Classic Lasagna
Layers of pasta, rich meat sauce, creamy ricotta and melted mozzarella, baked until bubbling and golden.
Recipe in testing: I'm cooking it in my TM7™ and will update the steps and the photo with my own.
A classic Italian-American lasagna is the dish for Sunday dinners, potlucks and holidays: wide pasta sheets stacked with a rich meat sauce, creamy ricotta and melted mozzarella that browns in spots in the oven. Give it a good rest after baking and every square comes out with neat, distinct layers.
The Thermomix® TM7™ takes care of the parts that usually fill your sink. It grates the Parmesan and the mozzarella, mixes the ricotta filling and simmers the meat sauce while you boil the noodles on the stove. After that it is just layering, and the oven does the rest.
Made in the Thermomix® TM7™
Classic Lasagna
Makes: One 23 x 33 cm (9 x 13 in) lasagna, 10 to 12 squares
- Prep35 min
- Cook1 h 25 min
- Total2 h 20 min
- Serves10
Ingredients
Cheeses and ricotta filling
Meat sauce
To assemble
Instructions
- Place the Parmesan in the clean, dry mixing bowl and grate 10 sec/speed 10, then transfer it to a small bowl. Grate the mozzarella in two batches, each one 5 sec/speed 5, and set it aside in another bowl.
- Place the parsley in the mixing bowl and chop 3 sec/speed 7. Add the ricotta, egg, half of the Parmesan, salt and pepper and mix 10 sec/speed 3. Transfer to a bowl; there is no need to wash the mixing bowl.
- Place the onion and garlic in the mixing bowl and chop 5 sec/speed 5. Scrape down the sides, add the oil and sauté 5 min/120°C (250°F)/speed 1.
- Add the ground beef in small pieces, place the simmering basket on the lid instead of the measuring cup and brown 6 min/160°C (320°F)/reverse/speed 1. Break up any big lumps with the spatula.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, salt, sugar, pepper and basil. With the simmering basket on the lid, cook 25 min/100°C (212°F)/reverse/speed 1, until the sauce thickens. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
- In a large pot of boiling water with 1 tbsp of salt on the stove, cook the noodles 2 minutes less than the package says. Drain them and lay them flat on an oiled baking sheet so they don't stick.
- In a 23 x 33 cm (9 x 13 in) baking dish, spread a thin layer of sauce. Add 4 noodles, half of the ricotta filling, a third of the remaining sauce and a third of the mozzarella. Repeat once. Finish with the last 4 noodles, the rest of the sauce, the rest of the mozzarella and the remaining Parmesan.
- Cover the dish with lightly oiled aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake 20 to 25 minutes more, until bubbling at the edges and golden brown in spots.
- Let the lasagna rest 20 minutes before cutting it into squares. Garnish with fresh basil.
Tips
- Make it ahead: assemble the lasagna, cover it and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Add about 15 minutes to the covered baking time.
- To freeze, wrap the unbaked lasagna well and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge before baking.
- For a more classic Italian-American flavor, use half ground beef and half mild Italian sausage, taken out of its casing.
- Don't skip the rest. Cut too soon and the layers slide; after 20 minutes they hold their shape.
