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American Lasagna

SUBMITTED BY: ETHELMERTZ PHOTO BY: ChickadeeD

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

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

SERVINGS

(Help)

Servings
USMETRIC

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

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

What to Drink?
	Sangiovese
	Negroni Cocktail II

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.

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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... MORE

Reviewed on jul. 24, 2006 by JOANNA_STEVENS

Full Review

The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.68 star rating.

JOANNA_STEVENS
jul. 24, 2006

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.

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89 users found this review helpful

I have found my staple lasagna recipe! I used Italian sausage instead of ground beef, but I... MORE

Reviewed on feb. 1, 2004 by CELYNCH

Full Review

The reviewer gave this recipe 4 stars. This recipe averages a 4.68 star rating.

CELYNCH
feb. 1, 2004

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.

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87 users found this review helpful

I believe this is a great basic recipe. I made several modifications to fit my tastes (adding... MORE

Reviewed on aug. 18, 2003 by AHAUS

WARNING... I made the receipe a day ahead as suggested. Although I thought it was odd, I saw... MORE

Reviewed on nov. 6, 2005 by DAVID S.

This is now going to be the lasagna recipe I use from now on. The only change I made was I... MORE

Reviewed on mar. 11, 2009 by KRANEY

Wow!! Wonderful flavor! Be sure and simmer the sauce the maximum amount of time. Making the... MORE

Reviewed on jan. 22, 2004 by ANNEOKIRBY

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ANNEOKIRBY
jan. 22, 2004

This is a great recipe, but better with some modifications. I followed several suggestions from other reviews. Mainly, this lasagna would be way too dry and bland without more sauce and spices. I added the equivalent of 1 1/2 28 oz cans of pre-seasoned sauce. To the sauce I also added lots of xtra garlic and fresh oregano plus I used half ground beef and half hot italian sausage instead of all beef (next time I might even go with all sausage because that added a lot of good flavor). I was going to add some crushed red pepper flakes but forgot, so I will add a little next time. To the filling I added a few xtra ounces of ricotta, a few xtra ounces of mozzarella (I used part skim), and 4 ounces of cream cheese. I also used xtra parmesan on the top. I cut the brown sugar in half and also used a little less salt. I don't know if I needed to, but I sprayed the pan with Pam and also spread a little sauce on top of that and clean up was a snap. I had modified the recipe for 12 servings and used a bigger pan and I cooked it for about 1 hr 40 minutes. Clearly the 30 minute cook time at the bottom of the recipe is a misprint and should read the 1 1/2 hrs that it states at the top. Also, I covered with foil for half of the cooking time which helped keep it moist on top. I served this to 10 girlfriends and they all thought it was terrific!

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37 users found this review helpful

This is a great recipe, but better with some modifications. I followed several suggestions... MORE