Main Dishesculinaryhill5.0
Make Ahead Lasagna
This Make Ahead Lasagna layers rich meat sauce, creamy ricotta filling, tender noodles, and plenty of cheese into a classic baked pasta dish that’s perfect for family dinners or feeding a crowd.
👥 12 Servings⏱️ Prep & Cook: 6h 30m⏳ Prep: 15 min🔥 Cook: 1h 15m👤 Meggan Hill📖 culinaryhill
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- ●saucepan
- ●dutch oven
- ●oven
- ●bowl
- ●baking dish
📝 Preparation Steps
1
To make the meat sauce:
2
In a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add beef (or sausage) and onion, and cook until mostly browned, about ⏱️ 5 minutes. Drain if desired. Stir in garlic until fragrant, about ⏱️ 30 seconds.
ground beef1 pound
3
Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar, basil, Italian seasoning, and fennel seeds. Simmer uncovered for ⏱️ 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper). You should have about 2 quarts of sauce.
crushed tomatoes1 (28-ounce) cantomato sauce1 (15-ounce) cantomato paste1 (6-ounce) canItalian seasoning (see note 1)1 teaspoonfennel seeds1 teaspoonteaspoon salt1/2
4
To make the cheese filling:
5
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, parsley, and salt. Chill until the sauce is finished.
egg1dried parsley2 teaspoonsminced fresh parsley for garnish
6
To assemble and bake the lasagna:
7
In the bottom of a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish, spread 2 cups of meat sauce. Arrange a single layer of uncooked noodles over the meat sauce (I sometimes do 3 full-size noodles lengthwise and then a partial noodle crosswise). Spread with a heaping 2/3 cup of the ricotta mixture. Top with about 1 1/2 cups (5 ounces) of mozzarella. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese.
8
Spoon 2 cups meat sauce over the cheese. Make another layer of noodles, ricotta mixture (heaping 2/3 cup), mozzarella (1 1/2 cups) and Parmesan (1/3 cup). Repeat layers 1 more time, for a total of 3 layers.
9
Spray a large piece of foil with nonstick spray and cover baking dish. Refrigerate at least ⏱️ 5 hours or overnight.
10
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake, covered with foil, for ⏱️ 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake until hot and bubbly, about ⏱️ 25 minutes longer. Cool ⏱️ 5 minutes, then garnish with parsley before serving if desired.
dried parsley2 teaspoonsminced fresh parsley for garnish
Nutrition Facts
calories
498 kcal
fat Content
27 g
serving Size
1 slice
fiber Content
2 g
sugar Content
4 g
sodium Content
528 mg
protein Content
30 g
cholesterol Content
105 mg
carbohydrate Content
33 g
saturated Fat Content
12 g
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