Tomato Cheese Lasagna Recipes

Steps:

• Make the sauce: Heat oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add sausage, if using, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it's starting to brown but not yet crisp, about 5 minutes.
• Add onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is totally softened and translucent (without letting it brown), 8 to 10 minutes. Add tomato paste and continue to cook, stirring until the tomato paste has turned a deeper brick red color, tinting the oil and onions a fiery orange color, about 2 minutes.
• Using your hands, crush the whole tomatoes into smaller, bite-size pieces and add them and the crushed tomatoes, stirring to scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pot. Fill one of the tomato cans halfway with water and add it to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomato sauce has thickened and flavors have come together, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Make the lasagna: Heat oven to 375 degrees and set a large pot of salted water to boil.
• Set aside 1 cup mozzarella. In a medium bowl, combine remaining mozzarella, ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan and cream; season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Cook lasagna noodles in the large pot of salted boiling water until just softened (before they are even aldente), about 4 minutes. Drain and separate any noodles that are trying to stick together, slicking them with a bit of olive oil to prevent them from sticking further.
• Spoon a bit of sauce on the bottom of a 3-quart baking dish and top with a layer of noodles, avoiding any heavy overlap.
• Top with about 1 ¼ cups of sauce, and dollop ¼ of the cheese mixture over. Top with another layer of noodles and repeat three more times, ending with the last of the noodles (depending on size of the noodle/shape of the baking dish, you may have a few extra noodles) and the last of the sauce. Top with reserved 1 cup mozzarella and more Parmesan, if you like.
• Cover loosely with aluminum foil and place baking dish on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet (to prevent any overflow from burning on the bottom of your oven).
• Bake until pasta is completely tender and cooked through and sauce is bubbling up around the edges, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove foil and increase temperature to 450 degrees. Continue to bake until lasagna is golden brown on top with frilly, crispy edges and corners, another 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool slightly before eating.

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• FOR THE CHEESE SAUCE: Whisk all ingredients in bowl until well combined; set aside.
• FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE: Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, sugar, pepper flakes, oregano and salt and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are softened, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and anchovies and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, cheese and tomato paste; bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.
• FOR THE LASAGNA: While sauce simmers, lay noodles in 9 by 13-inch baking dish and cover with boiling water. Let noodles soak until pliable, about 15 minutes, separating noodles with tip of paring knife to prevent sticking. Place dish in sink, pour off water and run cold water over noodles. Pat noodles dry with clean dish towel; dry dish. Cut two noodles in half crosswise (short side).
• Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Spread 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce in bottom of dish. Lay 3 noodles lengthwise in dish with ends touching 1 short side of the pan, leaving space on opposite short side. Lay 1 half noodle crosswise in empty space to create even layer of noodles. Spread half of cheese sauce over noodles, followed by 1/2 cup fontina. Repeat layering of noodles, alternating which short side gets half noodle (alternating sides will prevent lasagna from buckling). Spread 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce over second layer of noodles, followed by 1/2 cup fontina. Create third layer using 3 1/2 noodles (reversing arrangement again), remaining cheese sauce, and 1/2 cup fontina.
• Lay remaining 3 1/2 noodles over cheese sauce. Spread remaining tomato sauce over noodles. Toss remaining 1/2 cup fontina with 1/8 teaspoon cornstarch, then sprinkle over tomato sauce, followed by Pecorino.
• Spray sheet of aluminum foil with vegetable oil spray and cover lasagna. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove lasagna from oven and increase oven temperature to 500 degrees.
• Remove foil from lasagna, return to oven, and continue to bake until top is lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Let lasagna cool for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with basil, cut into pieces, and serve.

