Big Dish Lasagna
This lasagna recipe is my favorite, and is pretty simple to make. It has all your favorite ingredients layered together: beef marinara sauce; ricotta, parsley, and Parmesan cheese spread; mozzarella cheese and noodles. I love the addition of parsley sprinkled on top, to give it a fresh, herby kick, too.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 lb ground beef
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning (or more)
- 6 clove garlic (minced)
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 14 oz tomato sauce
- Fresh thyme and rosemary
- 16 oz ricotta (whole-fat)
- 1 egg
- 1 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (shredded)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 box lasagna noodles (regular or oven-ready)
- 8 oz bag shredded mozzarella cheese
- Fresh parsley (for garnish)
- Shredded Parmesan (for finishing)
Add olive oil and heat in a heavy-bottom pot or large pan.
Cook the ground beef and season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning, and break up into small pieces. Then, remove from pan.
If needed, add more olive oil. Add onion and garlic to pan, and cook over medium heat until onion is translucent- but don't burn the garlic!
Add tomato paste, and cook out until a shade or two darker.
The paste may stick to the bottom of the pan, make sure it doesn't get too dark!Add the canned tomatoes and sauce, and 1 cup of water. Scrape up the fond, those browned bits, from the bottom of the pan.
Add in ground beef to sauce along with sprigs of fresh herbs, and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes to an hour.
In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, egg, chopped parsley, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper until combined. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grab a sheet pan and a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Remove herb sprigs from marinara sauce. Taste and adjust for seasonings.
- Spread a cup of sauce onto the bottom of the baking dish. Add a layer of noodles, and top with ricotta and Parmesan cheese mixture. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese atop, and then layer on the marinara sauce. Layer until you run out of ingredients.
Finish the top of the lasagna with a layer of mozzarella cheese, and cover with tin foil.
At this point, you can freeze the lasagna to bake later!Set baking dish atop sheet pan, to catch any drips, and bake for 1 to 1 and a half hours. Halfway through, remove the tin foil to melt and brown the top layer of cheese.
The lasagna is finished cooking when the top has browned, and the sauce is bubbling. Allow lasagna to cool slightly, and garnish with fresh parsley and more Parmesan cheese before serving.
I have tested this recipe with both regular noodles and oven-ready noodles-either works great!