Lasagna
  • Dinner

Lasagna

In 2001, Regina Schrambling went on a week-long odyssey in search of the best lasagna recipe. Her ideal here has an intensely flavored sauce, cheeses melted into creaminess as if they were bechamel, meat that’s just chunky enough and noodles that put up no resistance to the fork.

A lasagna with intensely flavored sauce, creamy cheeses, and perfectly tender noodles.

8 servings

~5 hrs

Ingredients

For the Sauce

  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil1 cup
  • Red Onions, finely diced×2
  • Minced Garlic2 cloves
  • Pancetta, diced8 oz
  • Saltto taste
  • Red Wine, preferably Italian1½ cups
  • Canned Whole Tomatoes2 cans
  • Tomato Paste3 tbsp
  • Ground Beef0.8 lb
  • Pecorino Romano, freshly grated¼ cup
  • Eggs×2
  • Parsley, leaves only, washed and dried10 sprigs
  • Garlic, whole2 cloves
  • Flour½ cup
  • Italian Sausage, a mix of hot and sweet1 lb

For the Lasagna

  • Ricotta1 container
  • Eggs×2
  • Pecorino Romano, freshly grated2 cups
  • Parsley, chopped½ cup
  • Mozzarella, grated1 lb
  • Lasagna Noodles, preferably Antica Pasteria×16

Instructions

  1. Prepare the Sauce Base

    For the sauce, heat ½ cup oil in a large heavy Dutch oven or kettle over low heat. Add the onions, minced garlic and pancetta, and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes, until the onions are wilted. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Raise heat slightly, add the wine and cook until it is mostly reduced, about 20 minutes. Crush the tomatoes into the pan, and add their juice. Add the tomato paste and 2 cups lukewarm water. Simmer for 1 hour.

  2. Make the Meatball Mixture

    Combine the sirloin, cheese and eggs in a large bowl. Chop the parsley with the whole garlic until fine, then stir into the beef mixture. Season lavishly with salt and pepper. Using your hands, mix until all the ingredients are well blended. Shape into meatballs and set aside.

  3. Brown the Meatballs

    Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dust the meatballs lightly with flour, shaking off excess, and lay into the hot oil. Brown the meatballs on all sides (do not cook through) and transfer to the sauce.

  4. Cook the Sausages

    In a clean skillet, brown the sausages over medium-high heat. Transfer to the sauce. Simmer 1½ hours.

  5. Prepare the Cheese Mixture

    Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, eggs, Pecorino Romano, parsley and all but 1 cup of the mozzarella. Season well with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.

  6. Assemble and Bake the Lasagna

    Remove the meatballs and sausage from the sauce, and set aside to cool slightly, then chop coarsely. Spoon a thick layer of sauce into the bottom of a 9-by-12-inch lasagna pan. Cover with a layer of noodles. Spoon more sauce on top, then add a third of the meat and a third of the cheese mixture. Repeat for 2 more layers, using all the meat and cheese. Top with a layer of noodles, and cover with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle reserved mozzarella evenly over the top. Bake 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Make-ahead tips for lasagna

Both tomato and cream-based sauces for lasagna can be made and refrigerated for up to 3 days before assembling the lasagna. Once baked, the lasagna can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. To freeze, bake 30 minutes but do not brown, then cool, and freeze for up to 4 weeks. We do not recommend assembling and refrigerating or freezing an unbaked lasagna. This will adversely affect the texture.

Recipe from cooking.nytimes.com

Start Cooking