American Lasagna

SUBMITTED BY: ETHELMERTZ PHOTO BY: happywife05

"Making this lasagna a day ahead and refrigerating overnight allows the spices to meld, and gives it exceptional flavor."

PREP TIME	30 Min
COOK TIME	1 Hr 30 Min
READY IN	2 Hrs

SERVINGS & SCALING

Original recipe yield: 8 servings

USMETRIC

About scaling and conversions

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 (29 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
12 dry lasagna noodles
2 eggs, beaten
1 pint part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

READ REVIEWS (1,323)

DIRECTIONS

In a skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef, onion and garlic; drain fat. Mix in basil, oregano, brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles, and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, or until al dente; drain. Lay noodles flat on towels, and blot dry.
In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, parsley and 1 teaspoon salt.
Layer 1/3 of the lasagna noodles in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover noodles with 1/2 ricotta mixture, 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese and 1/3 of the sauce. Repeat. Top with remaining noodles and sauce. Sprinkle additional Parmesan cheese over the top.
Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Wine Tip

Try with an Italian red like Barbera or Chianti Classico.

ADVERTISE WITH US

REVIEWS

MORE MEMBER REVIEWS

Reviewed on Jan. 4, 2004 by Katie's mom

Ok here's the scoop on any revision you might want to make! I've been making this lasagna for over a year and it is excellent... **You do need more sauce! Just add an extra 14 oz can of crushed or diced tomatoes and increase garlic, onions and other spices by a small amount as well. **2 Tbs of brown sugar is just right. **1&1/2 pound of hamburger is an awful lot, I've decreased it to 1/2 pound and that was plenty for this non-meat loving family! **I use 9x13 cake pan, and 12 lasagna noodles would fill it to overflowing! I've found 9 noodles (3 layers of 3 noodles each) to be enough. **30 minutes is no where near long enough to cook this thing! 20 minutes uncovered just to get it started, then 1 hour loosely covered with foil, then remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes is more like it! This recipe is very forgiving, and judging by all the comments, very flexible as well. Hope my comments help someone one else...

129 users found this review helpful

Reviewed on Feb. 1, 2004 by CELYNCH

I believe this is a great basic recipe. I made several modifications to fit my tastes (adding mushooms, increasing spices, using turkey instead of beef), but that versitility only increases the value of the recipe in my mind. Others have commented on the dryness and that concerned me a bit. I didn't find it dry at all and have a couple of observations that I didn't see in other reviews. First, the recipe isn't clear whether the tomatoes should be drained or not. Do NOT drain them, use the juice in the sauce. Second, use cooked noodles. Uncooked dry or fresh noodles (I used fresh) will absorb water from the sauce and make the finished product drier. I suspect the same is true of the oven ready product I have never used. Third, I did end up adding a half-cup of water to be sure, but this will depend on how you simmer and personal tastes. I think adding about this much red wine as some others suggest could add flavor and the needed moisture. I gave it only four stars because of the discrepancy on cooking times (it needs 1 1/2 hours, not 30 min) and not being clear on retaining the juice in the diced tomatoes. Otherwise, I think it's a great and very adaptable recipe. Thanks, Rosemary.

41 users found this review helpful

Reviewed on Jul. 24, 2006 by JOANNA_STEVENS

I have found my staple lasagna recipe! I used Italian sausage instead of ground beef, but I only used a pound, next time I will double it because I like lots of meat. I took the advice of another reviewer, and used 1/3 of the ricotta mixture on the top layer to keep the noodles from drying out, it worked beautifully. I used two 15 oz. containers of ricotta, and doubled the sauce as suggested by others. I doubled the garlic and added fresh ground pepper to the sauce, used a mixture of shredded mozzarella and shredded parmesan, and I only needed to use 9 lasagna noodles. I put it together the night before, baked it covered for 1 hour and uncovered for 20 minutes. If you do cover it during baking, make sure to use nonstick cooking spray on the foil, or the cheese will stick. It sliced perfectly, too. My husband said it was just as good as the lasagna his Italian stepfather makes, and he's been cooking for more than 50 years with recipes older than that! That was the best compliment I could have ever gotten! The next time we have people over, this is the dish I'm going to make. I served it with cheesy garlic bread, I only wish I'd had caesar salad to go along with it. I will make this again and again. Thank you, Rosemary! PS: A disposable pan will be your best friend in this recipe.

33 users found this review helpful

MORE MEMBER REVIEWS