This lasagna is hearty, robust and the sauce + ricotta mixture provides amazing flavor. Most of the time devoted to this recipe goes to the sauce: it is phenomenal and well worth it. We make this on a weekend day and look forward to having leftovers all week.
The Best Marinara Sauce
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Prep Time:
10m
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Cook Time:
1h 30m
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Total Time:
1h 40m
Ingredients
- 1/2 Red onion, minced
- 2 Garlic cloves, minced
- 28 oz Crushed tomatoes (1 can)
- 12 oz Tomato paste (2 cans)
- 13 oz Tomato sauce (almost 2 cans)
- 1/2 c Water
- 1 tsp. Parsley, dried (2 tsp if using fresh)
- 1 1/2 tsp. Basil, dried
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning blend
- 2 tbsp. Sugar, white granulated
- 1 tbsp. Salt
- 1/4 tsp. Black pepper, ground
Instructions
- In a large sauce pan, heat olive oil and cook onion at medium heat until softened and translucent. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water.
- Season with sugar, basil, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and parsley. Stir to combine.
- Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 20-30 mins.
The Best Lasagna
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Prep Time:
40m
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Cook Time:
2h 30m
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Total Time:
3h 15m
Ingredients
Ricotta Filling
- 12 oz Ricotta cheese (we use whole milk)
- 1 Egg
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Parsley, dried (2 tsp if using fresh)
Lasagna
- 12 Lasagna noodles
- 12 oz Mozzarella cheese (shredded or sliced)
- 1/2 c Parmesan
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water according to the packaging for al dente.
- Drain noodles, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking, and drizzle with olive oil to keep them from getting stuck together.
- In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, parsley, and salt.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Assemble the lasagna by covering the bottom of a 8x8" baking dish with a layer of marinara sauce. Arrange 3-4 noodles evenly over the sauce to make a layer (however many fit evenly). Spread 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles, and sprinkle 1/3 of the mozzarella. Add another layer of noodles, topped with sauce. Continue to stack and alternate cheeses / sauce until you run out of noodles. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
- Cover with foil (make sure it doesn't touch the cheese; if there's a risk, spray it with cooking spray).
- Bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes.
- Cool for 15 minutes before serving.
