Things are cooling off!

So make your house warm and your belly full with foolproof lasagna! I recently had to cater the weekly pasta night for our exchange students football team, and lasagna is a hearty and delicious meal for hungry athletes! And, since lasagna is a bit of a pain to make, there is good news – this recipe makes two! You can have one for dinner, and freeze the other for another cool night. And one more pro-tip – since there are a lot of steps in making lasagna, I actually make the sauce one day, refrigerate it (plus, it gets better overnight), and assemble it the next day. As the saying goes – easy does it!

The results from the pasta night are in- and the team loved it! BOTH lasagna’s were completely gone!

Ingredients:

3 lbs lean ground beef

2 large yellow onions, diced

3 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp dried basil

2 bay leaves

6 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp red chili flakes (optional)

2 tbsp tomato paste

2, 28 oz cans crushed San Marzano Tomatoes

1-4 tbsp sugar, to taste

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

1.25 lb lasagna noodles – I know it’s an extra step, but I really prefer the ones you have to boil

2, 32 oz containers Ricotta Cheese

4 extra large eggs

1.5 cups fresh parsley, chopped

32 oz grated mozzarella cheese

2.5 cups grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Heat a large dutch oven over medium to medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add the ground beef. Add 2 tsp of kosher salt and cook the beef until it’s browned and cooked through. Remove the beef from the pan and add 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the onions to the pan, and cook 5-7 minutes until translucent but still crisp. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1-2 minutes to cook out the raw flavor of the tomato paste. Add the bay leaves, chili flakes, oregano and basil and cook for a minute or two to release the oils. Carefully add the tomatoes and give the mixture a big stir. Add the sugar, 1 tbsp at a time just until the tanginess of the tomatoes is gone. Check for seasonings and adjust as necessary. Cook the sauce on a low simmer for 30-45 minutes to let the flavors develop. Remove the bay leaves.

If you’re making this a 2-day effort, once the sauce is cooked, cool and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to assemble the lasagna, bring the sauce to room temperature and bring a separate large pot to a boil with lots of salt. Cook the lasagna noodles according to the box directions. I really prefer the boil noodles. I think the “no-boil” ones take too much moisture from the lasagna and leave it dry. When cooked completely, drain and lay the lasagna noodles on sheets of parchment paper so they don’t stick while they cool.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together the ricotta, eggs, chopped parsley and 2 cups of the parmesan cheese. set aside.

Spray two large lasagna pans heavily with cooking spray. If you’re planning to freeze one or both, I recommend the disposable aluminum ones. Scoop a small amount of sauce into the bottom of each pan and spread to just coat the bottom. Next, add a flat layer of noodles, usually 3-4 depending on the size of the dish. For EACH lasagna, you’ll need 3 layers of sauce, 3 layers of noodles and 2 layers of ricotta mixture. It may be helpful to divide the sauce and ricotta into two parts before you start so you can portion evenly.

On top of the first layer of noodles, spoon and spread a layer of ricotta cheese. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Top with another layer of sauce, then noodles, then ricotta and mozzarella for each lasagna, spreading each layer evenly across the lasagna. Top the final layer of ricotta with the remaining sauce and spread to coat. Cover the top layer of each lasagna with half the remaining mozzarella cheese and half the remaining parmesan.

Cover each lasagna tightly with foil. If you’re planning to freeze one or both, they should last for 2-3 months in the freezer. Remember, lasagna should be cooked from room temperature. A frozen lasagna will take approximately 2 days to thaw in the fridge, or about 8-10 hours on the counter.

When ready to serve, preheat an oven to 400F. Place the lasagna on a baking sheet in case it bubbles over. Cook the lasagna (from room temperature) for 45 minutes covered, then remove the foil and cook for another 15 minutes until the lasagna is bubbling an heated through. If you like browned/crispy cheese, feel free to turn the broiler on for the last 3-5 minutes, but watch it closely so it doesn’t burn!

When the lasagna is cooked, remove from the oven and let it sit uncovered for 10 minutes. This will allow the lasagna to cool slightly and it won’t be as runny when you cut into it. Slice into big squares and serve immediately with garlic bread, and a salad. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! Enjoy!