Classic Beef Lasagna

I am pretty arrogant about my lasagna. I think it really is so great. Not too creamy (can’t stand that!) and no soggy noods. Don’t be shocked - but the lasagna noodles go in raw. Surprise! New thing you learned this week - they don’t need to be pre cooked! Another thing: there is a school of thought, ahem Alison Roman, that lasagna is so rich it doesn’t need meat. While I don’t think it needs it, I really think the beef adds an extra layer of flavor and texture that breaks up the monotony and adds depth. It takes a while so settle in, but it’s mostly hands off so you can go about your life while you make it.

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Classic Beef Lasagna

Classic Beef Lasagna
Yield: Serves 6-8
Author:

A classic beef lasagna recipe to keep for years to come.

Time

  • Prep: 30 minutes
  • Cook: 1 hour on stove + 1 hour in oven
  • Total: 2hrs 30 mins

Ingredients

  • 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 28oz can whole tomatoes
  • 4 garlic cloves, 2 smashed, 2 minced
  • EVOO
  • Bunch of basil
  • 2lbs ground beef, 85% or less
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 TB tomato paste
  • 1 big pinch red pepper flakes
  • 1 16oz container full fat ricotta
  • 2 ½ cups grated mozzarella
  • 2 cups grated parm (do this yourself, don’t buy pre grated because it has a preservative coating on the shreds making them not melt so well. The mozz is melty enough that it’s fine)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 box lasagna noodles (NOT the oven ready ones)
  • Lots of salt and pepper along the way

Recipe

  1. Start your sauce. Add the can of crushed tomatoes to a large-ish saucepan. Using your hands, break up the toms from the can of whole toms into little pieces and add them + the remaining sauce to the pot. Swizzle some EVOO in, add two crushed garlic cloves and a hefty pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then immediately drop the heat to low low low and simmer for as long as you can, stirring as often as you remember.
  2. Cook the beef. In the biggest pan you have, swizzle some EVOO around and turn to medium-low heat. Add the minced onion and ground beef, breaking it apart with your spoon. Cook until beef is just about browned and onion is translucent, about 6 mins. Add in the garlic, pinch of red pepper and salt and pepper, cook for 2 mins more. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 2 mins more.
  3. Pick out the smashed garlic and bunch of basil from the sauce and pour the sauce into the beef pot. Stir to combine. Drop heat to lowest possible and simmer for AGES. Like 30-45 mins. We want the sauce to reduce so that it’s not runny (which will make your lasagna not slice properly), but not so much that it’s dry. Check on it and stir it often. Look for the consistency of like a loose tomato-ey school cafeteria sloppy joe kinda situation.
  4. Meanwhile make the ricotta mixture. Combine the ricotta, 1 ½ cups of the mozzarella, 1 cup of the parmesan and some salt and pepper in a little bowl. Mix in the egg.
  5. Preheat the oven to 400. In a casserole dish spoon a little of the meat sauce down and spread it around on the bottom. Place the UNCOOKED lasagna noodles down in a single layer on top of the little bit of sauce. (The sauce is there just to make it not stick). Spoon ¼ of the meat sauce onto the noodle layer. Dollop 1/3 of the ricotta mixture on top of that. Add another layer of lasagna noodles, pressing down firmly to pack everything nicely together. Repeat with meat and ricotta, then a third layer. After the third layer add a fourth tier of pasta, the last of the sauce but NO ricotta. Top the whole thing with the remaining 2 cups of cheese. To summarize: little bit of sauce to prevent sticking, then 3 layers of pasta + ¼ of the sauce + 1/3 of the ricotta, then one layer of pasta + sauce + remaining cheese.
  6. Cover the lasagna in foil and bake for 25 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for a further 20-30 minutes, until top is brown and bubbly.
DinnerMary Bell ClementComment