I love to make this classic Italian lasagna recipe for our Sunday family dinner. It’s a hearty meal and is especially good on a cold weekend evening. Paired with a Caprese salad and a good loaf of Italian bread, you’re sure to have friends and family asking for more.
Here’s how to make the Classic Italian Lasagna Recipe
The ingredients you’ll need:
- 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 12 ounces of lasagna noodles. I use the no-cook noodles, and it turns out just as good as when I boil the noodles ahead of time. You’ll need about 14 to 15 noodles.
- 1 pound of ground chuck
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups marinara sauce. I like to use a good homemade marinara sauce, or you can purchase Italian marinara at the store
- 2 cups Béchamel sauce which I’ll give you the ingredients for next
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 12 ounces of chopped fresh spinach. I either use a fresh bunch or two or purchase a pre-washed and bagged spinach. You can use frozen if you drain and squeeze all of the water out of the spinach before adding it to the lasagna
- 3 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
Ingredients for Béchamel sauce:
- 5 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups of warm whole milk (I think it mixes with the butter and flour better if you warm it up first)
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt or to taste
- a dash of white pepper
- a dash of fresh ground nutmeg (or you can use store-bought)
I usually brown the ground chuck and make the Béchamel sauce first, so here’s the recipe for the Béchamel as I think you probably know how to brown ground chuck.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
Add the flour and using a whisk, combine them until it’s a smooth consistency, and cook for about 2 minutes. Make sure you whisk or stir as you can overcook it.
Next, Gradually pour the warm milk into the saucepan, constantly whisking so that you don’t end up with lumps of the flour mixture. Simmer over medium heat, constantly whisking, until the sauce becomes thick and creamy. Many recipes say that this takes about 10 minutes, and maybe on a gas stove it does, but on an electric stove, whisking seems to take forever. Be patient. It will thicken and become creamy. You can make this a day or two in advance if you want. Just cover and refrigerate.
Okay, now it’s time to put it all together:
If you aren’t using no-cook noodles, then now’s the time to boil the water and cook them until almost al dente, about 6 minutes. I usually put a little vegetable oil in the water, so the noodles don’t stick. Most often, for pasta, I don’t, but for these large noodles, I do.
In a large saute pan, heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat, and then add the ground chuck and a little salt and pepper. Break up any large chunks as you want smaller pieces of meat. Drain any excess liquid or fat and then let it cool.
You’ll want to preheat your oven to 375 degrees F and position the rack in the center of the oven.
In a medium bowl, combine the Béchamel sauce and marinara until well blended.
In another medium bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, eggs, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper.
Butter a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
Then spoon 1/3 of the Béchamel and marinara mixture over the bottom of the baking dish.
Next, Arrange 5 lasagna noodles over the sauce on the bottom of the pan, overlapping each noodle a little. The noodles I use don’t completely reach from side-to-side, so I cut one in half lengthwise and position it on the side. It doesn’t have to be pretty. Just try and cover as much of the sauce as you can.
Evenly spread the ricotta mixture over the top of the noodles and top with the chopped spinach.
Arrange 5 more noodles over the ricotta, again, overlapping and covering as much of the mixture as possible.
Top with ground chuck and then spoon 1/3 of the marinara mixture over the ground beef. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese.
Top with the remaining 5 noodles. Spoon the rest of the Béchamel and marinara mixture over the noodles, smoothing out over all noodles.
Top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. If you’re making this up to one day ahead, then cover with plastic wrap and foil and put in the refrigerator.
I usually bake the lasagna on a foil-lined cookie sheet as it always cooks over the top of the baking dish.
Bake the lasagna until it is heated through and bubbling, about 45 minutes.
Here’s a final tip: Wait about 5 to 10 minutes until the lasagna sets a bit, and it will be much easier to cut and serve. I’ve been impatient and cut sooner, and it tends to run.
Serve with your favorite Italian red wine and enjoy!
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