Although the lasagna is original from Italy, the version that we bring you today has nothing to do with what you would find there, so today you will try our version of the best lasagna, in the style of Ardito's Kitchen.
Hello everyone, today we will be preparing our favorite lasagna recipe, I warn you, it has nothing to do with another lasagna that you have tried before, but I assure you that you will love it! This recipe will be ready in about an hour and a half.
Ingredients
Bolognese sauce:
700g beef mince
2 medium onions
5 minced garlic cloves
700 ml of tomato passata, (pomodoro sauce)
1 bunch of fresh parsley
1 bunch of fresh basil
1 tsp oregano
2 tablespoons of sugar
White sauce:
750g ricotta cheese
1 bunch of fresh chives
1 egg
For the layers:
Pasta lasagne sheets
Mozzarella cheese slices
Parmesan cheese to taste
The amount of pasta sheets and slices of mozzarella cheese you'll need depend on the size of your roasting dish and the number of layers you are going to make. We used a 4 lt capacity dish with these dimensions: height 9.3 cm x width 23.1 cm x length 28.5 cm and we made 3 layers. So at the end we use 7.5 sheets of pasta and 15 slices of mozzarella cheese.
This recipe is intended to make a lasagna for 6 people. So if you want to make more or less quantity, multiply or divide the ingredients and everything will be fine!
Preparation
The first step is always to chop the ingredients so that they are ready for when we need them. Then finely chop the onions, garlic, parsley, basil, and chives.
Start by adding a little oil to a very hot frying pan, over medium-high heat and fry the minced meat, until everything is brown. Then add the onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Next, add the pomodoro sauce, mix well and add the sugar (this will help to balance the acidity of the tomato). Put the parsley, basil and oregano in the pan, season with black pepper and salt. Mix everything very well to integrate, cook for 4 more minutes, put the lid on and let it rest for around 1 hour. This will intensify and blend all the flavors, resulting in a beautiful Bolognese sauce.
Turn on your oven at this time and preheat it to 180ºC.
Meanwhile, prepare the white sauce. Put all the ricotta cheese in a bowl and beat it a little to soften its texture. Add salt, and test to be sure of the flavor it will have. Add chives and continue mixing and finally put the egg and mix everything super well until the egg has integrated. Reserve this sauce in the fridge, until the moment of assembling the lasagna.
Now you should soak the pasta sheets to prevent hard parts in the lasagna and help us save time in the oven. So in any deep bowl, add a little oil at the bottom, and then put one layer of pasta sheets, add boiling water and put a little more oil and on this you put another layer of pasta. repeat this procedure until all the pasta is submerged in water. Occasionally move the sheets, turning them to prevent them from sticking together. After 5 to 10 minutes they will be soft and ready to assemble the lasagna.
Well, now to assemble the lasagna, start by putting a little of the Bolognese sauce in the bottom of the roasting dish to prevent the pasta from sticking. Then put a layer of pasta sheets, on them generously put Bolognese sauce, then a layer of mozzarella cheese (this will help us to put the next layer easier), then a layer of the delicious ricotta cheese sauce and start again. Pasta, Bolognese sauce, mozzarella cheese, white sauce. In the last layer, finish by adding more mozzarella cheese and sprinkling Parmesan cheese abundantly, without misery.
Put your lasagna in the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is gratin and is deliciously golden. It's not necessary to have it there half an hour, since all the ingredients are perfectly cooked.
Now, the expected moment !! Serve and accompany it with baggete and/or salad.
Tips: Calculate the amount of pasta sheets you will use depending on the size of your mold. Cut the sheets necessary to cover the entire bottom of the mold. We make 3 layers because our mold is quite deep, however most molds only hold two layers.
Personally we always soak the pasta sheets, even if the package says there is no need to do so. This is because when we did NOT do it, the tips of the pasta came out a little hard. However with this step, I assure you that you will always have a perfect lasagna!
But if the pasta you use says on the packaging that you should cook them, then follow the instructions on the package. Always remember to add a little oil and add them one by one to the water where you cook them. This way you will avoid sticking.
You can use beef to make this recipe, but the best option is to use a mixture of beef and pork. The pork will add fat and flavor to the mix and your lasagna will be like it's from another planet!
As we always say:
If your plate doesn't look like our picture, don't worry! We spent over 40 minutes trying to find the perfect angle for the photo.
If you don't have any of the ingredients on the list or don't like something, don't hesitate to replace it. For example, you could make this a vegetarian recipe, replacing the meat with a mixture of chopped vegetables such as zucchini, eggplant, onion, peppers, mushrooms, etc.
This recipe is just a guide, and you can adapt it to your tastes. So do not stop making it, you will be surprised how delicious it is!
Remember: "Practice makes master"
You can see how we did it in this video and don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel Arditos Kitchen: