Lasagna al Forno

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Show: Food 911Episode: Lousy Lasagna -Orlando FL/Lady Marmalade -Cathedral City CA

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (117)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(117)

Cook Time:
1 hr 30 min
Level:
--
Yield:
12 servings

Times:

Prep: 1 hr 10 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 1 hr 30 min
Total:: 2 hr 40 min

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Ingredients

1 pound dried lasagna noodles
Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
3 bay leaves
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 pound ground Italian sausage
6 ounces tomato paste, (1 can)
30 ounces ricotta cheese, (2 containers)
1/4 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
Salt and black pepper, to taste
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 cups tomato sauce, prepared
1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
Grated Parmesan and mozzarella, for topping

Directions

Cook the lasagna noodles in plenty of boiling salted water until pliable and barely tender, about 10 minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking. Drain the noodles thoroughly, coat with olive oil keep them moist and easy to work with.

Coat a large skillet with olive oil. Saute over medium heat, onion, garlic and herbs. Cook 5 minutes. Brown beef and sausage until no longer pink, about 15 minutes. Drain fat into a small container and discard. Stir in the tomato paste completely. Set aside to cool.

In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta, parsley and oregano. Stir in beaten eggs. Add Parmesan, season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the lasagna: Coat the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch pan with a ladle full of tomato sauce. Arrange 4 noodles lengthwise in a slightly overlapping layer on the sauce. Then, line each end of the pan with a lasagna noodle. This forms a collar that holds in the corners. Spread 1/2 of the meat mixture over the pasta. Dollop 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the meat, spread to the edges with a spatula. Sprinkle 1/2 of the mozzarella on top of the ricotta. Top with a ladle full of tomato sauce, spread evenly. Repeat with the next layer of noodles, meat, cheeses and sauce. Top last layer with noodles, sauce and shredded mozzarella and Parmesan. Tap the pan to force out air bubbles. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Remove from oven. Let lasagna rest for 30 minutes so the noodles will settle and cut easily. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Lasagna al Forno
Katrina Potomac, MD 10-30-2009
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Five Stars, with Modifications
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This is my go-to meat lasagna recipe, which I made with the following changes per Kristen of Columbus, OH: 1) use a VERY deep... lasagna pan. I purchased a deep dish aluminum lasagna pan from the grocery store (approx 2.5 inches deep), and the noodles were overflowing on top; 2) reduce the ground beef to 1lb; 3) use 1 tsp of dry herbs per 2 tbsp. of fresh herbs; 4) use half ricotta cheese, half cottage cheese; 5) DOUBLE the sauce. I used 2 cups of Giada's Simple Tomato Sauce for each layer of sauce. Jarred sauce would probably work just as well. Some other reviewers suggested increasing the amount of cheese. So instead of using "grated parmesan and mozzarella" for the topping, just buy a 1/2 pound of Fancy Italian Cheese Blend (with mozzarella, parmesan, asiago, romano, etc.) and sprinkle that on top. (This is in addition to the 1lb of mozzarella.) Finally, for beginners, remove the bay leaves after browning the meat. Read more
recipe Lasagna al Forno
dean austin, TX 09-03-2009
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Best Ever!!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I have made this recipe probably a dozen time by now, and every time was a success except for the first time.Why, you may... ask? The pasta cooking. Do yourself a favor: spend the money on a TALL pasta cooker with a COLANDER INSERT. Other types of pasta do OK in a 4-quart pot; lasagna noodles DON'T. If you don't have a tall pasta cooker, break your noodles in half; you'll save yourself a lot of grief. Don't listen to those who say to cut down on the meat. THAT'S part of what makes this recipe way better than storebought or all but the best restaurant lasagna. I recommend using either half-and-half Italian sausage and ground beef, or all Italian sausage. Doesn't taste as good with just ground beef. I've also made this with ground venison, donated by a hunter friend of mine. I have found it easier to portion out the Ricotta if, after mixing with the eggs and herbs, put it back in the 1 lb. container and, with a teaspoon, evenly dollop it over the ground meat before spreading with a spatula. Otherwise, you may have a tendency to use too much for the first layer, only to find you don't have enough for the second. I've also experimented with putting it on as the FIRST layer after the noodles; it spreads better over the slick noodles than the ground meat. I DON'T agree with using cottage cheese. There's no crying in baseball, and there's no cottage cheese in lasagna. If you do use cottage cheese, though, DON'T forget the eggs, or you'll have "slippin'-slidin'" lasagna. I don't necessarily like all of Tyler's recipes, but this one's a WINNER.Read more
recipe Lasagna al Forno
Adrianne covina, CA 07-16-2009
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My favorite meal!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This recipe is a time consumer, but it is well worth the wait!! The best lasagna I've ever made or bought!
recipe Lasagna al Forno
Stephanie Oklahoma City, OK 12-24-2008
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Wow!!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made this for a holiday meal & it was a huge hit. It was one of the best lasagnas I've ever made. This one, however, has... set the standard for me. It came out perfectly. I always worry if a lasagna might come out either too dry or too runny. This recipe came out perfectly. It is a true classic!! Thanks Tyler!Read more
recipe Lasagna al Forno
Michael Puyallup, WA 12-23-2008
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Flat out YUMMY
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Tyler, I've made this lasagna @ 10 times, and do little tweaks to it every time I've made it. I make this for my family... every Christmas as well, and after reading quite a few reviews/comments by others, here are some of the keys to make this perfect. First key, is add more sauce. For those with lots of free time, by all means, make a sauce from scratch, but I've found that today's jar sauces are very well made and work just as good. Just be very liberal with your sauce, meaning, add a whole lot more than the recipe suggests and you'll have a very juicy vs. thick and dry lasagna. Good italian sausage is very important as well, and gives the meat sauce that extra zest, however, I prefer to use 1.5lbs of sausage and 1.5lbs of ground chuck. I've also played around with using half cottage cheese and half riccota, and personally speaking, I think it gives a lot more moisture than the two containers of riccota. You don't need to buy fresh herbs, dry ones work just as well and are far less expensive and most people have them on hand. Last but not least have a very deep pan, you'll find that you can easily compile a good 4inchs with this recipe. I've recently found a pan that works great, but in the past I would just purchase an aliminum pan at your local store which is quite handy as far as clean up goes. I'm NOOOOO chef, but the raves and reviews I've received from making this are flattering to say the least. Been told no restraunt could touch this and that I should open my own lol. Thank you Tyler and thank you Food Network for BAR NONE, the best lasagna ever, and very happy memories!!!Read more
recipe Lasagna al Forno
Jane tamarac, FL 12-22-2008
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Tried the rest now try the best!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This is the 2nd year in a row I am making this for Christmas day, because last year I got such great raves from everyone,... especially one coming from my father who by the way is full blooded Italian and coming from him that is a real compliment, He loved it! He asked me to make it again this year. I do use a little extra sauce tho. Thanks Tyler you rock!!!Read more