Are you a pasta fan? Who isn’t? With its soft texture and diverse shapes, pasta is always a nice option for your meals. Actually, I can’t think of a single person who doesn’t like pasta. And that says a lot about this Italian type of food.
Today, you are going to learn to make the typical lasagna dish that is going to make you look like a pro.
Are you taking your first steps in the kitchen?
If you feel you are an amateur when cooking time comes, don’t worry! You can begin by making some instant gnocchi recipes which are even easier than the option I bring you today. If you click on https://olivieri.ca/gnocchi-recipes/, you are going to find a huge variety of gnocchi recipes that can be a great start!
Now, what is lasagna?
Obviously, lasagna is a kind of pasta made out of very wide, flat sheets. It is possibly one of the earliest pasta types and it can also refer to the Italian dish made of stacked lasagna layers, alternating with different fillings, such as meat, vegetables, cheese and diverse seasonings.
Is it good for your health?
As the type of pasta it is, lasagna is a great source of carbohydrates. But, apart from that, it can be even healthier, since there is an immense variety of fillings that can be used to prepare this dish.
That makes lasagna quite a versatile meal, since you can have it if you are a meat lover; but, if on the other hand, you are a vegetarian, you can eat it too. Likewise, you can choose to make a cheese lasagna with a sour cream sauce; but if you have some sort of dairy products allergy, you can always replace both cheese and sour cream for other ingredients, such as vegetables and tomato sauce.
It is undoubtedly a very practical dish, and it is very easy to get it cooked at the same time. Let’s see what it is all about.
Getting some lasagna cooked
This lasagna recipe will take you about 2 hours and a half, but don’t get frustrated before starting! The steps to follow are very simple and you are going to need everyday ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 pound of sweet Italian sausage.
- ¾ pounds of lean ground beef.
- ½ cup of minced onion.
- 2 cloves of garlic.
- 1 can of crushed tomatoes.
- 2 cans of tomato sauce.
- 2 cans of tomato paste.
- ½ cup of water.
- 2 tablespoons of white sugar.
- 4 tablespoons of parsley.
- 1 ½ tablespoon of dried basil leaves.
- Salt to taste.
- 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning.
- ½ teaspoon of fennel seeds.
- ¼ teaspoon of black pepper.
- 12 lasagna noodles.
- 16 ounces of ricotta cheese.
- 1 egg.
- ¾ pounds of mozzarella cheese.
- ¾ cups of grated Parmesan cheese.
Instructions
- First of all, cook the sausage, the ground beef, the garlic and the onion in the oven over medium heat until everything is browned.
- Then, add the crushed tomatoes, the tomato sauce, the tomato paste and the water. Season with some sugar, basil, 2 tablespoons of parsley, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Cover the preparation and let it simmer for about 1 hour and a half, stirring occasionally.
- After that, take a pot and add some water and a pinch of salt to it, and bring it to a simmer. Cook the lasagna noodles for about 10 minutes. Then drain them and rinse them with cold water. Take a bowl and mix the ricotta cheese and the egg. Add the rest of the parsley and season it with a pinch of salt.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spread 1 ½ cup of meat sauce on the bottom of a baking dish and arrange some noodles lengthwise until you cover all the meat sauce. Spread with some ricotta cheese mixture and top it with some mozzarella cheese slices. Then, add some meat sauce and sprinkle it with some Parmesan cheese. Repeat these layers until you have used all the preparation and noodles. Cover with some foil.
- Finally, bake the preparation in the oven for about 25 minutes. Take the foil out of it and bake it for another additional 25 minutes. Let the lasagna sit for about 15 minutes before serving it.
Make sure you have everything you need and start preparing this delicious recipe to pamper your loved ones. Enjoy!
