Classic Lasagna With Meat Sauce

ground beef

🥗Healthier: ground turkey

💰Cheaper: ground chicken

Ground turkey is leaner and lower in fat.

mozzarella cheese

🥗Healthier: part-skim mozzarella

💰Cheaper: provolone cheese

Part-skim mozzarella has less fat, while provolone is often cheaper.

parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: grated pecorino

Nutritional yeast provides a cheesy flavor without dairy.

red wine

🥗Healthier: non-alcoholic wine

💰Cheaper: beef broth

Beef broth adds flavor without the cost of wine.

Make fresh pasta sheets by adding 2 cups flour to a bowl and creating a well in the center.

Add 3 large eggs into the well and whisk with a fork until fully combined.

Gradually pull in flour from the edges of the well and knead the dough until smooth.

Rest the dough at room temperature for a bit, then cut into four portions and roll out into long sheets using a pasta machine.

Cut pasta sheets to fit the baking dish, ensuring enough for four layers, and stack with parchment paper in between to prevent sticking.

Prepare the meat sauce by removing the casings from 1 pound each of hot and sweet Italian sausage and breaking it up in a pot.

Heat olive oil in the pot over medium to medium-high heat, then add the sausage and let it sear without moving it for a few minutes.

Once browned, break up the sausage and add 1 chopped onion, sprinkling with salt to help it soften.

After a couple of minutes, add 5 finely minced cloves of garlic, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds, stirring to combine.

Add 1 tube of tomato paste to the pot and toast it until it turns a deep red, then add 2 cans of whole tomatoes, crushing them in the pot.

Scrape the bottom of the pot to release any browned bits, then add a bunch of fresh basil leaves and let the sauce cook uncovered for about an hour.

Prepare the ricotta filling by mixing 1 cup of ricotta with 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, a few cloves of microplaned garlic, fresh cracked black pepper, and salt.

Add 2 eggs to the ricotta mixture and mix until fully combined.

Grate a block of mozzarella cheese, ensuring long strands for layering.

Begin assembling the lasagna by spreading a thin layer of meat sauce on the bottom of the baking dish.

Layer two pasta sheets over the sauce, followed by an even layer of the ricotta mixture, a light layer of mozzarella, and a dusting of Parmesan cheese.

Repeat the layering process: sauce, pasta sheets, ricotta filling, mozzarella, and Parmesan until all ingredients are used, finishing with a layer of mozzarella and Parmesan on top.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens