The Ultimate Lasagna

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Show: Tyler's UltimateEpisode: Ultimate Lasagna

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (249)

Cook Time:
1 hr 30 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
8 servings

Times:

Prep: 20 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 1 hr 30 min
Total:: 1 hr 50 min

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Ingredients

2 pound dried lasagna noodles
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds ground beef
2 pound ground Italian sausage
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
3 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup finely chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped oregano leaves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups red wine
2 (28-ounce) cans tomatoes (recommended: San Marzano)
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 quarts ricotta cheese, (2 containers)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
Grated Parmesan and mozzarella, for topping

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

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 and coat with olive oil to keep them moist and easy to work with.

Coat a large skillet with olive oil, add beef and sausage and brown until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. In a food processor, combine the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, basil, parsley, an oregano. Process until pureed, add to the pan with the ground meat and stir to combine. Stir in the flour. Add the wine and cook until it has reduced by half. Stir in the tomatoes and add the heavy cream and the cinnamon.

In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta and the parmesan. Stir in the eggs and season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the lasagna: Coat the bottom of a deep 13 by 9-inch pan with olive oil. 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. Dollop 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the pasta, spread to the edges with a spatula. Spread 1/2 of the meat mixture over the ricotta. Sprinkle 1/2 of the mozzarella on top of the ricotta. Top with a ladle full of sauce, spread evenly. Repeat with the next layer of noodles, ricotta, sauce, and cheeses. Top last layer with noodles, sauce, shredded mozzarella and Parmesan. Tap the pan to force out air bubbles. Bake 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 The Ultimate Lasagna
Susan Lansing, MI 03-16-2010
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Don't believe the headlines
Rated: 2 stars out of 5

The headlines read "20 Minutes prep and serves 8." It took OVER 2 hours to prep and I had enough food for 18 people! I didn't... have time to go back and look for another receipt. The headline was supposed to sell me. I was also disappointed by the taste. It was lackluster and needed much refinement. Next time, I'll just use my own tastebuds and create my own recipe. I thought the Food Network would be an awesome treat. Looks like my cooking in general, is better. Sorry Tyler. I think 1) your headline should accurately reflect what your portraying and 2) Your taste buds are average at best. I'll be more cognizant when I look for a receipe and thoroughly read over the information. Unfortunately, I thought that was your website's job. Read more
recipe The Ultimate Lasagna
d destin, FL 03-10-2010
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TASTE the sauce--add TOMATO PASTE if you want more tomato flavor!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

HELLOOOO...TASTE THE SAUCE...If you don't like it--fix it--BEFORE you assemble the lasagna. If you like more tomato flavor,... just add some tomato paste. If you don't like cinnamon, try a pinch of nutmeg. Start the sauce first and cook it down for a couple of hours to marry the flavors and thicken up--you can also substitute beef stock for the red wine. Don't know what to do with left over sauce???--Are you kidding--FREEZE IT!--You will have it next time you want to make lasagna and you'll have it ready in a flash. Or, you can even assemble another tray of lasagna and freeze it for a later date. The only problems I see with the SHOW to RECIPE, are the recipe doesn't say CRUSHED tomatoes and the recipe says assemble 1/2 where it should say 1/4--for 4 layers. For proper portions per layer, use 4 cooking spoons of ricotta and 3 ladles of sauce--I push down on my noodle layers to flatten and remove air. I agree, you could get away with using one quart of ricotta--But if you had some left over ricotta mixture, you could add some minced up cooked chicken breast and sundried tomatoes and make stuffed shells. Personally, I don't like the "dry texture" that the eggs contribute to the ricotta so I only use one egg. Read more
recipe The Ultimate Lasagna
Sally Loveland, CO 03-07-2010
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Disappointing!
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

I normally like Tyler's recipes, and this lasagna looked and sounded so good when I watched him make it on tv. When I made... it, however, I was really disappointed. The flavors were okay, but the sauce was really runny. If I were to make it again, which I won't, I would reduce the sauce much more so there would be less liquid. I went back to my old standby lasagna recipe.Read more
recipe The Ultimate Lasagna
Steven Goldsboro, NC 02-17-2010
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Very good
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This lasagna came out really well. Held it's shape, cut beautifully. I hate when you spend a lot of time making a lasagna and... you plate it and it just falls apart. I did half the recipe, making it in an 8x8 because there are just two of us here. I also added a 1/2 lb. of baby bellas to the sauce and upped the fresh basil because it's just wonderful with tomatoes and mozzarella. I personally didn't think there was a daunting amount of prep to do. A food processor makes quick work of everything. Done. I did the meat sauce and let it cook and then cool a bit while I cleaned up, and then I cooked off the noodles. The only thing I would change next time is to omit the cinnamon. It was a weird aftertaste and aroma and I used even less of it than called for because I thought it so unusual. The taste of the meat sauce was still very good (due largely to using the red wine I suspect), but that backnote of cinnamon was just weird. Wouldn't use it again.Read more
recipe The Ultimate Lasagna
david lawrence, KS 02-15-2010
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Awesome
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This is by far the best lasagna I have ever tasted or cooked! And for all of you people that cooked this and actually... thought it would fit into a 9x11 pan, did you even look at the recipe? If you actually thought that it would, I suggest to buy the frozen pre-made that you throw in the microwave! And every good recipe takes a little time and how many people don't like spending time in the kitchen knowing that what you are going to cook is going to take great! And, if you were hesitant on putting cinnamon in, use your own judgment, but don't not make it again. Omit the cinnamon and try it again, and it ISN'T a marinara sauce so don't think it is gonna taste like it! Best lasagna I have ever had!Read more
recipe The Ultimate Lasagna
tina cocoa, FL 02-12-2010
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hard work but pays
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

this is an excellent recipe..i do reccomend a day ahead prepping with all the chopping other than that this turns out... fantastic! a must try!Read more