How To Make The Ultimate Lasagna

ground beef

🥗Healthier: ground turkey

💰Cheaper: ground chicken

Ground turkey is leaner and lower in fat.

Parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: grated pecorino

Nutritional yeast is dairy-free and adds a cheesy flavor.

bechamel sauce

🥗Healthier: Greek yogurt

💰Cheaper: milk + flour

Greek yogurt provides creaminess with fewer calories.

mozzarella cheese

🥗Healthier: part-skim mozzarella

💰Cheaper: provolone cheese

Part-skim mozzarella has less fat while maintaining texture.

Combine half a pound of ground sirloin, half a pound of pork sausage, and prosciutto in a bowl and shape them into five or six large shaggy meatballs.

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until hot.

Brown the meatballs for about one minute on each side in batches, ensuring not to overcrowd the pan.

Set the meatballs aside and reduce the heat.

Add chopped onion and salt to the pot and cook until translucent, about five to seven minutes.

Add garlic, fresh thyme, fresh oregano, red pepper flakes, and crushed fennel seeds; sauté until fragrant.

Stir in tomato paste and cook until it turns a dark red color, about three to four minutes.

Deglaze the pan with red wine and cook until almost all moisture evaporates.

Add whole San Marzano tomatoes and passata to the pot along with a whole carrot and butter; bring to a boil.

Add the meatballs back to the pot and two teaspoons of salt; cover and reduce to a simmer for about 1.5 to 2 hours.

After the sauce thickens, discard the carrot and crush the meatballs into small pieces with a potato masher.

Season the sauce to taste and add fresh basil leaves, hand torn.

To make the bechamel sauce, melt butter in a pot until it foams, then add flour and cook until no lumps remain, about three minutes.

Slowly whisk in milk until evenly incorporated, then add salt, garlic powder, and nutmeg; whisk until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Turn off the heat and stir in grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese.

Soak oven-ready lasagna noodles in hot water and olive oil for about five to ten minutes until slightly softened.

Grease a baking dish that is at least three inches deep.

Layer meat sauce at the bottom of the dish to prevent noodles from sticking.

Add a layer of noodles, followed by an even layer of bechamel, then a second layer of meat sauce, and sprinkle with fontina and mozzarella cheese.

Add another layer of noodles in the opposite direction, followed by another layer of bechamel.

Repeat this process to create four more layers, finishing with a layer of noodles on top.

Top with one more cup of bechamel, dollop more meat sauce, scatter remaining fontina, and add fresh mozzarella on top.

Sprinkle grated Parmesan on top and cover with foil coated with nonstick spray.

Bake the lasagna for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 25 to 30 minutes until the cheese is bubbling.

Let the lasagna cool for 20 minutes before serving.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens