Classic lasagna with homemade ricotta
Brian Lagerstrom · ♥ 18.2K likes · 589.8K views · 10 min video
Read about ground beef in the BrightCulinary Book
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Ingredients
Method
Techniques
- 2000 g whole milk
- 200 g heavy cream
- 15 g salt
Combine the whole milk, heavy cream and salt in a four-quart saucepan and warm gently over medium heat about 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.
Heating milk for fresh ricotta
- 100 g white distilled vinegar
Bring the milk to 190F, kill the heat and stir in the white vinegar gently with a spatula or whisk.
- 450 g 80-20 ground beef
- 2 whole Italian sausages
Drain the curd another 15 to 20 minutes, until firm and creamy, and set aside.
Squeeze the sausage out of its casing onto a sheet tray and smush it together with the ground beef into a flat sheet.
- 25–30 g olive oil
- 25–30 g butter
- 200 g onion
- salt
Heat the olive oil and butter in a heavy bottom five to six quart pot, add the diced onion and a strong pinch of salt and cook five to six minutes until softened and translucent.
- 20 g minced garlic
- chili flakes
Add the minced garlic and a strong pinch of chili flakes and fry about a minute until fragrant.
- 2 can crushed tomatoes
- 10 g salt
Add the two cans of crushed tomatoes and 10 grams of salt, stir and simmer about five minutes.
Chop or break the broiled meat down by hand to a very small particle size and add it to the tomato sauce with any drippings and fat from the tray.
- 1 lb ricotta
Cook the sauce down 20 to 30 minutes to a well thickened, not soupy consistency, reduced by more than half so it holds its shape around a spoon.
- 75 g grated parmesan cheese
- 100 g heavy cream
- 5 g salt
- 2 g cracked black pepper
- 1 whole egg
- 1 tsp nutmeg
Combine the ricotta with the grated parmesan, heavy cream, salt, black pepper, egg and grated nutmeg and stir well.
- salt
- 5–7 g sugar
Season the reduced sauce with a strong pinch more salt and five to seven grams of sugar to balance it.
- 4 pieces no-boil lasagna noodles
Spread a half cup of meat sauce over the base of a deep nine by 13 dish and lay down four overlapping no-boil noodles.
- 1 lb grated full fat mozzarella cheese
Drop nine tablespoon-sized dollops of the ricotta mixture over the noodles and spread edge to edge, then a cup of grated mozzarella, then about three quarters of a cup of meat sauce spread edge to edge.
Layering ricotta, mozzarella and sauce
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 6–9 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
Finish with one cup of sauce, the last cup of mozzarella edge to edge, about half a cup of grated Parmesan and six to nine slices of fresh mozzarella.
Cover with oiled foil and bake at 375F for 25 minutes.
Rest 30 minutes before cutting, then spoon more reduced sauce over the slice.