The Ultimate Lasagna Recipe (100% From Scratch!)

ricotta cheese

🥗Healthier: cottage cheese

💰Cheaper: cream cheese

Cottage cheese is lower in fat and calories while still providing creaminess.

mozzarella cheese

🥗Healthier: part-skim mozzarella

💰Cheaper: provolone

Part-skim mozzarella reduces fat content while provolone is often less expensive.

parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: grana padano

Nutritional yeast is a dairy-free option, while grana padano is a more affordable cheese.

ground beef

🥗Healthier: ground turkey

💰Cheaper: ground pork

Ground turkey is leaner, while ground pork can be cheaper.

Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat.

Add chopped onion and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes until translucent, stirring occasionally.

Add minced garlic and sauté for 2 minutes until fragrant.

Add ground beef (80/20) to the pan, ensuring the pan is hot to avoid stewing the meat. Let it cook without stirring for a few minutes to allow caramelization.

Stir the beef to break it down, ensuring there are no lumps.

Add tomato paste to the beef and cook for 2 minutes to enhance its flavor before adding the crushed tomatoes.

Add crushed tomatoes to the pan, along with a little water to thin the sauce, and a small amount of sugar to balance acidity.

Cover the pan and let the sauce simmer on low heat for 45 minutes to an hour.

While the sauce simmers, make the homemade pasta by creating a well with all-purpose flour and adding 4 large room temperature eggs.

Incorporate the flour into the eggs using a fork, then use your hands to knead the dough until it comes together and is not too wet.

Wrap the pasta dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours before using.

To make homemade ricotta, heat whole milk and heavy cream in a large pot over medium heat, adding salt.

Wait for the mixture to come to a simmer, then proceed with the ricotta-making process (not fully detailed in the transcript).

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens