Who doesn’t like lasagna? It is a classic recipe as evidenced by the many different kinds of lasagna: meat, vegetarian, vegetable (made with sliced vegetables in place of pasta), etc.
I like to keep my lasagna pretty classic: pasta, meat, cheese, and tomato basil sauce. This sauce doesn’t overshadow the meat and cheese.
Lasagna is Italian, so a song with Italian roots is a must. In fact, today’s song is partly in Italian. So take a listen to “Volare” sung by Dean Martin.
Lasagna Revisited
Ingredients
- 1½ teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 1 pound hot Italian sausage
- 1 pound ground beef sirloin
- 2½ jars (25 ounces each) tomato and basil pasta sauce
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups ricotta cheese, part-skim
- 2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 5 ounces fresh spinach, cooked down, blotted
- 1½ packages (16 ounces each) lasagna pasta noodles
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated, divided
Instructions
- In 12”x15” glass baking dish, spread 1 teaspoon olive oil over the bottom and sides. Set aside.
- In a large sauce pan, put 2 jars pasta sauce. Simmer over low heat.
- Cook sausage and ground sirloin in separate frying pans. Drain off any grease. Add to pasta sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes covered. Remove lid and simmer for 10 minutes longer. Set aside away from burner.
- In a large bowl, stir eggs with a fork. Add ricotta and Parmesan cheeses. Stir to combine. Add basil. Stir. Set aside.
- In a large frying pan over medium heat place spinach. Stir down as spinach cooks. Remove from pan onto a plate lined with 4 thicknesses of paper towel. Press liquid out of spinach. Repeat with fresh paper towel layers.
- Cut spinach into 1-inch segments. Press into a fresh layer of paper towels again. Separate spinach pieces from themselves and set aside.
- Cook lasagna noodles according to directions, subtracting 2 minutes from cooking time.
- Drain and rinse with cool water.
- Place four noodles going lengthwise, slightly overlapping the edges so you cannot see the bottom of the baking dish. Place a noodle at each short side of the baking dish overlapping the noodles in the middle and leaning up the sides of each end of the baking dish.
- Scoop half meat mixture onto the noodles. Gently spread with the back of a large spoon.
- Layer noodles the same as previously done—using 6 noodles total for each layer.
- Measure out 2 cups ricotta mixture onto noodles. Gently spread over noodles to the sides of the dish.
- Layer 6 noodles as previously done.
- Spread remaining meat mixture over noodles.
- Breaking spinach apart, put small chunks on the meat mixture.
- Layer 6 noodles as previously done.
- Add to remaining ricotta mixture, 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Stir.
- Spread gently over noodles.
- Layer 6 noodles as previously done.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Rip two pieces of aluminum foil long enough to completely cover the baking dish and cinch over the ends. Spread remaining half-teaspoon olive oil over one piece of foil. Put this piece on first. Add the second piece sealing the edges securely.
- Bake for 35 minutes covered.
- Remove from oven. Remove foil.
- Tuck edges of noodles down the sides of the baking dish. Pour half jar pasta sauce over noodles just enough to make a thin coating.
- Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese over the top of the noodles coated with sauce.
- Bake uncovered for 15 minutes longer.
- Remove from oven. Loosely cover with foil greased with olive oil. Let lasagna stand for 10 minutes before serving.
