Classic beef lasagna
Layers of tender noodles, a slow-simmered meat sauce, creamy ricotta and plenty of melted mozzarella, the real-deal lasagna.
- 120 min total
- 50 min hands-on
- A little more hands-on
- Serves 8
- About $3.05 a serving
- 660 calories
- Good the next day
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 8 servings.
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1½ lb 85/15 ground beef
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can crushed tomatoes
- 1 can tomato sauce
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 15 oz ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup grated parmesan, divided
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella
From your pantry
- 1½ tbsp salt, divided
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp dried parsley flakes
Each serving has about 660 calories, 43 g protein, 44 g carbs and 34 g fat, and costs about $3.05 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No 85/15 ground beef? 90/10 ground beef works.
- No crushed tomatoes? Diced tomatoes work.
- No ricotta cheese? Cottage cheese works.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
- No shredded mozzarella? Provolone slices work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 375°F. Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon salt, and set it on high to come .
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Heat the oil in a large, deep over medium, add the onion, and cook 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min
Turn the heat to medium-high, add the beef, and cook 7 to 8 minutes, breaking it up, until no pink is left. Spoon off any pool of fat.
Medium-high heatTimer: 7 min 30 sec
Food safety: Ground beef, pork and lamb are done at 160°F. When it’s cooked through there’s no pink left anywhere in the pan.
Stir in the garlic and tomato paste for 1 minute, then add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, sugar, pepper and 1 teaspoon salt. Turn the heat to low and 15 minutes.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
While the sauce , cook the noodles in the boiling water 2 minutes less than the package says, , and lay them flat on a sheet of foil.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
High heat
Dolly’s tip: Laid flat, they can’t glue themselves together while they wait.Stir the ricotta, egg, ½ cup parmesan, parsley and ½ teaspoon salt together in a bowl.
Spread 1 cup of sauce in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Add 3 noodles, a third of the ricotta, 1 cup of sauce and ¾ cup mozzarella.
Dolly’s tip: Drop the ricotta in small spoonfuls, then nudge them together. Spreading it hard tears the noodles.Repeat those layers twice more. Finish with the last 3 noodles, the rest of the sauce, the remaining mozzarella and ¼ cup parmesan.
Cover with foil and 25 minutes, then uncover and bake 20 to 25 minutes more, until bubbling and browned in spots.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Timer: 45 min
Let it 15 minutes before you cut it, so the layers hold together.
Rest. Resting means letting cooked meat sit for a few minutes before you cut it. It keeps cooking gently, and more of the juice stays in the meat instead of running onto the board.
How you’ll know: Loosely covered with foil, it stays hot, and very little juice runs out when you slice it.
Timer: 15 min
Dolly’s tip: Cut it straight away and it slides apart. The wait is worth it.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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