By David Tisue

The Surveyor

Photo by David Tisue
Mom’s lasagna, the best.

This lasagna, more than anything else, brings back memories of when my mom would cook us something special. It was my favorite thing she made. Originally my mom found this recipe in an old cookbook way out of print called “Cooking for Compliments” by Darlene Vian. Over the years, I have played around with it a skosh here and there, but the main idea of how it is made has stayed the same.

This is not your typical lasagna. It has no mozzarella or cream sauce. It is basic good comfort food. It uses loads of dried basil and parsley and comes together easily. I usually like fresh herbs in recipes. But the dried herbs contribute to the thickness of the sauce and filling and are perfect for this recipe.

When my mom would make this, she would get the sauce simmering and go off to do other things in our home. I would wander past every so often, get a spoon, and taste some of the sauce to see if it needed anything … Ok, well, really, I would go by when mom wasn’t looking and gulp down large spoonfuls because I loved the big chunks of ground beef and the dried basil in the tomato sauce so much. Really … I could not keep my hands out of it. I’m surprised she had enough sauce to make the lasagna.

Years later, My mom and I would laugh at how she could never figure out how little sauce the recipe made.

Meat sauce:
2 lbs. ground beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
2 6 oz. cans of tomato paste
3 tablespoons dried basil
2 tablespoons dried parsley
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 cups of water
½ cup of red wine or ½ more cup of water
for the ricotta filling:
2 cups ricotta cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 egg, beaten
14 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 16 oz. box of lasagna noodles or 1-1 lb. recipe of fresh pasta plus, more grated parmesan for topping about 1/3 cup
If you are making fresh pasta, make the dough before you begin the sauce to give it time to rest.
For the meat sauce:
In a large skillet, brown the ground beef over medium heat until cooked through, stirring to break up the large chunks.
Drain off the excess fat and liquid, reserving it, if desired (you can skim off the fat and use the meat juice underneath as part of the water for the sauce, optional.) Then, set aside the cooked ground beef.
In the same skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cook the onion until very soft and cooked through. The edges of some of the onions should just start to brown.
Add the garlic and briefly sauté to cook. You don’t want the garlic to get brown and bitter.
Return the ground beef to the skillet with the cooked onions and garlic. Stir in the tomato paste, basil, parsley, salt and pepper. Pour in the water, the drained-off liquid from the beef, if desired and the red wine. Stir well to combine.
Bring the sauce to a bubble, reduce it to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While the sauce is simmering, fill a large pot of water and bring it to a boil. Make sure and salt the water generously. If using a box of dried noodles, cook them according to the directions on the package and rinse them in cold water to stop the cooking process. If using fresh pasta, have the pot of water ready and boiling when ready to assemble the lasagna.
For the ricotta filling:
Combine the ricotta, Parmesan cheese, dried parsley, beaten egg, salt and pepper. Set aside.
When ready to assemble the lasagna:
Preheat the oven to 350°.
If using dried, cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.
Cover the bottom of the pan with enough cooked pasta sheets to completely cover the bottom.
If using fresh pasta, blanch several sheets at a time in boiling water and layer enough to cover the bottom of the pan.
Layer about ½ of the meat sauce into the lined pan spreading the sauce to cover the pasta layer.
Cover the meat sauce with a layer of cooked pasta, ensuring it is completely covered.
Spread the ricotta filling over the pasta layer, spreading the filling to cover the pasta layer.
Cover the ricotta layer with the remaining pasta.
Cover the final pasta layer completely with the remaining meat sauce.
Generously sprinkle (or if using the good stuff in a wedge, generously grate) plenty of parmesan cheese.
Bake for 45 minutes or until the parmesan cheese has melted and started to turn golden brown.
This lasagna is even better if left to cool, refrigerated and reheated in a 350° oven for 30 to 45 minutes the next day.
To me, this is the best lasagna ever and I still make it often. It is delicious. I hope you make this recipe for your family. Until next time!