Lasagna

Who doesn't love lasagna? I make a classic version with ricotta, mozzarella, and homemade sauce. I'm able to get local, fresh ricotta at the Whole Foods here, which I think makes a difference in taste and texture. It's definitely more creamy and less cottage cheesy. I made my own meatball-based meat sauce for this recipe. By meatball-based, I mean I prepped the ground meat the same as I would if I made meatballs, but instead browned the whole batch and made sauce. I think it makes for extra flavorful lasagna without being too greasy like sausage can. This is definitely not diet food, but it's great for leftovers.

HOW TO:

Sauté diced onion and garlic until softened in a large pot. Remove half and add to ground beef, pork, and veal in a separate mixing bowl. Add grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, soaked bread or bread crumbs, fresh chopped parsley, one egg, salt, and pepper. Mix until combined and set aside for at least half and hour to marinate. Add the meat mixture back into the pot with the onions and garlic and brown. Deglaze with a cup and a half or so of red wine. Pour in two jars or cans of good crushed tomatoes. (I use jarred to avoid BPA in cans.) Toss in a handful of ripped basil leaves. Simmer for at least 45 minutes.

To a pound-ish of ricotta, add chopped parsley and basil, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, one egg, salt, and pepper. Mix until well combined. Boil a box of lasagna noodles until slightly under-cooked. Remove and add a little olive oil to prevent them from sticking together. Now it's finally time for the fun part. Add some sauce to the bottom of a large baking dish. Layer noodles, ricotta, sauce, and shredded mozzarella until the pan can't hold anymore. Then top with one last layer of noodles and sauce. I added some basil leaves to the top of my lasagna because I love basil and I think it looks pretty, but it's a totally unnecessary step. Finish with mozzarella and parmesan. Bake for 45 minutes at 350ºF or 375º being careful not to burn the cheese. After removing from the oven, try really really hard to not eat it right away. It's better it sits for 20 or 30 minutes.