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In our house, lasagna is a special occasion meal. In fact it is what we served on Christmas Day. Although our picky eaters haven’t found the beauty of this Italian dish, the rest of us enjoy the layers of sauce, ricotta, and noodles. Depending on the day, there could be a number of other ingredients: eggplant, sausage, zucchini, pepperoni.
Today’s recipe, which is courtesy of The Inn Above Onion Creek, adds a layer of ground beef as the extra ingredient. This lasagna recipe also includes directions for a quick homemade marinara that becomes part of the dish. I wholeheartedly encourage making your own marinara. It doesn’t take long at all and adds so much flavor!
- 1 cup onion, small dice
- ½ cup celery, small dice
- ½ cup carrot, small dice
- San Marzano tomatoes, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 Tb. fresh basil, chopped
- 2 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped
- 1 Tb. tomato paste
- 1 lb. ground beef
- Lasagna noodles (cooked according to package directions, no-boil noodles can be used as well)
- 2 cups ricotta
- 2 cups mozzarella, grated
- ½ cup Parmesan, grated
- ½ cup Pecorino, grated
- Season the beef with salt and brown in a skillet. Drain the fat and set aside.
- Add a tablespoon of olive oil and sauté the onion, celery and carrots along with a little salt. Sweat the vegetables until they soften slightly, add garlic and sauté for a few more minutes. ( Be careful not to brown.)
- Add the tomato and tomato paste. Simmer for 10-15 minutes and salt to taste. Add the herbs and browned beef. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes, and season to taste if necessary.
- Grease a deep, square baking dish and add a layer of the meat sauce. Cover sauce with a layer of pasta. Spread a layer of ricotta over the pasta, and sprinkle mozzarella, Parmesan and Pecorino over the ricotta. Continue to layer the ingredients in that order.
- End with a layer of tomato sauce. Reserve a layer of mozzarella.
- Cover with foil and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven.
- Bake for 30-45 minutes. Uncover the lasagna and add the remaining cheese. Bake until the cheese is bubbly.
- Let the lasagna cool for 10-15 minutes before cutting.
