Name: Luigi's Restaurants Baked Homemade Lasagna Recipe
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil; 1 cup yellow onion, finely diced; 0.5 cup carrot, finely diced; 0.5 cup celery stalks, finely diced; 4 pcs garlic cloves, minced; 1 lb ground beef (80/20); 0.5 lb ground Italian sausage, casings removed; 28 oz crushed tomatoes (canned); 2 tbs tomato paste; 0.5 cup red wine (optional); 1 tsp dried oregano; 1 tsp dried basil; 1 tsp sugar; 1 pcs bay leaf; 1.5 tsp salt; 0.75 tsp black pepper, freshly ground; 15 oz whole-milk ricotta cheese; 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (divided); 0.75 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (plus extra for topping); 1 pcs large egg; 2 tbs fresh parsley, finely chopped; 0.5 tsp salt; 0.25 tsp black pepper; 12 pcs no-boil lasagna noodles (or regular noodles, cooked and drained); 8 pcs fresh basil leaves for garnish (optional); 1 tbs nonstick cooking spray or butter (for pan)

Method

Meat Sauce

Sweat aromatics

Heat a large heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Once shimmering, add diced onion, carrot, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 6–8 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook 30–60 seconds until fragrant.

Brown the meats

Increase heat to medium-high. Add ground beef and Italian sausage to the pot. Break meat up with a spoon and cook until no longer pink and nicely browned, about 6–8 minutes. Drain excess fat if there is more than 1 tablespoon, leaving some for flavor.

Deglaze and simmer

If using, pour in 1/2 cup red wine to deglaze the pan, scraping browned bits from the bottom. Let wine reduce by half, about 2–3 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Add crushed tomatoes, dried oregano, dried basil, 1 teaspoon sugar, bay leaf, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 3/4 teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer, then lower heat to maintain a low simmer. Partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 25–35 minutes to meld flavors. Taste and adjust seasoning, removing bay leaf before assembling.

Cheese Filling

Combine cheeses

While the sauce simmers, in a medium bowl combine 15 oz ricotta, 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella (reserve remaining mozzarella for topping), 3/4 cup grated Parmesan, 1 large egg, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Stir until smooth and evenly combined. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.

Pasta & Assembly

Preheat and prepare pan

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray or butter.

Layer lasagna

Spread a thin layer (about 1 cup) of meat sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish to prevent sticking. Arrange 4 no-boil lasagna noodles (or a single layer of cooked noodles) over the sauce. Spread one-third of the ricotta-cheese mixture (about 1/3 of the cheese filling) over the noodles, smoothing evenly. Spoon about 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over the ricotta layer and sprinkle with 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella. Repeat with a second layer of 4 noodles, one-third of cheese filling, 1 1/2 cups sauce, and 3/4 cup mozzarella. Top with final 4 noodles, the remaining meat sauce (about 2 cups), the remaining 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, and an extra 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan.

Bake

Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil (tent slightly so foil does not touch cheese) and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15–20 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden and sauce is bubbling at the edges. If top browns too quickly, loosely cover again.

Rest and serve

Remove lasagna from oven and let rest, uncovered, for 15–20 minutes to set (this makes slicing cleaner). Garnish with fresh basil leaves if using and an additional sprinkle of Parmesan. Slice into 8 generous servings and serve warm.