Classic Lasagna Recipe
It is a perfect holiday if you serve a meal with the best lasagna recipe. Tender sheets of pasta, a cheesy filling with rich beefy tomato sauce.
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour and 55 minutes
Origin of Lasagna
Lasagna is an Italy-originated dish made with layered lasagna pasta with meat and sweet, delicious fillings like the red sauce (made basically of tomato sauce), ground beef, cheese and the bechamel sauce. This dish is then topped with grated cheese and baked to melt it. The pasta is commonly cooked first then assembled in a lasagna tray before baked in an oven to melt the cheese. This dish originated specifically in Naples, Italy during the Middle Ages. The first recorded reference of the lasagna recipe can be found in a 14th century English cookbook.
When is lasagna typically served?
Typically, the lasagna dish is served as a main dish in most Italian regular meal. However, in some parts of the world, it is considered as a dessert because of its sweet meaty and cheesy taste. You're typically served with lasagna in occasions like birthdays, Christmas or even on New Year's celebration.
Kitchen Utensils you need
You will be needing the help of the following kitchen tools and equipment in making the best Classic Homemade beef lasagna:
- Cooking pan
- Strainer
- Tongs
- Frying pan
- Deep skillet
- Spatula
- Scissors
- 9*13 glass pan or Lasagna aluminum tray
- Oven
- Measuring spoons/cups
- Serving plate
Primary Ingredients of Classic Beef Lasagna – Lasagna pasta, tomato sauce, ground beef, butter, all-purpose flour, milk and cheese.
Lasagna is basically made of three components – the pasta, the sauce and the cheese. For the pasta, you should use the lasagne, which is a type of pasta that is wide, flat and rectangular in shape. It can be bought mostly in mall supermarkets. For the sauce, it is important to make it tasty and I personally like it creamy. For the red sauce, it is basically made of tomato sauce and/or paste, spaghetti sauce and much better ground beef (ground pork is also optional). I like my red sauce to compliment with my white sauce that is why I prefer to use creamy spaghetti sauce for a sweeter taste. And to our white sauce, the bechamel sauce which is made of butter, all-purpose flour and milk. It is one of the factors that brings a creamy taste to our lasagna. Though this sauce is optional, but I can't eat lasagna without it. It is a perfect complement to the whole dish itself. And lastly the cheese, the star of the dish they say. Because it adds extra and makes the dish exciting and mouth-watering. Well, who doesn’t love a thick melted cheese topping, right? As per most people, they say “Cheese is life”. Indeed, it is.
Interesting Facts
- Boiling noodles is a requirement in making lasagna in many years back. In the modern day, the no-boil lasagna exists. Where the pasta is cooked in the oven.
- July 29th is National Lasagna Day!
- You might be as confused as I am about the two words lasagna and lasagne. Lasagne is the plural form of the word lasagna.
Tips and Tricks
• You can either boil the lasagna first before you assemble it or assemble it with a dry raw pasta and cook it in the oven which makes it more delicious since it absorbs more of the filling. • LET IT REST. Let your lasagna rest for few minutes first before cutting it or serving it so it does not fall apart. • To keep the lasagna moist by covering it with aluminum foil when baking.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 onions, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 300g Italian Spaghetti sauce
- 250g tomato sauce
- 500g Creamy Spaghetti sauce
- Basil leaves
- Dried parsley
- Oregano
- 100g butter
- 3 cups milk
- Grated cheddar and mozarella cheese
- 5 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 500g lasgne pasta
Directions
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Cook the pasta in al dente, according to box instructions. Once cooked, rinse with cool water and set aside.
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For the red sauce. In a large skillet add 2 teaspoons of olive oil on a medium heat. Saute onions and garlic. Then add the beef and stir well. Cook until beef are cooked through.
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Add your choice of spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce. Mix well to combine. Pour in the parsley, dried basil leaves, oregano, salt, black pepper and brown sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes.
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For the bechamel sauce.Melt 1/4 cup butter.
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Add the all-purpose flour, stir until well combine.
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Pour in gradually the milk. Stir to combine well.
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Season with salt, dried parsley and black pepper.
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Assemble the lasagna. In a large lasagna tray, spread a generous amount of red sauce at the bottom. Top with lasagna pasta. Next, spread the red sauce then the white sauce and top with grated cheese.
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Repeat to form 3-4 layers and top with a generous amount of cheese.
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Bake in a preheated oven in 180 degree C for 30 minutes.
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Then remove from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes. Slice a serving size and enjoy!!
Everybody loves lasagna, right? Many people consider this dish as their comfort food and I find this dish so crowd-pleasing. Every time I make a tray of it during special occasions, it always impresses my guests and family members. Plus, in the modern business world nowadays, everyone can be a businessman and this dish is a great idea for business. I personally have tried it, and it clicked. A box of sliced lasagna can bring you extra income since nowadays people are always looking for something to eat in the middle of work and this is a great snack for anyone. Give yourself a try, make a tray of this delicious dish and you are ready to take a step, start making it for business. Well, we will never know, if we don’t try! Start by trying out this recipe.