MY FAVORITE LASAGNA

There are too many lasagna recipes to count, and chances are good your favorite recipe is the one your mom made growing up. This recipe happens to be my favorite and it should come as no surprise to those of you who have read this blog to find out that it comes from America's Test Kitchen. Those people know what they are doing.

It freezes beautifully and I highly recommend making a double batch of it--freeze one lasagna and eat the other. Also, here's a tip for those of you who are cooking for just yourself or only one or two other people: make your lasagnas in bread pans. One batch of a typical 9 x 13 lasagna will translate into three bread pan-sized lasagnas. A lasagna noodle is about the length of a bread pan so you end up with one cute little lasagna that's just the right size.

The lasagna will keep in the freezer for up to two months if wrapped first in plastic wrap and then in foil. The original recipe suggests defrosting the lasagna for a day or two in the refrigerator, then baking as directed but extending the baking time by 5 minutes. If you want to bake it straight from the freezer, keep the lasagna covered for a longer amount of time for the initial baking period and uncover for only the last 25 minutes. You will know when it is done baking and ready to serve if you see the sauce bubbling.

serves 8-10

Tomato-Meat Sauce  
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
6 medium cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press or minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 pound meatloaf mix or 1/3 pound each ground beef chuck, ground veal, and ground pork (I use 1/2 pound ground beef and 1/2 pound mild Italian sausage--remove meat from sausage casings)
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 (28-ounce) can tomato puree (Western Family brand sells this)
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

Ricotta, Mozzarella, and Pasta Layers  
15 ounce container ricotta cheese (whole milk or part skim) (1 3/4 cups)
2 1/2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (1 1/4 cups)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
12 no-boil lasagna noodles from one 8- or 9-ounce package (I use Barilla no-boil noodles)
16 ounces whole milk mozzarella, shredded (4 cups)

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat oil in large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking, about 2 minutes; add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high and add ground meats, salt, and pepper; cook, breaking meat into small pieces with wooden spoon, until meat loses its raw color but has not browned, about 4 minutes. Add cream and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates and only fat remains, about 4 minutes. Add pureed and drained diced tomatoes and bring to simmer; reduce heat to low and simmer slowly until flavors are blended, about 3 minutes; set sauce aside. (Sauce can be cooled, covered, and refrigerated for up to 2 days; reheat before assembling lasagna.)

Mix ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan, basil, egg, salt, and pepper in medium bowl with fork until well-combined and creamy; set aside.

Smear entire bottom of 9- by 13-inch baking dish with 1/4 cup meat sauce. Place 3 noodles on top of sauce. Drop 3 tablespoons ricotta mixture down center of each noodle and smear across the noodle to cover it. Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup shredded mozzarella. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce evenly over cheese. Repeat layering of noodles, ricotta, mozzarella, and sauce two more times. Place 3 remaining noodles on top of sauce, spread remaining sauce over noodles, sprinkle with remaining cup mozzarella, then with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Lightly spray a large sheet of foil with nonstick cooking spray and cover lasagna. Bake 15 minutes, then remove foil. Return lasagna to oven and continue to bake until cheese is spotty brown and sauce is bubbling, about 25 minutes longer. Cool lasagna about 10 minutes; cut into pieces and serve.