Homemade Lasagna
Sneaking in one of my favorite comfort food dishes before Spring rolls around and cozy dishes like this one start to fall out of favor (though I’ll be making this for my family all year round). This is truly the BEST lasagna recipe, you’re going to love its thick, meaty, layers with the creamiest filling ever, the most flavorful sauce of your life, and its hot, bubbly cheese topping. Serve it warm with a side salad or bruschetta and a side of garlic knots and follow up with a slice of tiramisu for a satisfying Italian meal, start to finish. Let’s dig in!
What You Need
It might look like a lot of ingredients, but I would bet most of them you already have in your pantry. Let’s go over a few:
Ground beef and sweet Italian sausage. I use a blend of these two meats for the same reason that I do in my meatball recipe: when coupled together they produce a dish of rich and unparalleled flavor. I use sweet Italian sausage, but feel free to swap it out for “hot” instead, and if you can only find sausage sold in links just remove the casings before cooking. Granulated sugar. Sugar in the tomato sauce helps counterbalance the acidity and results in a sauce with a deeper flavor and more balanced taste.Seasonings. Even though I use fresh garlic and onion, I supplement the flavor with a pinch of garlic powder and onion powder (trust me on this). I use Italian seasonings, but bump up the basil, which should be more prominently featured. Salt & pepper (freshly ground is best!) are a must, and a pinch of crushed red pepper is optional but adds a slight heat to the dish.Cream cheese. My secret weapon (also seen in my stuffed shells!)! If you don’t like cream cheese, don’t be turned off, the flavor is not overwhelming or distinct at all. It simply enhances the creaminess of the ricotta layer and adds a subtle richness to the dish.Mozzarella cheese. This makes up its own layer over the ricotta layer and is the final layer of the lasagna (helps to hold the moisture in). Yes, there’s a lot of cheese in this dish but it’s well balanced and ideal for the best flavor!
Note the can of beef broth in the photo. If you have a layer of browning on the bottom of your pan, deglaze with a bit of broth or red wine before proceeding.
How to Make Lasagna Sauce
My rich, meaty sauce sets my lasagna apart from any other recipe, it’s incredibly flavorful and is what makes this the best lasagna recipe. To make it:
Ricotta Cheese Filling for Lasagna (with a Special Twist!)
How to Assemble Lasagna
SAM’S TIP: Use a deep 13×9″ (23x33cm) pan as the layers may not fit in a standard glass baking dish. For extra security, bake your lasagna on a foil lined baking sheet, just in case any overflow happens in the oven. Make it a full Italian meal! Finish everything off up with a slice of coffee and rum soaked tiramisu made with homemade ladyfingers!
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Enjoy! Let’s bake together! Make sure to check out the how-to VIDEO in the recipe card!
