On a cold winter’s night, there are few things better than a really good slice of lasagna. Over the years, I’ve tried many recipes and there are a few things I’ve discovered. First, the best ones use sausage, not hamburger. Second, the freshness of the ricotta makes an enormous difference in the results, and third, you need to make two of them at a time so you can freeze the second one into individual meals.
There are different schools of thought on the noodles. I prefer the no-boil noodles but if you’re really feeling inspired, take a trip to the Hill and ask for the frozen lasagna sheets. They are sometimes hard to find, but worth it when you do.
My favorite recipe, hands down is here. I make it with a few substitutions—use bulk Italian sausage (mild or spicy, depending on the eaters) rather than mess with casings. Cook it separately, drain the fat, then follow the rest of the instructions for the sauce. Also, don’t sweat it if you have a hard time finding the diced tomatoes with green pepper and onion. Find something close and use it instead—I use diced tomatoes with sweet onions.
If you want fresh ricotta, here is a really easy recipe to make it yourself: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/homemade-ricotta-recipe/index.html.
I love to make this in the summer when the basil is abundant in my garden, but I’ll buy basil in the winter just to make this recipe. Recently I made this for a friend who was coming to dinner. After claiming she wasn’t hungry and couldn’t possibly eat two pieces, I served her just one. She polished off the first piece and began eating the second (and third) directly out of the pan with her fingers. Pieces four and five were taken to go, along with a copy of the recipe.
“Wear your mittens on the car ride home,” I suggested, “Just to be safe.”
