Simple Lasagna with Hearty Tomato Meat Sauce
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Why I Love This Recipe
This is a Cook's Illustrated recipe, so it's no wonder this is just about perfect. There is a rhyme and reason for everything in this recipe, so don't mess with it, just enjoy it.
Ingredients You'll Need
Tomato Meat Sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound meatloaf mix
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 (28 ounce) can tomato puree
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
Cheese Filling:
14 ounces (1 3/4 cup) ricotta cheese
2 1/2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 1/4 cups)
1/2 cup chopped basil
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
16 ounces whole-milk mozzarella, shredded (4 cups)
12 no-boil lasagna noodles
Directions
Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in meatloaf mix, salt and pepper, increase heat to medium-high, and cook, breaking up any large pieces with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Add cream, bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates and only rendered fat remins, about 4 minutes. Stir in tomato puree and diced tomatoes, bring to a simmer, and cook until flavors meld, about 3 minutes. Set aside. (Sauce can be cooked and refrigerated for up to 2 days; reheat before assembling lasagna.)
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan, basil, egg, salt and pepper in bowl.
Spread 1/4 cup meat sauce evenly over bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking dish (avoiding larger chunks of meat). Arrange 3 noodles in a single layer on top of sauce. Spread each noodle evenly with 3 tablespoons of ricotta mixture and sprinkle entire layer with 1 cup of mozzarella. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over top. Repeat layering of noodles, ricotta, mozzarella and sauce 2 more times. For final layer, arrange remaining 3 noodles on top and cover completely with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella, then sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.
Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil that has been sprayed with vegetable oil spray. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove foil, and continue to bake until cheese is spotty brown and edges are just bubbling, about 25 minutes longer. Cool lasagna for 15 minutes before serving.
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