The Elephant's Trunk

Since publishing my story Honeysuckle and Provolone, I have received a few requests for my lasagna recipe. I’m happy to share a great Italian dish which I’m sure will become a favorite of yours. I’ve been making lasagna for more than 50 years and I have a few tricks that will prevent major headaches for anyone who is making lasagna for the first time.

The most difficult part about preparing lasagna is handling the boiled pasta sheets; they can be delicate and I always suggest cooking them al dente as they will continue to cook while in the oven. I know some people who prefer to skip the boiling step altogether since the sheets will cook and soften up in the tomato sauce while baking.

Another option is to place the lasagna sheets in a pan, cover with boiling water and let them sit for 30 minutes before rinsing in cold water. The people at Barilla make traditional lasagna sheets as well as ones that are oven-ready and do not require boiling; I have never tried making lasagna without first boiling the pasta sheets so I’m not an authority on the oven-ready method. However, I do know enough about cooking to know that the pasta will soften up sufficiently while baking as long as you use enough tomato sauce to cover it entirely.

I prefer to use Barilla pasta; I believe it is a superior product – lighter and tastier than other brands. That’s just my preference; please use whichever brand you like.

If you’re making a traditional lasagna and boiling the pasta first, it’s very important to use a BIG pot. The lasagna sheets are long and wide and need plenty of room to move around in the water; I prefer to cook six sheets at a time for less crowding in the pot. Also, it’s extremely helpful to add a splash of oil to the pasta water; this will keep the lasagna sheets from sticking together. Once lasagna sheets get stuck together, it’s extremely difficult to separate them without tearing. A little oil in the cooking water will prevent a big sticky problem. Boil the lasagna sheets for the amount of time indicated in the cooking directions on the box. And don’t forget to salt the cooking water.

Boiled lasagna sheets should be rinsed and separated in a colander under cold water immediately after cooking and kept in a pot or plastic tub of cold water while the meat is cooking and the cheese filling is being prepared. Just as you would use an ice bath to stop vegetables from overcooking and to retain their color, use a cold water bath for the cooked lasagna sheets.

Here’s another trick a lot of cooks ignore. When assembling lasagna in a baking pan, the direction of the lasagna sheets should be alternated every other layer. The first layer of pasta should be placed lengthwise in the baking pan with the edges slightly overlapping; the next layer should be placed widthwise in the pan. Since the width of a standard lasagna pan is shorter than the length, the lasagna sheets will need to be trimmed to fit the pan. This is easy to do with standard kitchen scissors. Alternating the layers will make for a firmer lasagna that will not fall apart when cut into; this is the best assembly method to use regardless of the size of the pan and you will always have neatly cut squares of lasagna.

Here is an image of layering lasagna sheets; there’s no sauce or other ingredients in this image so you can clearly see what I mean by alternating the layers:

This may seem like a lot of information but don’t let it scare you; it’s basic reference info only. If you refer to it as you cook, you shouldn’t have any problems.

Now, let’s take a look at the ingredients:

1 lb sweet Italian sausage
1 lb ground chuck 80/20
½ cup diced onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
28oz can crushed tomatoes (+see below)
12oz can tomato paste (+see below)
15oz can tomato sauce (+see below)
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ cup freshly chopped basil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (*see below)
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
12 lasagna pasta sheets
15oz whole milk ricotta cheese
1 lb whole milk mozzarella, shredded (reserve a handful to sprinkle on top layer of lasagna)
½ cup grated Romano cheese (reserve a handful to sprinkle on top layer of lasagna)
½ cup grated parmigiano cheese (reserve a handful to sprinkle on top layer of lasagna)
1 large egg
dash nutmeg

+ I am not a fan of tomato sauce in a jar. My mother taught me to make her tomato sauce and that is the only one I use. On a day when I have nothing to do, I’ll whip up a few batches, portion it out into Tupperware and freeze it. It’s nice to know it’s there whenever I need it; however, canned tomatoes for this recipe are fine.

* Using a store-bought mixed jar of Italian seasoning is perfectly fine but you might want to try making your own. Combine 2 tablespoons each of dried basil, cilantro, marjoram, oregano, parsley, red pepper flakes, rosemary and thyme. Store in a tightly sealed spice jar. Using store-bought Italian seasoning for this recipe is fine.

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

This recipe makes a large pan of lasagna.
I use a deep dish Pyrex lasagna pan or a deep 9×13” baking pan.

1. In a large saucepan, cook the sausage, ground beef, onion and garlic until cooked through. Drain the fat..
2. To the cooked meat add the tomatoes, paste, sauce, water, sugar, basil, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and parsley. Stir well.
3. Simmer, covered, over low heat for 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally.
4. While meat is cooking, boil the lasagna sheets; drain and keep cool in cold water.
5. In a medium bowl mix together all the cheeses, egg and nutmeg

LET’S PUT OUR LASAGNA TOGETHER!
(I suggest reading through before starting)

1. Heat oven to 350ºF.
2. Lightly cover the bottom of a 9×13″ lasagna pan with a small amount of meat sauce.
3. Lay 4 lasagna sheets lengthwise over meat sauce; overlap edges slightly.
4. Spoon approximately ¼ of cheese mixture over lasagna sheets and spread to cover.
5. Spread 1/2 cup of meat sauce – or enough to cover the cheese mixture.
6. Cover meat sauce with 4 lasagna sheets widthwise, cutting to fit pan.
7. Continue layering cheese mixture, meat sauce and lasagna sheets, alternating the direction of the sheets, until all ingredients are used. Reserve some meat sauce for the top layer. Top lasagna with meat sauce and sprinkle with grated cheese and mozzarella.
8. Cover pan with with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes; remove foil and bake an additional 30 minutes uncovered.
9. Allow the lasagna to cool for 15 minute before slicing.
10. Serve with a side salad and warm Italian bread.

That’s all there is to it! You’ve made lasagna! 👩🏼‍🍳

It’s been a pleasure sharing with you the recipe for one of the most popular Italian dishes. There are many different variations of lasagna – meatless, wholegrain, vegetable, béchamel, kosher, etc; don’t be afraid to experiment and make whatever changes you like. Google is a chef’s great friend! If you’re not a fan of sausage, this recipe can be made using all ground beef.

More important that anything – enjoy your cooking experience. Cooking should be a joy – not a chore. To that end, I’ve added a full concert video by Il Volo to accompany you while you cook.

Happy cooking and eating! Buon appetito!

NAR © 2023