If you do some research on the history of lasagna, you will probably feel very confused. Although it is widely considered to be an Italian staple, Greece and England also claim to have invented this popular pasta dish. I believe that it is so widely loved throughout the world, that everyone wants to be the one in charge of bringing this beautiful dish into existence. Whoever developed it, my appreciation goes out to you.
While most lasagna recipes use a layer of either ricotta or a béchamel, I do not include this. I love both on their own, but I find that many people who claim to not like lasagne, list this layer as the reason. My lasagna is simple. A flavorful beef ragù layered with noodles and lots of cheese. You will be hard pressed to find someone who wouldn’t like that! It also cuts down on assembly time and as long as you have enough cheese in your refrigerator, you may have what you need to make this tonight! It stores and reheats easily and can feed a crowd for a fairly low cost. Plus, July 29th is National Lasagna Day, so if you want to celebrate correctly, start practicing this now and by July, you will be a pro. Lets get this started…
To get started, add 2 lbs of ground beef into a large skillet and season with 2 tablespoons of onion salt, 2 tablespoons of garlic salt, 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning and 2 tablespoons of garlic flakes. Break the meat up into small chunks and mix until the seasoning is evenly incorporated throughout the meat. Cook over medium heat until the meat is cooked through and it begins to brown. If you have any liquid fat left over, drain it from the meat. To the browned meat, add 1 large garlic clove, either crushed or very finely diced, and 40 oz of crushed tomatoes. Simmer over medium low.
Fill a large deep pan with enough water to cover lasagna noodles whole and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, add several large pinches of salt to the water and submerge the lasagna noodles. Check your noodles after boiling for about 12 minutes (or according to the directions on the packaging). Once the noodles are cooked, remove the pan from the heat, but do not drain the noodles. I set my pan in my kitchen sink and set a mesh strainer next to the pan. I use tongs to pull out one or two noodles at a time, as I need them. Now that the meat is done and the noodles are cooked, we can begin building the lasagna…
Begin by adding a bit of the ragù to the bottom of the pan. This will help the lasagna easily release after baking.
Next, add a layer of lasagna noodles. If you are using a smaller pan, cut each noodle to fit within the dimensions of your pan. Add a big handful of shredded cheese and another layer of ragù.
Add 1/2 cup of parmesan sprinkled evenly over the ragù and then continue layering. Pasta, cheese, ragù, pasta…
The final layer should be cheese covering the entire surface of the pan. I add some finely chopped parsley into some of my shredded cheese and add this to a middle layer as I go and here on the top layer. It tastes fresh and looks pretty, so why not?
Bake the lasagna at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. You should see some of the ragù bubbling up in the corners and the cheese should get a bit browned around the edges. Allow it to cool on a cutting board or cooling rack for 15 minutes before cutting into it. This allows the sauce to set up and your slices won’t fall apart when you cut them.
Just a little heads up, the corner pieces are the best, so claim one for yourself early on. You can cover the pan with plastic wrap and store the leftovers in the refrigerator for several days. To reheat, just bake uncovered at 375 degrees until it is warmed through, usually about 20-25 minutes. This lasagna is loved by everyone. As you can see, I do not add a ricotta or béchamel layer and that is typically what narrows down who likes lasagna and who doesn’t. This is just a good beef ragù, lots of cheese and pasta. Who wouldn’t love that?
Lasagna
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 tablespoons garlic flakes
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large clove of garlic
- 40 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 16 ounces lasagna noodles
- 16 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
- 16 ounces mozzarella, shredded
- 1/2 cup parmesan, grated
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
- Add a splash of olive oil to a large skillet and place over medium heat
- Add 2 lbs of ground beef and the seasoning to the skillet. Break up the meat and mix the seasoning until it is well incorporated and evenly spread throughout the meat
- Continue cooking, until the meat is cooked through and begins to brown
- Drain liquid fat from the skillet and return it to heat
- Add 1 garlic clove (crushed or finely diced) and 40oz of crushed tomatoes to the browned meat and simmer over medium low heat until the pasta is cooked
- Fill a deep pan with enough water to fully submerge the lasagna noodles whole and bring to a boil
- Add several large pinches of salt to the boiling water with the lasagna noodles and boil the noodles for 12 minutes
- Once the noodles are cooked through, remove from heat, but do not drain
- Begin layering the ingredients into a 9"x13" lasagna pan starting with a layer of ragù, then noodles, then cheese and back to ragù
- Add 1/2 cup of parmesan to a middle layer
- Finish with a layer of shredded cheese that completely covers the top of the pan
- Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes
- Allow to cool and set up for 15 minutes before cutting into slices
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator and reheat at 375 until warmed through
