Like that perfectly worn-in sweater you never want to take off, a no-fail lasagna recipe is absolutely necessary to combat the colder months. All it takes is noodles, sauce and cheese, right? Turns out, it's not that easy to score an amazing batch.
After lots of research (and a fair amount of tasting), we discovered the five critical factors that separate great lasagna from a good one. Then we used that intel to build the (dare we say) perfect version—the one you'll want to make every single Sunday. Here are the secrets to the sauce (and noodles).
We tested this dish with fresh, dried, and no-bake noodles and the results definitely surprised us: The fresh was too mushy when baked and the dried noodles were much too thick. We took a cue from this Quick Sausage and Mushroom Lasagna and went with no-boil noodles instead. They were thinner than the dried variety, and absorbed the sauce really well without getting soggy. Bonus: Not having to wait for your pasta water to boil or fish out your noodles before they become a clumpy mess is a huge relief.
Most of the lasagna sauces on our site fall into two categories: A long-cooking, classic beef Bolognese or a fast, all-American tomato-meat sauce. After testing both, we ultimately chose the kind of sauce featured in Three Cheese Lasagna with Italian Sausage, using Italian sausage as our meat. The sauce came together much more quickly than a bolognese, and we preferred the flavor and texture of sausage to ground beef. Most recipes called for a mix of sweet and spicy sausage for the meat sauce, but we chose all sweet so you only have to buy one kind and can customize the heat level.
Most lasagna recipes, like this top-rated Sausage, Cheese, and Basil Lasagna, use generous amounts of grated mozzarella. Most folks just pick up a package of shredded part-skim mozzarella for this. But while this variety definitely melts easily and gives every slice those delicious strands of cheese, it doesn't have much rich dairy flavor. Using fresh mozzarella adds taste as well as texture, and it's easy to grate a ball of it using the coarse side of a box grater.
Lasagna can be laborious, no doubt, so the challenge was to come up with ways to save time without sacrificing flavor. We loved how this Sausage, Cheese, and Basil Lasagna calls for making the ricotta filling in a food processor. The basil, eggs and Parmesan rounded out the flavor and texture of ricotta. The result? A filling that's creamy, herby, and downright delicious when baked.
Whether or not to include vegetables was another important factor to consider. Some recipes add mushrooms, peppers, and even zucchini, but those water-rich vegetables often turn soggy as they bake, watering down the lasagna. The solution? Take a cue from this Three Cheese Lasagna with Italian Sausage and use quick-cooking spinach instead. Once you squeeze out any excess liquid and season the spinach with salt, it adds a pop of green color and some fresh flavor to the lasagna.
