A traditional lasagna has to be one of the most loved comfort foods in the world. Hailing from Italy before making its way through the world and taking on many different forms, lasagna has to be one of the most popular pasta dishes of all time. Even some of our most popular pasta dishes like our Creamy Shrimp Pasta, Creamy Mushroom Chicken Pasta and our Fiery Lamb Ragu on Parpadelle pale in comparison to this incredible lasagna recipe. A big warm comforting hug within layers of pasta, tomato sauce, white sauce and melted cheese, my family love this wholesome Best Lasagna recipe.
THE BEST LASAGNA
My mama’s famous lasagna recipe is hands down the best lasagna I have ever had in my life. She learnt this interpretation from her Italian friends while living in New York City. She has adjusted the recipe throughout the years to perfect it, and every single person that tries her recipe comes back for seconds, thirds and leftovers! Just LOOK at that CHEESE!
This recipe is not exactly ideal to look at while on a diet but if you’re willing to sacrifice some calories for the sake of this ooey-gooey, decadent lasagna, we promise we’ll make it worth your while. Naturally, we’re going to need someone to blame for breaking our diets so feel free to point your fingers directly at my mother! Why do I blame her? Long story short, she made me do it: “Karina!” “WHAT?!” “You don’t have a lasagna recipe on your blog! WHY?” “Ummm, I don’t know? But I can’t do one right now because I can’t eat it. Don’t make me suffer.” “So? What does that have to do with your blog?” “Ugh. OKAYYYY FIIIINE. You cook, I’ll shoo…” banging and clanging going down in my kitchen, wooden spoons flying around everywhere, fridge door screaming to be closed before I could finish my sentence. Ah…the chaos. The rest is history.
HOW TO MAKE LASAGNA SAUCE
To make this the best lasagna you’ve ever had, you need to perfect the sauce:
Our sauce is made with a mix of ground beef and pork. This is OPTIONAL. If you don’t like pork you can definitely use beef to replace it, but the pork does add a traditional lasagna flavour to the sauce. Most sauces use crushed tomatoes as a base, however we love mixing in a bottle of Passata (or American tomato sauce) to add richness. Using tomato paste results in a thick and rich sauce. Don’t skip this ingredient! We love using a paste with garlic and herbs, but plain is also fine.
HOW TO MAKE BÉCHAMEL SAUCE FOR LASAGNA
This is where things go from yeah, it’s okay TO oh-my-god-this-is-so-good! We don’t use any ricotta cheese in our lasagna. Not because we don’t like ricotta (mmm….could go a Spinach and Ricotta Grilled Cheese right about now), but because white sauce makes it so much more flavoursome. Especially parmesan white sauce. I’m not exaggerating when I say the sauce is SO GOOD, you’ll want to put this Béchamel on EVERYTHING! You need only 4 ingredients to make this Béchamel happen:
ARE FRESH LASAGNA SHEETS BETTER THAN DRIED?
We prefer fresh lasagna pasta sheets which are found in the refrigerator section of most grocery stores. If you can’t find or don’t have access to fresh, you can use dried. No Cook or Instant Noodles can be used without pre-boiling (check the packet instructions first). You can assemble as normal. To ensure the pasta has enough liquid to cook through while the lasagna is baking, we normally add about ½ cup of water to our sauce when using INSTANT. Pre Boil Or Pre Cook Pasta Sheets need to be boiled first before assembly. Follow the instructions on the packet. Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil into the water to prevent the sheets from sticking together and stir them occasionally with a wooden spoon. Transfer each cooked lasagna sheet carefully into a large bowl or pot filled with cool water to help stop the cooking process. Leave them in there until ready to use. This helps prevent them from sticking together or drying out. You can do this while the meat sauce is gently simmering away so all elements are ready at the same time.
HOW DO YOU LAYER A LASAGNA?
Once you’ve layered your lasagna, you need to make sure your last layers (or top layers) finish with pasta > meat sauce > white sauce > mozzarella cheese. Yeah, that order results in a golden, crunchy and cheesy top with a layer of juicy meat sauce underneath.
Crispy edges, a gooey, cheesy centre, perfectly cooked fresh lasagna pasta sheets in between a creamy parmesan white sauce and an abundance of cheese. Lord, help me.
For more lasagna variations, you might like these: Easy Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup | Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats | Easy Lasagna Stuffed Burritos | Beef And Pumpkin Lasagna | Chicken Pumpkin and Ricotta Lasagna!
WHAT TO SERVE WITH THE BEST LASAGNA
Every tomato based Italian pasta should have a buttery piece of Cheesy Garlic Bread to sop up the leftover sauces. If you’re looking to add some greenery to your plate, try this Caprese Salad with Avocado. … Read More
