Meat Lasagna
Find out how to make this heartwarming Italian dish — from Luigi’s Restaurant in Johnston, R.I. — in your home kitchen
by Battista
($10.95 at Luigi’s for one serving. Cook-at-home cost for the whole lasagna — enough for eight people — is $22.64, and for a single serving is $2.83.)
INGREDIENTS
• 2 pounds ground beef ($5.50) • 2 tablespoons olive oil ($0.28) • Salt ($0.01) • Pepper ($0.01) • 1 teaspoon garlic, finely chopped ($0.02) • 2 pounds Ricotta cheese ($2.25) • 2 eggs ($0.28) • 4 cups homemade or store-bought tomato sauce (Ragu or similar) ($2.25) • 2 large sheets Pappardelle or dried lasagna sheets ($1.39) • 4 cups Parmesan cheese ($4.25) • 4 cups Mozzarella cheese ($5.50) • 1 bunch fresh Italian parsley ($0.90)
DIRECTIONS
Use a large pan to sauté the olive oil and ground beef. After the meat is browned, drain off the excess fat. Place the beef in a mixing bowl with 1 cup of tomato sauce and 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese. Season with salt, pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of the chopped garlic. In a separate mixing bowl, mix ricotta cheese, 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese, 2 lightly beaten eggs, and salt, pepper, and remainder of garlic. Mix until eggs are completely incorporated. Reserve both mixtures for lasagna assembly.
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. It is important to start the assembly of the lasagna by spreading a layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of an 8 by 10 baking dish. The sauce keeps the pasta from sticking to the dish. (Homemade sauce is recommended, but store-bought will suffice.)
The next layer is the pasta. Use fresh pasta if it is available. Pappardelle is a wide strip of pasta, usually 8 x 10 inches, with rippled sides. It can be found at Italian specialty markets. If you are using fresh pasta, do not cook it before assembly. If you are using dried pasta, it must be par-cooked in boiling water until it is just soft enough to bend. Then remove and place on an oiled baking sheet.
Sauce the first layer of pasta lightly then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Next, spread half of the meat mixture evenly over the pasta, and then layer with half of the ricotta mixture and half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layering, and then press down on the layers to remove any air pockets. Pour the remaining sauce over the top sheet, and then sprinkle on the remaining Parmesan and mozzarella.
Bake covered with foil for 1 hour. Spray the foil with baking spray to keep the cheese from sticking. Let stand about 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley.