the years. —Mary Grimm, Williamsburg, Iowa
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound bulk hot Italian sausage
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 1 can (15 ounces) pizza sauce
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 carton (15 ounces) whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 12 no-cook lasagna noodles
- 4 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Reviews
This is one of the easiest lasagna recipes I've made. We really enjoyed it. I had some trouble finding bulk Italian sausage due to the pandemic so I used links by slicing them open and removing the casing. You could just as easily use only hamburger but add your favorite Italian seasonings to enhance the flavor.
This lasagna was very good I used 1 pound of ground beef and a half a pound of sweet Italian sausage I also added a teaspoon of oregano to the cottage cheese mixture and about A quarter cup of red wine to the sauce. Yum!
I live in the UK, but have lived in the US and I understand the cooking cultures differ somewhat. I think in the states (which I love there is more emphasis on short cuts and time saving and as such, we don't see the depth of flavours you would typically get over here and for example in Italy. A ragu or bolognase should be cooked for 3 to 4 hours and the meat and vegetables should be lightly caramalised to start. The Anna Del Conti recipe is THE recipe for ragu. It contains a mix of beef and pork, onions, garlic, celery, carrots, red wine (a MUST), stock.....a few other things such as pancetta. Classic Italian lasagne is made with a bechemel sauce on top and not ricotta. you would use dots of mozzarella. No need to use no cook lasagne sheets either - they are awful - they collapse. Make your sauce slightly more liquidy and use standard lasagne. Two of the best brands are Cecco and Barilla widely available in the US and far better than the store brands. Lasagne should be moist and gloopey and really not solid like a cake! Use fresh tomatoes if you can and please NO bought sauces......Carluccio (who died recently) was adamant....no herbs in ragu, other than a touch of thyme....definitely no basil and oregano which I used to use and imo he is right - it gives a cleaner flavour.. Bake on around 375 F and stand a small pan of water in the oven, this stops the top going too brown - the one in the photo is too burnt (unless you like it like that)......but each to their own and there is no right way and wrong way really. Just better ways.... Check out Anna Del Conte......Nigella Lawson uses her recipe....
So much better than expected! Easy to make, and probably the best recipe I've ever found. Pizza sauce is a clever shortcut to otherwise having extra steps and ingredients. Love this recipe.
I made this the other day and it was delicious. The whole family loved it. It will be my goto recipe for lasagne.
I had a question I had to cook my lasagna noodles do I need to adjust the baking time?
I was unable to try the recipe because an ad covered most of the ingredients! Was really looking forward to trying it too. I reported it but assume it won't make a difference. It looks great!
I made this for the whole family last night for Sunday dinner. It was awesome! Everyone loved it. Adding the pizza sauce to the meat sauce is what made it so good. Outstanding!
Is this dish freezer-friendly?
Definitely making this for dinner tonight! Yum!