Lasagna

Ingredients

• 12 whole wheat lasagna noodles
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, or to taste
• 0.5 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 (16 ounce) package cottage cheese
• 0.5 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs
• 4.5 cups tomato-basil pasta sauce
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook for 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3. Meanwhile, place ground beef, garlic, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir until beef is crumbly and evenly browned, about 10 minutes.
4. Mix cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, and eggs together in a large bowl until thoroughly combined.
5. Lay 4 noodles side by side on the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan; top with a layer of prepared tomato-basil sauce, a layer of ground beef mixture, and a layer of cottage cheese mixture. Repeat layers twice more, ending with a layer of sauce; sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top. Cover the dish with aluminum foil.
6. Bake in the preheated oven until the lasagna is bubbling and the cheese has melted, about 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until cheese has begun to brown, about 10 more minutes. Allow to stand at least 10 minutes before serving.

Watch out for: Pushing it too hot or too long. It is a custard, and a custard driven hard goes grainy and weeps — a different failure from a watery lasagna, and one more cheese will not fix.

Ingredients

• 2 (28-oz) cans whole peeled tomatoes1588 g
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil40 g
• 4 garlic cloves (thinly sliced)12 g
• Kosher salt
• 1 cup crème fraîche
• 12 no-boil lasagna noodles (I like Barilla)240 g
• 1 cup finely grated Parmesan Cheese100 g
• 1½ cups coarsely grated whole-milk mozzarella cheese366 g
• 2 large handfuls fresh basil leaves (torn into small pieces if large)2 g

Method

1. In a large bowl, crush the tomatoes with your hands (this is a messy but fun job—it’s a very good one for children) until they are in bite-size pieces.
2. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil, add the garlic, and cook, stirring, until it begins to sizzle, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and 1 tsp salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let the sauce simmer, stirring every so often, until it is slightly reduced, about 30 minutes.
3. Whisk the crème fraîche into the sauce and season to taste with salt. Set the sauce aside to cool to room temperature while you conquer the pasta.
4. Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position.
5. Ladle a thin layer of room-temperature sauce onto the bottom of a 9 x 13-in (23 x 33-cm) baking dish. Spread the sauce with a spoon to cover the surface of the dish. Add 3 sheets of pasta in a single layer over the sauce. Spoon over just enough tomato sauce to cover the pasta, and then scatter over some of the Parmesan, mozzarella, and basil. Repeat the layering process until you’ve used up all of your components, ending with sauce and cheese (not naked pasta or basil, both of which would burn if exposed).
6. Bake the lasagna, uncovered, until it’s gorgeously browned and the edges are bubbling, 35 to 40 minutes. Let it rest at room temperature for 15 minutes before slicing and serving. This lets the pasta fully absorb all of the bubbling sauce, so you don’t end up with soupy slices.

Watch out for: Making it far in advance. Every other component here keeps; this one did not.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
• 1 cup sliced black olives
• 0.5 cup warm water
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1.5 teaspoons dried sage
• 1 pinch basil
• 2 (14 ounce) jars marinara sauce
• 1 (16 ounce) package lasagna noodles
• 8 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded

Method

1. Cook ground beef and Italian sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until browned and crumbled; drain excess grease. Stir in olives and water; season with minced garlic, oregano, onion flakes, garlic powder, pepper, sage, and basil. Simmer, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes. Stir in marinara sauce and remove from the heat.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
3. Spoon a layer of meat and sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover with a layer of dry noodles. Spread a thin layer of ricotta cheese over noodles; sprinkle with some mozzarella cheese. Cover with another layer of sauce; repeat layering, ending with meat and sauce on top. Reserve about 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, checking after 30 minutes. Lasagna is cooked when it's easily pierced with a knife. Sprinkle reserved mozzarella cheese over lasagna and bake until melted, about 10 minutes more.

Watch out for: Expecting clean squares. This version serves better with a spoon and it is not a failure when it does.

Ingredients

• 9 lasagna noodles
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion (chopped)
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 4 cups pasta sauce
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach (thawed)
• 15 ounces ricotta cheese
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (divided)
• ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese (divided)
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• ½ teaspoon salt

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13 pan with Reynolds Wrap® Heavy Duty Foil.
2. Place lasagna noodles in a pan and cover with boiling water for 15 minutes. Rinse with cold water and dab dry.
3. Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add pasta sauce and Italian seasoning. Simmer 5 minutes more or until slightly thickened.
4. While sauce is simmering, squeeze spinach to remove moisture. Combine with ricotta cheese, 2 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup parmesan cheese, egg, salt, and fresh parsley. Mix well.
5. Place 1 cup of sauce in the bottom of the prepared pan.
6. Layer with 3 lasagna noodles. Add ½ of the spinach and cheese mixture and ⅓ of the sauce.
7. Add 3 more lasagna noodles, remaining ½ of the spinach and cheese mixture, and ⅓ of the sauce. Top with the last 3 noodles and the remaining sauce.
8. Cover with Reynolds Wrap® Heavy Duty Foil to ensure it is well sealed and bake 45 minutes. Remove foil, top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until browned.
9. Cool 20 minutes before cutting.

Watch out for: Blotting and assuming it is enough. One cook used most of a roll of paper towels on aubergine and still finished watery — dense vegetables hold more than a towel can take.