Recipe courtesy of John Libonati

Traditional Lasagna

  • Level: Intermediate
  • Yield: 8 servings
  • Total: 3 hr
  • Prep: 1 hr
  • Cook: 2 hr
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Ingredients

Sauce:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 minced onion

2 cloves minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

1 (28-ounce) can crushed Italian tomatoes

1 tablespoon oregano

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons Parmesan

Lasagna filling:

15 lasagna noodles

2 pounds ricotta

Salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan

1 pound mozzarella, grated

4 egg yolks

Directions

  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onions, garlic, and red pepper for 1 to 2 minutes. Do not let garlic brown. Add the tomatoes, oregano, and bay leaf to skillet. Let simmer until flavors blend, stirring occasionally every 1/2 hour. Stir in Parmesan, and remove bay leaf. Sauce is ready for lasagna to be made. 
  2. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large pot, boil water, and cook pasta close to al dente. In a large bowl combine the ricotta, salt, pepper, and Parmesan, and mix until well blended. Mix in egg yolks and set aside. 
  3. In a 13 by 9-inch baking dish, spread a thin layer of marinara sauce and cover with noodles. Spread a layer of ricotta cheese mixture over noodles. Top with mozzarella, another layer of sauce, and repeat. The third layer should be topped with sauce and mozzarella. Cover and bake for 40 minutes, remove cover and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Remove from oven, and let stand for 20 minutes. 
  4. To serve, cut into squares, and serve with drizzled marinara sauce.

Let's Get Cooking!

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Anonymous

This is a great recipe, however, my Italian heritage tells me that the mozzarella cheese does not go on the inside of the lasagna. This make for a gummy texture. You put the mozzarella on the top on the lasagna during the last few minutes of baking. That way it is gooey and not a brown patch of cheese. Also, the meat is served on the side (for those of you who are wondering where the meat it.) Meatballs and sausage are placed in the sauce (gravy) while it is cooking. This give the sauce a robust taste.

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