Lasagna Recipe
- cook TIME 1 hr 5 mins
- prep TIME 10 mins
- total TIME 1 hr 30 mins
- INACTIVE TIME 15 mins
Ingredients (24)
- 10 oz 97% lean ground beef
- 6 lasagna sheets
- 6 cups water to cook the lasagna
- 4 oz tomatoes deseeded and finely chopped
- 3 oz onions diced
- 3 oz bell pepper deseeded, diced
- 0.5 oz Hunt's tomato paste about ½ tbsp
- 2 oz carrots finely diced
- 1 1/4 cup homemade tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cup whole milk
- 0.5 oz parmesan cheese grated
- 1 oz mozzarella cheese shredded
- 3 tsp garlic minced
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp oregano dried
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt divided
- 2 tbsp parsley finely chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
Boil the lasagna: In a large pot or deep pan, fill it with water and bring to a boil. Add 6 lasagna sheets and cook for half the time on the packet. (Ours cooked for 4 minutes.) Once finished, drain the lasagna but don’t throw away the pasta water. Preserve 1 1/2 cup of this water to make the bolognese sauce.
Sauté the beef: In a dry medium saucepan, add 10 oz ground beef and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Cook the seasonings: In the same saucepan, add 3 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, 0.5 oz tomato paste. Stir for 1 minute to “wake” the spices.
Sauté the vegetables: Add the 3 oz onions, 3 oz bell peppers, 2 oz carrots, and 4 oz chopped tomatoes to the saucepan. Continue cooking over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Deglaze the pan: Add 1/4 cup red wine, 1 1/4 cup tomato sauce, 1 1/2 tsp sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt. Stir and scrape the bottom of the saucepan.
Cook the bolognese: Add the preserved 1 1/2 cup pasta water to the saucepan. Turn up the heat to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes or until half of the water is reduced. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Make the white sauce (bechamel sauce): In a clean, small saucepan, add 2 tbsp unsalted butter and 2 tbsp flour. Whisk until the flour is dissolved. Continue to add 1 3/4 cup milk while whisking. Whisk constantly until the sauce thickens. Add the remaining 1/4 tsp salt and stir to combine. Turn off the heat and set aside.
Assemble the lasagna: In a deep baking dish, spread a spoonful of the bolognese into the bottom of the dish. Continue to layer with the white sauce, lasagna sheet, another layer of bolognese, and finish it off with the white sauce.
Bake the lasagna: Wrap the top of the lasagna with aluminum foil and bake in the middle of a preheated oven at 375°F for 20 minutes.
Add the cheese: Add 0.5 oz grated parmesan cheese and 1 oz shredded mozzarella on top of the lasagna. Bake again for 10 minutes at 425°F on the top rack.
Serve: Remove the lasagna from the oven. Allow to cool at least 15 minutes before cutting into the lasagna. Transfer to serving plates, garnish with chopped parsley, and serve.
