Spaghetti with simple, homemade marina/ground beef sauce was a common dinner at my childhood table. As I look back from my adult vantage point, my mom was cutting edge when she served us another Italian dish she had made, called Lasagna. I still remember the first time she made it; we kids examined it with a fair amount of skepticism. It tasted wonderful, but I thought it resembled "throw up".
Thirty-five years ago, I received a hand written recipe for this Italian staple, from a childhood friend, Ruthie Byler. I remember eating it at her house with thick slices of garlic bread.
Over the years, this recipe has morphed and evolved. Lasagna is always a hearty crowd pleaser. It is one of those dishes that can be prepared a day ahead of time, stored in the refrigerator, and then baked just before family or guests arrive. Let me be candid; this layered dinner takes some time and quite a few dirty dishes to prepare. I always double the recipe and make a second pan to put into the freezer for another meal down the road. If you are going to go to all that trouble, you might as well make it worth your while. The recipe printed below is for one 9 x 13 inch pan, but the photos show a double batch.
I use fresh herbs, fresh mozzarella, and freshly grated parmesan cheese when I assemble my pans of lasagna. I think it elevates the dish. If you choose to use other substitutes, you won't hurt my feelings one bit; just don't tell any Italians!
Lasagna
1 lb. package lasagna noodles (you'll only use about 2/3 of this)
1 lb. ground beef OR 1/2 lb. ground beef and 1/2 lb. italian sausage
1 c. chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (12 oz) can tomato paste
1/2 c. water
1 Tbsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano (optional)
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 eggs, beaten
1 lb. ricotta cheese
1 lb. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
3/4 c. freshly grated parmesan
Brown the ground beef and sausage in a large pot, over medium heat, chopped and stirring frequently. When no pink remains, add the chopped onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, water, and the crushed tomatoes. I had a can of whole tomatoes, which a pulsed several times in the food processor, before adding to the meat. Stir in the salt, oregano, and pepper flakes. Simmer the sauce, covered, over low for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, get a very large pot of water boiling for the noodles. Beat the eggs into a bowl and stir in the ricotta, mixing together with a fork until combined. Chop the basil and the parsley. Stir the basil into the meat sauce and the parsley into the ricotta mixture. When the water boils, add salt and the lasagna noodles. Cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally to separate the sheets of pasta. Drain the noodles, and rinse with cold water. Now you are ready to start assembling.
This recipe makes one 9 x 13 inch pan of lasagna. As I stated earlier, I always double the amount, whenever I go to the work of making this layered, pasta dish. Some of my baking dishes are odd sizes, so here is how I determine which pans to use.
A 9 x 13 inch pan has a bottom surface area of 117 inches (9 x 13 = 117).
Measure the bottom dimensions of the pans you want to use. This one was 11 x 7.5 inches for a surface area of 82.5 inches.
So the bottom area of all three of my pans totaled 232.5 inches. Half of that (since I doubled the batch) is 116.25 inches, which is very near the 117 inch standard. See, the teachers were right; you DO use math in everyday life!
Now for the lasagna assembly line: start by spreading one and a half cups of the sauce in the bottom of the pan. Layer on 1/3 of the lasagna noodles, then 1/3 of the remaining sauce. Next carefully spread half of the ricotta mixture on top of the sauce. Spread on 1/3 of the mozzarella and 1/3 of the parmesan.
Second layer: 1/3 noodles, 1/3 of the sauce, rest of the ricotta, 1/3 mozzarella, and 1/3 of the parmesan.
Final layer: 1/3 noodles, 1/3 of the sauce, 1/3 of the mozzarella, and 1/3 of the parmesan.
Cover with foil and bake in a convection oven on 350 (or regular bake at 375) for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 25 minutes, until the cheese on top is browned and bubbly. Let set for ten minutes before cutting. Serves 8.
If you have prepared extra pans, before baking, cover the assembled pans first with foil, and then wrap several times with plastic wrap and place in the freezer. To defrost, set the pan out on the counter all day. Bake that evening as per the above instructions.
