Grandma's Best Lasagna Recipe
Grandma's Best Lasagna is a very popular Italian dish, and it’s one of the easiest dishes to make. Grandma's Best Lasagna is a classic Italian dish made with ricotta, meat, and tomatoes.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ pound Ground beef chuck
- ½ pound Ground sirloin
- 4 teaspoons Minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon Dried oregano (crumbled)
- ¼ teaspoon Crushed red pepper
- 2 teaspoons Tomato paste
- Two 28-ounce cans of Italian peeled tomatoes (finely chopped), juices reserved
- One 28-ounce can of tomato puree
- 2 cups Chicken stock or low-sodium broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 thyme sprigs (tied together with kitchen string)
- Pinch of sugar
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds Sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
- 2 pounds Fresh ricotta
- ¼ cup Finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoons Finely chopped basil
- ½ cup Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 cups Packaged whole-milk mozzarella (shredded-1 pound)
- 1 large large egg (beaten)
- 12 dried lasagna noodles
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large cast-iron casserole until it shimmers. Using medium-high heat, cook the chuck and sirloin, breaking up the meat into large chunks, for a few minutes until no pink remains.
- Garlic, oregano, and crushed red pepper should be added and cooked until fragrant. Cook the meat with the tomato paste until it is coated. The tomatoes and their juice, the tomato puree, bay leaves, thyme, and sugar go into the pot with the chicken stock, bay leaves, and sugar.
- Add salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil. Stirring occasionally, simmer for about 1 1/2 hours until thickened and reduced to 8 cups. Removing the bay leaves and thyme sprigs before serving.
- In the meantime, heat a large skillet. Cook the sausage meat over moderate heat for approximately 10 minutes, until it is browned and heated through. Let it cool and break it into 1/2-inch pieces.
- Add the ricotta, parsley, basil, and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese to a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and add two-thirds of the shredded mozzarella. Beat the egg into the mixture.
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the lasagna noodles, stirring occasionally, until they are al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water. Between two layers of paper towels, dry the noodles.
- Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. In a glass baking dish 9 x 13 inches, spread 1 cup of the sauce. Layer 4 overlapping noodles in the dish. On top of the noodles, spread half of the ricotta mixture, then add half the sausage, 1 1/2 cups of sauce, and another 4 noodles.
- Continue layering with the remaining ricotta, sausage, and 1 1/2 cups of sauce. Place 4 noodles on top and cover with 1 1/2 cups of sauce. Over the lasagna, sprinkle the remaining 1 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan.
- Cook the lasagna for about 45 minutes, or until the top is golden and crisp around the edges. Let it rest for 30 minutes before serving.
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