How to Make Lasagna Step by Step
Many people can agree lasagna is a very beloved food around the globe. Easy to make, lasagna offers us an almost comforting taste, especially because is best to eat it while still hot. It’s almost an inside friendly warm hug, right? But it’s not news that some of us aren’t really experts in the kitchen and in spite of being super delicious, the traditional Italian dish can at first look like an extensive, complex task to manage. Even in that scenario, with some step by step guidance, it’s guaranteed your lasagna will be a success in your next family dinner! Now it’s time to learn how to make lasagna step by step.
HOW TO MAKE LASAGNA STEP BY STEP
How to Make Lasagna Step by Step: The Basics
Recipes can and do vary from one country to another, as well as personal preferences to another person’s personal preferences. However, if you want to prepare a tasty, similar recipe to the original lasagna, you will want to stick with some basics.
The Lasagna Noodles
Meat Sauce
Bechamel Sauce
Mozzarella
These four key ingredients are all you need to prepare a great lasagna.
How to Make Lasagna Step by Step: 1 = Make the Meat Sauce
You will need:
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil,
3 or 4 cloves of garlic,
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley,
1 lb ground beef,
40 oz Italian tomato purée (passata) or whole tomatoes, puréed,
Kosher or sea salt,
Pepper,
Fresh basil.
How to Make Lasagna Step by Step 1: In a large, heavy pot, put the olive oil, garlic, and parsley over medium-high heat. When the garlic begins to brown, increase the heat, and add the ground beef. Break up the beef but keep it rather chunky. Sprinkle with about 1/2 tsp of salt.
When the beef is beginning to dry up, add the tomatoes and stir well. Add more salt, then lower the heat and allow to simmer for about an hour, stirring from time to time. Taste for salt and add pepper.
When the sauce is ready, add the torn basil leaves. Remove about a cup (8 oz) of plain sauce (leave the ground beef in the pot and save for the top layer).
Refrigerate the meat sauce when cool or set aside if using right away.
How to Make Lasagna Step by Step: 2 = Make the Bechamel Sauce
You will need:
3 oz butter,
4 oz flour,
24 oz warm whole milk,
Dash of nutmeg,
Kosher or sea salt,
White pepper.
How to Make Lasagna Step by Step 2: Melt the butter in a medium pot then add the flour. Keep stirring to cook the flour for at least 5 minutes, but don’t let it brown. Pour in a little of the milk and stir quickly to incorporate.
Continue stirring and adding milk a little at a time. Once all the milk is mixed into the flour and butter mixture, add more. Add more milk each time as the composition gets more sauce-like.
When all the milk has been added, season with about 1/2 tsp salt, a dash of nutmeg and about 1/4 tsp white pepper. Taste and adjust as needed. Keep a lid on the sauce if not using right away.
How to Make Lasagna Step by Step: 3 = Cook the Noodles
You will need:
1 lb lasagna noodles or sheet,
Kosher or sea salt.
How to Make Lasagna Step by Step 3: Boil the noodles in plenty of salted water and make sure to keep moving them so they don’t stick together. Remove the noodles from the heat 5 minutes before the instructed time on the box.
Reserve about 2 cups of pasta water. Drain most of the water and then fill the pot with cold water just to cover the noodles. This will stop the pasta from cooking further.
How to Make Lasagna Step by Step: 4 = Prepare the Lasagna
You will need:
Meat sauce (without the meat),
10 oz shredded mozzarella cheese,
2 tbsp grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese to sprinkle on top.
How to Make Lasagna Step by Step 4: Put a thin layer of sauce (no meat) on the very bottom of the pan.
Add three pieces of lasagna lengthwise, then top generously with a quarter of the bechamel sauce.
Next, dollop on the meat sauce, but don’t add so much that the lasagna will only be sauce at the end. Sprinkle on about a quarter of the mozzarella.
Then top with more lasagna sheets, however, this time, cut them to 9″ strips so that you can place them in the opposite direction. This gives the lasagna structure so that it can hold together when cut. Cut the pieces so that it covers the bottom layer without leaving too much space.
Repeat with the bechamel, meat sauce and mozzarella another three times so that there are 5 layers of pasta and 4 layers of filling.
You may or may not have leftover meat sauce, depending on how much sauce you added. However, if you do use it all, take some of the reserved pasta water (about a cup) and rinse the pot with it and add it to the lasagna before the top layer goes on.
Alternatively, just pour the water directly onto the lasagna. We didn’t fully cook the pasta, so it will absorb more liquid as it cooks in the oven.
The top of the lasagna will have the strips lengthwise, so I usually pull four (I overlap the top layer) of the best-looking pieces (which aren’t broken or cut) and save them for the top.
Lastly, sprinkle some grated Parmesan on top of the lasagna before baking.
How to Make Lasagna Step by Step: 5 = Bake the Lasagna
You will need:
Foil for covering,
How to Make Lasagna Step by Step 5: Cover with foil (but make sure the foil doesn’t touch the lasagna as tomatoes will eat through the foil) and put in a preheated 400 F (200 C) degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake for another 10 to 20 minutes, depending on how crispy you want the top.
The edges will be bubbly when you remove it from the oven, so be careful. Allow the lasagna to cool for about 10 minutes before cutting.
How to Make Lasagna Step by Step: 6 = Serve and Enjoy!
You will need:
Basil to serve (optional)
How to Make Lasagna Step by Step 6: Serve with basil for extra color and enjoy the wonderful flavors of this delicious traditional Italian dish.
