Reviewed: Nov. 12, 2009

Probably not the world's best lasagna, but definitely a pretty good base recipe. For health reasons I used sweet Italian turkey sausage instead of the regular sausage, ground turkey (93% lean) instead of the beef, whole wheat lasagna noodles instead of the regular, 1 teaspoon salt in the sauce instead of 1 Tablespoon, added some chopped broccoli, and skipped the sugar. For budget reasons I used low fat cottage cheese instead of the ricotta. The lasagna was a bit on the saucy side, but it as very tasty, and I love that it used sauce from scratch. Cooking times and directions were perfect.

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VesHeill

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Nov. 12, 2009

Great, there wasn't any leftovers!

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mandido

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Reviewed: Nov. 12, 2009

Reve reviews

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Pam

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Reviewed: Nov. 11, 2009

Even better if you add Italian sausage. I just have a couple of hints: 1) Pour boiling water over noodles and let sit for about 10 minutes (no more over cooking those noodles). 2) Don't bother cooking everything for a long time, just toss all the ingredients into a bowl and let sit overnight (so the flavors can combine)

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Joy

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Reviewed: Nov. 11, 2009

Fabulous!

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mathteacher78

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Reviewed: Nov. 11, 2009

Very tasty! I simmered my meat sauce all day. It was very good, but I did add a pinch or two of red pepper flakes to spice it up. My family devoured this!!

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docswife

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Morganfield, Kentucky, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 10, 2009

SOOOO GOOD! The time and effort levels are just fine...lasagna takes time to make..bottom line, as does homemade sauce! Must DOUBLE the sauce only because it's so good...you will be so glad to have lots of this stuff! Did cut the amnt. of salt in half and had to bake close to 40 in. ENJOY!

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DawnN

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Reviewed: Nov. 10, 2009

Has become a family favorite! I make some substitutes based on what I have in my kitchen, but it always turns out great. Add mushrooms :)

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michealna

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Reviewed: Nov. 10, 2009

Wow, what a hit this was at my dinner party last night! Pretty darn amazing recipe, and very easy to follow. I substituted whole wheat lasagna, ground turkey breast and sweet Italian turkey sausage, and it was fabulous. Will definitely be my go-to lasagna recipe from now on. My only change next time will be 1/4 tsp fennel seeds, since I hate licorice and fennel resembles that flavor...I thought 1/2 tsp was a bit much, but everyone else loved it. Other than that, I would have given it 5 stars. Thanks, John!

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Kelly Dee's Yummies

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Nov. 10, 2009

The only changes I made were to cut the salt and sugar in half. I usually don't put sugar in my pasta sauce, but I wanted to follow as close as possible. I simmered the meat sauce in the crock pot for a couple of hours the night before I actually served it. I used the no-boil noodles and they were fine without pre-soaking. The amount of ricotta was perfect, not overwhelming as some lasagna tends to be. The day we ate it I thought it was good, but not sure if it was worth the trouble and expense. Two days later this recipe had earned it's 5 stars. The flavor was incredible! I strongly suggest preparing this a day or two in advance and allowing the cheese flavor to really sink into the meat and noodles. Fortunatley I doubled the meat sauce so I'm going to go ahead and prepare another pan to freeze for later use.

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JAMM2000

Cooking Level: Beginning

Living In: Jacksonville, Florida, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 9, 2009

This was extremely good! I have been looking for a great lasagna recipe for years since I lost mine! This was simple to make and the ingredents were not difficult to find. I used Johnsonville Hot Italian sausage (the best sausage EVER!), low fat cottage cheese in place of the ricotta and for time sake, only simmered the meat sauce on the stove for 30 minutes. The lasagna still tasted great! The only change I would make would be to use ony half of the amount of salt. I thought 1 tablespoon of salt sounded like a bit much, but I wanted to follow the recipe exactly before making any changes. I might add some chopped spinach to the egg/cheese blend next tome to add some veggies. Overall, AWESOME recipe! This is now my go to lasagna recipe!

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nurse kim

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Murrieta, California, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 9, 2009

The name doesn't lie - this really is the world's best lasagna! It's a lot of time and work, but definitely worth it.

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TamCook

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Reviewed: Nov. 9, 2009

There is no need to keep looking for another lasagna recipe, this is the one!! I used some onion powder instead of fresh because of onion haters in the house. I also added a little more cheese. Next time I will omit the fennel as I didn't feel the recipe needed it.

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Melissa

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Reviewed: Nov. 9, 2009

Awesome recipe. This was my first lasagna ever and everyone thought I was a pro. I made the sauce the night before. The day of the dinner, I heated the sauce and assembled the dish. Looking back, it was quite simple with a crowd-pleasing result.

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GardenLady

Cooking Level: Beginning

Living In: Sarver, Pennsylvania, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 9, 2009

My sister prepared this for a big family gathering - I'm usually a little leery of cafeteria style dishes at buffets - but Wow! What a hit! Tasty, filling, interesting. Words fail me. I had her send me the recipe, and its on the list for the next meal!

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WestonMoCook

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Reviewed: Nov. 8, 2009

One thing I don't understand...why do you people use sugar in your sauce? I am Italian-American, we don't and never would use sugar in our sauce. I am 3/4 Abruzzi and 1/4 Napolitan and neither maternal Gram used sugar in their sauce. Your lasagna recipe is almost like mine except for the sugar and fennel, oh and I use fresh vs. dried herbs and I also 1 lb mozz, 1 lb 6 blend Ital. Cheese and being Southern Italian, I use Locatelli Romano instead of Parmigianno Regianno.

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THECACTUSROSE

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Holley, New York, USA

Living In: Glendale, Arizona, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 8, 2009

It was awesome. WE will definitely make this again!

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MRSFROSTY

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Reviewed: Nov. 8, 2009

This may really be the World's best! I had another recipe I have been using for years which was very good, but this tops it. The sauce is a perfect lasagna sauce - simple, but with alot of flavor. I did reduce the salt, but made no other changes. This is a keeper - thanks!

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PEGSTEW

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Reviewed: Nov. 8, 2009

World's Best! This has been in my recipe box since 2003-finally tried it. So easy to make that I will now make Lasagna more often. Followed recipe exactly except for a few MINOR preferences and/or what I had on hand. Listen to everyone, you do not have to cook those noodles. First time I've tried it and it works. Buy regular noodles (the oven ready are more expensive and not necessary). I soaked them while preparing everything else. I cut out all salt as suggested (there is enough salt in the ingredients), used 1 lb of beef, half sweet sausage, half hot sausage and added a half cup more ricotta (I love that stuff!!). I did cook mine for 45 minutes the day before serving (did not uncover). I think that lasagna tastes so much better after sitting a day or two. Next night I heated it up for 45 minutes, uncovering the top for the last 15 minutes. If you follow this recipe exactly you can't go wrong (except I would reduce or eliminate the salt) - or tweak it a little. The simplicity of this recipe and the flavors are great. Four days later it was even bettet!!! Thanks John Chandler - you have obviously made a lot of people happy with your contribution!

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Aspiring Chef Rita

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Woodside, New York, USA

Living In: Linden, New Jersey, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 8, 2009

While this lasagne was good and everyone enjoyed it, it was not worth the amount of time it takes to make this. After preparing the sauce and letting it simmer for 3 hours in a slow cooker, and the amount of time it took to assembe the lasagne itself, I was hoping for bigger excitement at the table. I'm glad I tried it, but won't make it again. Thanks for the recipe.

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