Lasagna Recipe

Lasagna recipes are such favorites throughout the world that it seems that different cultures from different eras have made a claim to being the inventors of this excellent dish. It is claimed that the ancient Romans called one of their cooking pots a "lasanum" and the Italians used a similar word to describe the cooking dish that is used for baking lasagne. The word lasagna has come to mean both the food and the baking dish that is used to bake it in.

A dish of lasagna is very tempting to look at because of the rich red sauce, layers of flat pasta with meats between the layers and its wonderful assortment of cheese types that are used in the lasagna recipe. You can fill your lasagna recipe with whatever vegetables, cheeses and toppings that you like.

A traditional way to serve lasagna is with a green salad, garlic bread and a red wine such as a rose or Chianti. You can make a simple green salad with vinegar and oil dressing or you can choose to make a heartier salad with the works including tomatoes, black olives and feta cheese. The flavors will meld with each other to create a great dining experience.

2 cans peeled tomatoes

32 oz. tomato paste

2 teaspoons salt

3 teaspoons dried oregano

2 cups onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup olive oil

2 pounds ground hamburger

3/4 lb. lasagna noodles

2 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 lb. Ricotta cheese

1/3 lb. Mozzarella cheese

1/2 lb. Parmesan cheese

1. In a large pot, combine tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and oregano. This will be your sauce base.

2. In the 1/3 cup of olive oil, sauté the onions and garlic cloves. When your onions are translucent and the garlic is golden, add the ground meat. Cook until the meat is no longer red. Add this mixture to the tomato sauce.

3. In another large pot, boil water and then add the lasagne noodles and cook until they are tender. You may salt the water. Add two tablespoons of olive oil to the boiling noodles. When the noodles are tender, drain the noodles and set them aside.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a suitable baking dish or pan. At the bottom of the pan, add a layer of tomato sauce then a single layer of noodles followed by layer of a mixture of your cheeses. Repeat this twice, which should fill the pan nicely. Your final layer should be sauce with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

5. Bake for forty minutes. Let the hot dish cool for ten minutes before cutting and serving the lasagna.

Once you are familiar with making a lasagna recipe, you will find it easy to create the different lasagna recipes that can be found.