Published September 1, 2002.
Traditional lasagna takes the better part of a day to make. Could we get really good lasagna on the table in just 90 minutes?
Lasagna worth eating usually takes several hours to prepare. The noodles must be boiled and the sauce slow-cooked. Then, once the cheese filling is mixed, the ingredients must be carefully layered before the whole thing is baked off.
We knew we couldn't re-create the ultimate lasagna, one that takes all day to prepare, but we wanted to produce a lasagna good enough for a family gathering. A bland, watery, casserole just wouldn't do.
Make a 12-minute tomato meat sauce by cooking onions, garlic, and meatloaf mixture (ground beef, pork, and veal). Add some heavy cream to create a richer, creamier, more cohesive sauce, then stir in pureed and diced tomatoes for a luxurious, soft sauce with chunks of tomatoes. Choose no-boil lasagna noodles to eliminate the process of boiling and draining. Create a classic cheese layer with ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, fresh basil, and an egg to help thicken and bind the mixture. Cover the lasagna with foil before baking to help soften the noodles, then remove it during the last 25 minutes of baking to properly brown the cheeses.
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