Classic Lasagna Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is traditional lasagna made of? ›

The ingredients required are the lasagna noodles or pasta sheets, tomato sauce made from scratch, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, Italian sausage, ground beef, herbs like basil, oregano, and thyme, and garlic.

While ricotta is included in certain varieties of lasagna in Italy, the style that serves as the primary inspiration for American recipes is the one from the region of Emilia Romagna. There, it's traditionally layered with pasta, bolognese, and béchamel—with no ricotta to be found.

Begin Layering

After the initial sauce layer, add a layer of pasta sheets, ricotta mixture (or bechamel), sauce, and cheese. Then repeat the layers. Top the last layer of your lasagna with sauce and cheese. You can also alternate layers of sauce and ricotta cheese.

Home Cook World claims that the typical lasagna should have between three and five layers, but the proper number depends more on pan size. You don't want your lasagna to look flat or shallow in a large pan, and in this case, its best to prepare to come closer to five layers rather than three.

In case you were wondering: traditional American lasagna uses ricotta cheese and meat sauce as the filling for each layer, while classic Italian lasagna bolognese uses meat sauce and bechamel instead.

In southern Italy lasagna is generally made with dried sheets of pasta layered with rich meat ragú, ricotta and mozzarella. In the north, especially in Bologna, the most popular version of lasagna features fresh egg pasta colored green with spinach and layered with ragú, bechamel and Parmigiano Reggiano.

I like using béchamel sauce instead of ricotta because it holds the mouthwatering lasagna layers together and gives the dish an overall creamy texture. Using béchamel is also the authentic Italian way to make lasagna.

For extra creamy ricotta, add in an extra egg, a handful of grated parmesan, and a quarter cup of shredded mozzarella. Eggs help prevent the ricotta from drying out and serve to bind the ricotta so it doesn't become runny.

The key to creating the absolute best lasagna is to use a combination of ricotta and cottage cheese. Ricotta brings the rich creaminess while cottage cheese lightens things up and seasons the whole dish. For even more cheese, we recommend also using shredded Mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese (or Pecorino Romano).

In an oven preheated to 375 degrees F, this homemade lasagna should be perfectly baked in about 50 minutes (30-40 minutes covered, 5-10 minutes uncovered).

Should you criss cross lasagna noodles? ›

(Do notice that I put the noodles criss cross – perpendicular from the layer below – it helps it to hold together when you serve it). So, the noodles directly on the cheese means there won't be enough for a top layer of noodles.

Cover the lasagna with foil and place in the oven. Cook the lasagna for about 20 minutes until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees (remove the foil if you wish to brown the top) Meanwhile, heat the meat or marinara sauce in a small pan on the stovetop until 165 degrees.

Finish off your lasagne either with a layer of tomato-based sauce or with your white sauce – whichever you have left – and then grate over plenty of Parmigiano-Reggiano. A common extra topping is torn mozzarella, which makes a lovely, melted cheesy layer on top.

The Final Layer

Top the middle layers with a final layer of pasta. Spread it with more sauce, and sprinkle it evenly with shredded cheese. I like to use a mix of shredded mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese here. Lasagna = layered!

We may never know the exact person who created lasagna. In fact, this dish was not named after an individual, but after a fermented noodle called laganon that was frequently used in ancient Greece where lasagna originated. In the beginning, lasagna was sprinkled with toppings, and eaten with a pointed stick.

Does traditional lasagna have béchamel or ricotta? The components of a traditional lasagna vary depending on who you ask. It appears that béchamel sauce was used in northern Italy, and ricotta in the South. In the U.S., versions that use ricotta are preeminent.

The most famous version of lasagne, commonly known as lasagne “al forno”, or “alla bolognese” contains meat and tomato sauce (ragù) and bechamel sauce, with parmigiano, or grana padano cheese, sprinkled between the layers with some butter.

Italian-born restaurateur Salvatore Esposito explained to The Post that lasagna was adapted to better suit American taste buds, ultimately simplifying the recipe. Using ricotta, or even cottage cheese, puréed in the food processor was a lot more "American" than carefully laboring over a béchamel sauce.