Stuff You’ll Need
Lasagna & Cheeses:
- Vegetable oil spray
- 16 curly-edged lasagna noodles
- 1 tablespoon salt (for boiling pasta)
- 11 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 2¾ cups)
- ¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Meat Sauce:
- 2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1½ pounds 90% lean ground beef
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
Cream Sauce:
- 8 ounces (1 cup) cottage cheese
- 4 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (about 1¾ cups)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Stuff to Know Before Cooking
This recipe was developed using dried curly-edged lasagna noodles; do not substitute with no-boil noodles.
Prepare for Baking
Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly spray a rimmed baking sheet and a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with oil spray. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large Dutch oven.
Add noodles and salt, stirring often, and cook until al dente. Drain and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Use tongs to gently turn noodles, coating them lightly with oil spray. Cut 2 noodles in half crosswise.
Make the Meat Sauce
In a bowl, mash the bread and milk together until smooth. Add ground beef, salt, and pepper, mixing with your hands until well combined; set aside.
Heat oil in the now-empty Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the beef mixture, breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon, and cook until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.
Stir in tomatoes, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for about 5 minutes to meld flavors.
Prepare the Cream Sauce
Whisk all cream sauce ingredients in a bowl until fully combined.
Assemble the Lasagna
Lay 3 noodles lengthwise in the prepared baking dish with ends touching one short side, leaving a gap at the far end.
Place 1 half noodle crosswise to fill the gap if needed. Spread 1½ cups of meat sauce over the noodles, followed by ½ cup of cream sauce and ½ cup of mozzarella.
Repeat layering of noodles, meat sauce, cream sauce, and mozzarella three more times, alternating the position of the half noodle at the opposite end each time. Lay the remaining 3 noodles on top (no half noodle for the final layer).
Spread the remaining cream sauce evenly over the noodles, then top with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella. Sprinkle Pecorino cheese over the top.
Bake the Lasagna
Lightly spray a sheet of aluminum foil with oil spray and cover the lasagna. Place the dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and continue baking until the top is spotty brown, about 25 to 30 minutes longer.
Let the lasagna cool for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Hearty Beef Lasagna
Ingredients
Lasagna & Cheeses:
- Vegetable oil spray
- 16 curly-edged lasagna noodles rounded for practicality
- 1 tablespoon salt for boiling pasta
- 11 ounces mozzarella cheese shredded (about 2¾ cups)
- ¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- Meat Sauce:
Meat Sauce:
- 2 slices hearty white sandwich bread torn
- 3 tablespoons milk slightly increased for better panade texture
- 1½ pounds 90% lean ground beef
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 5 garlic cloves minced (slightly reduced for balance)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
Cream Sauce:
- 8 ounces 1 cup cottage cheese
- 4 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese grated (about 1¾ cups)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Cook noodles until al dente. Spray and set aside.
- Mash bread and milk. Mix in beef, salt, and pepper. Sauté onion, garlic, oregano, and red pepper. Brown beef mixture. Add tomatoes and simmer.
- Whisk cream sauce ingredients together.
- Layer noodles, meat sauce, cream sauce, and mozzarella in a 13×9 dish. Repeat layers, ending with noodles, cream sauce, mozzarella, and Pecorino.
- Cover with greased foil. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 25 to 30 minutes until spotty brown.
- Cool for 30 minutes before slicing.
