More pasta? Don't mind if I do! Lasagna is one of the most classic Italian pastas that you'll find in any restaurant. The beautifully layered dish has every flavor you could possibly love! Using three delicious cheeses, and a homemade tomato meat sauce, I have created a very traditional version of this meal! Every bite has a rich and unique flavor that come together as one!
Dried Parsley on top adds beautiful color to the dish and a touch of flavor as well!
The broiled cheese on top gives a nice and slight crispiness to the lasagna!
Lasagna is such a delicious Italian pasta, but I don't have it often because of how heavy it can be! It can be packed with some hefty ingredients, but I tried to eliminate that by tweaking a few things in my recipe. I decided to make my own sauce, and use lighter cheeses to work with. I also only gave this lasagna two main layers instead of three!
You can buy ready made sauce from your local grocery store, but I suggest setting some time to the side to make this amazing and delicious sauce! It really gives depth to the flavors of the lasagna and you know exactly what is going into it! Once everything comes together, it'll be all worth it just for a bite of this amazing meal!
Prep Time: 15 minutes Serves: 6 People
Cook Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours, and 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Yellow Onion, chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 lb. Lean Ground Beef
14.5 oz. of Canned Diced Tomatoes, with juice
30 oz. Canned Tomato Sauce
1 cup Water
2-3 Bay Leaves
1 1/2 tsp. Oregano
1 1/2 tsp. Basil
1 1/2 tsp. Provence Seasoning
2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
2 tsp. Sugar
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
2 cups Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
1 tsp. Basil
1 tsp. Dried Parsley
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
1 Box (16oz) Lasagna
1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
Add in the onions and stir. Allow to cook for 5 minutes, until they become transparent.
Stir in the garlic and ground beef. Continue to break up the ground beef as it cooks, to get it into really fine pieces.
Once the beef is fully cooked, with no trace of pink, add in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and water. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add in the bay leaves, oregano, basil, Provence seasoning, salt, black pepper, and sugar.
Stir and allow the sauce to come to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for another hour, uncovered, until the sauce becomes thick.
In the meantime, mix the mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, and ricotta cheese in a medium bowl. Add in the basil, parsley, salt, and black pepper and combine evenly.
Refrigerate until ready to use.
For the pasta, boil it as shown on the box. However, since we are going to bake it, only cook the pasta for about 2/3 of the time suggested on the box (7 instead of 10 minutes).
Once the sauce, cheese, and pasta are complete, it's time to assemble the dish.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
On the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13 glass dish, add a thin layer of the meat sauce.
On top of that, add one layer of the pasta (using 5-6 lasagna noodles).
On top of the pasta, add half of the cheese mixture and spread evenly.
Add about 1/3 of what is left of the sauce on top of the cheese.
Repeat steps 13, 14, and 15.
Once you have 2 of each layer, you are going to top it all off with a final layer of lasagna noodles.
Spread the rest of the tomato sauce onto the lasagna. Top that with 1/2 cup of Mozzarella cheese.
Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.
In the last 10 minutes of the dish baking, broil the lasagna, uncovered, on low.
Serve and Enjoy!
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