Lasagna

A classic meat lasagna with a beef and sausage tomato sauce, ricotta filling, and plenty of mozzarella. This makes two 9x13 Pyrex dishes, enough for 10 adults with seconds. Make the sauce, filling, and noodles in the morning, assemble both pans and refrigerate, then bake at dinner.

Ingredients (two 9x13 pans):

Meat sauce:

  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 2 pounds mild Italian sausage, removed from the casings
  • 2 large yellow onions, diced
  • 8 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cans (28 ounces each) crushed tomatoes
  • 2 cans (15 ounces each) tomato sauce
  • 2 cans (6 ounces each) tomato paste
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons dried basil
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste

Ricotta filling:

  • 2 pounds whole milk ricotta
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

To assemble:

  • 2 boxes (1 pound each) lasagna noodles (24 noodles)
  • 2 pounds shredded low-moisture mozzarella
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan
  • Chopped parsley, to finish

Morning prep:

  1. Brown the beef and sausage in a large pot over medium-high heat, breaking them up. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 6 minutes, then the garlic for 1 minute. Spoon off the excess fat.
  2. Stir in the tomato paste, then the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, oregano, basil, sugar, salt, and pepper. Simmer gently, partly covered, for 30 to 45 minutes. Taste and season.
  3. Stir the ricotta, eggs, Parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper together in a bowl.
  4. Boil the noodles in well-salted water until just shy of al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water, and lay them flat on oiled sheet pans.
  5. Assemble each pan: spread 1 cup of sauce in the bottom, then layer 4 noodles, one third of that pan's ricotta, a heaping cup of mozzarella, and about 1 1/2 cups of sauce. Repeat two more times. Finish with 4 noodles, the remaining sauce, the remaining mozzarella, and 1/2 cup Parmesan.
  6. Cover each pan tightly with foil, tented so it does not touch the cheese, and refrigerate until dinner.

Instructions (at dinner):

  1. Take the pans out of the fridge 30 minutes before baking. Heat the oven to 375°F.
  2. Bake both pans covered on the middle racks for 60 minutes, swapping racks halfway.
  3. Uncover and bake 15 minutes more, until bubbling and browned on top.
  4. Rest 15 minutes so the layers set, sprinkle with parsley, and cut each pan into 8 squares to serve.

Cook's Notes:

  • Never move a cold Pyrex dish into a very hot oven or onto a cold, wet surface. Let it sit out first and put it into a preheated oven, not under the broiler.
  • Leftovers keep 4 days in the fridge, or freeze in portions.