Steps:

• To make the sauce: Take the onion and garlic, and sauté in olive oil in a large pot for a few minutes.
• Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf, herbs, crushed red pepper, and prosciutto or ham bone.
• Simmer gently for about an hour and a half.
• Remove the bone, puree the sauce (carefully, since this will be hot), and taste for seasoning.
• The cheeses: Keep parmesan and mozzarella in separate piles.
• Add the chopped basil and parsley to the ricotta, and season with freshly ground black pepper.
• Layer the lasagne: In a dish that is 10x6x2, begin with a light layer of sauce on the bottom.
• Cover with a sheet of pasta, and spread it with sauce.
• Sprinkle with parmesan and mozzarella.
• Cover with another sheet of pasta and sauce.
• Put half of the ricotta and herb mixture on this layer.
• Repeat with a layer of pasta, sauce, and mozzarella and parmesan, then another layer of pasta, topped with remaining ricotta.
• Make one more layer of pasta and mozzarella and parmesan, ending with a top layer of pasta and sauce and parmesan.
• Cover the lasagna with foil and bake 20 minutes in a preheated 350-degree oven.
• Remove the foil and bake another 20 minutes or so, until the top is crusty and golden.
• Let sit for 5 or so minutes after removing from the oven.
• Cut into portions, grate with fresh parmesan and serve.
• Note: You can use store-bought sauce as a time-saver, but if you have the time its worth the wait.
• This may also be made earlier in the day: assemble and keep in the fridge until ready to cook.

Steps:

• Make sauce:
• Cook onions in butter and oil with oregano, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste in a 4-quart saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until onions are softened. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add tomatoes and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 18 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley, orange juice, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. and butter 2 (13- by 9-inch) baking dishes.
• Assemble lasagne:
• Soak lasagne sheets in hot water to cover by 1 inch until softened and flexible, about 20 minutes.
• Spread 1 1/2 cups sauce in each baking dish and top sauce in each dish with 3 drained pasta sheets, overlapping if necessary. Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup parmesan evenly in each dish. Top with 3 drained pasta sheets per dish, overlapping if necessary. Repeat layering with 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup parmesan, 1 cups sauce, and 3 drained pasta sheets in each dish. Finish assembling lasagne by topping each with 1 cups sauce. (You will have leftover sauce and mozzarella.)
• Bake lasagne, covered with foil, in middle of oven 30 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle evenly with remaining 2 cups mozzarella. Bake until bubbling and cheese is melted, about 10 minutes more.
• Serve lasagne with some of remaining sauce, reheated.

Steps:

• In 3-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add carrots, celery and onion. Cook about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add mushrooms and cook about 5 minutes or until they have given up most of their juices.
• Crumble sausage and beef into saucepan. Cook 10 minutes, breaking up and stirring occasionally, until no longer pink. Drain excess fat.
• Increase heat to medium-high and stir in wine. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until wine nearly evaporates. Add 1 cup milk and cook about 15 minutes, stirring constantly, until no liquid remains. Reduce heat to low. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, vinegar, basil, black pepper and pepper flakes. Heat to simmer, then simmer 15 minutes.
• Stir in mascarpone and remove sauce from heat. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. (Mixture should be saucy in order to hydrate the noodles during baking.)
• In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour. Cook about 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly and making sure mixture does not brown. Remove from heat.
• Gradually beat in milk with wire whisk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly (especially the corners), and boil 3 minutes or until thickened. (Not cooking the whole time will leave your sauce tasting floury.) Remove from heat and stir in salt, white pepper and nutmeg. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. (Do not add too much salt because you will be adding salty cheese.)
• Adjust oven rack to middle position. Heat oven to 425°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray.
• In medium bowl, mix mozzarella and Parmesan; set aside.
• Spread about 1 1/4 cups of the meat sauce evenly over bottom of baking dish (it may not completely cover the bottom); top with 3 noodles. Top noodles with 1/2 cup of the white sauce, spreading it as best as you can. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese mixture. Top cheese with 1 1/4 cups of the meat sauce. Place 3 noodles on top of meat sauce. Repeat the following layers twice: 1/2 cup white sauce, 1 cup cheese mixture, 1 1/4 cups meat sauce, 3 noodles. Spread remaining white sauce over noodles and sprinkle with remaining 2 cups cheese. You will be at the top of baking dish.
• Tear off piece of foil large enough to amply cover top of baking dish. Spray one side of foil with cooking spray. Cover lasagna with foil, sprayed side down. (Lasagna can be refrigerated up to 12 hours at this point.)
• Bake 30 minutes (if lasagna was refrigerated, bake 40 minutes). Carefully remove foil and bake 20 minutes longer or until top is lightly brown in spots and edges are hot and bubbly.