There are three important things to remember when making lasagna with meat sauce to make sure that it can be sliced easily and served without the layers falling apart and looking like an incomprehensible mess on the plate. How do you do that?
First, a thick meat sauce.
Second, enough cheese to bind the layers.
Third, the baked lasagna must be allowed to rest before cutting and serving.
Other than that, anything goes, really. Parmesan cheese is traditional but my girls aren’t crazy about the way Parmesan cheese smells so I use either sharp cheddar, mozzarella or Monterey Jack, or a combination of two or more.
Lasagna has got to be Speedy’s most favoritest pasta dish in the whole world. Not the girls though (Alex is the spaghetti girl while Sam is the macaroni girl) but, sometimes, Speedy’s preference has to take precedence. So, we had lasagna over the weekend.
This recipe is for a large rectangular glass tray of lasagna.
Lasagna with meat sauce
Ingredients
- 8 lasagna noodles (4 to 6 noodles if using extra wide)
- 2 tbsps butter for greasing
For the meat sauce:
- 200 grams belly bacon (smoked or regular but not honeycured), finely sliced
- 200 to 250 grams very lean ground beef (or you can finely mince the beef at home so you can control the amount of fat better)
- 1 large white onion chopped
- 2 cups canned chopped tomatoes with the juices, or 2 c. of homemade tomato sauce
- a few sprigs of fresh oregano (leaves only)
- 70 grams spicy chorizo (I use Bilbao or Iberico), sliced then chopped into very small pieces
- salt
- pepper
- a bit of sugar
For the white sauce:
- 1 cup cream cheese plain or chive and onion flavored, at room temeprature
- 1 cup cream
- 250 grams sharp cheddar cheese (or a combination of your preferred cheeses), grated
Instructions
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Cook the bacon until it starts to render fat.
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Add the minced (or ground) beef. Cook, stirring, until the beef changes color. If your meat is lean enough, it’ll soak up whatever fat the bacon has rendered.
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Add the chopped onion. Stir. Lower the heat, cover and simmer until the onion bits soften, about five to seven minutes.
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Add the oregano and chorizo to the bacon and beef. Stir well.
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Add the chopped tomatoes with the juices (or your homemade tomato sauce). Season with salt, pepper and a bit of sugar to offset the sour notes of the tomatoes. Stir. Cook over medium heat, uncovered, to reduce the sauce. Reduction is the key to a rich and flavorful sauce.
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After about 20 minutes, the sauce should have reduced considerably and the mixture should be thick but not dry. This is the consistency you want to make sure that your baked lasagna turns out moist but not soupy. Adjust the seasonings by adding more salt, pepper, sugar or all of them. This is your last chance to get the right balance so taste and taste again. You can't adjust the seasonings anymore during assembly.
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While the meat sauce reduces, cook the lasagna noodles in boiling water. When done, drain, then douse with very cold water.
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Butter the bottom and sides of the baking dish.
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Meanwhile, prepare the white sauce. You can start preheating the oven at this point too. At 375F.
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Beat the cream cheese in a bowl. Add the cream. Mix until smooth.
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Add half of the grated sharp cheddar cheese (or whatever combination of cheeses you’re using). Mix gently to combine. The texture of the white sauce should be pourable but not runny.
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Arrange half of the lasagna noodles so that they fill the bottom of the buttered pan. Overlapping them a bit is okay.
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Spread half of the meat sauce over the noodles.
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Top the meat sauce with half of the white sauce.
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Repeat with the remaining noodles, meat sauce and white sauce.
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Scatter the remaining grated cheddar cheese over the white sauce. Assembly is complete at this point.
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Bake the lasagna, uncovered, in a preheated 375F oven for 30 minutes or until the cheese on top is melted and the sauce along the sides are bubbly.
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Allow the lasagna with meat sauce to rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting and serving.
WOW! With ingredients like bacon, spicy chorizo and the chive and onion cream cheese, I just couldn’t imagine how this dish could not be DELICIOUS!
This dish is officially on my birthday menu and most likely even on our Christmas and New Year Menu!
Thank you Ms. Connie for another SURE WIN recipe that everyone will enjoy.
P.S.
In order to save time and effort, I would just love to make two of these so I could freeze the other one for later use. Would you know if these freeze well?
Ah, that I don’t know. Freezing might affect the texture of the cream cheese and cream.
I freeze lasagna but we’re using a different white sauce…
I’m planning to bake lasagna using my SIL’s recipe. But I find your white sauce recipe interesting. It’s always good to have options/variations and experiment with different recipes.
Wow! i will bake this tonight for dinner
Mmm yummy yummy!!! by the way, i did ur strawberry feather cheese cake and they loved it!! thanks again!!! :)
Yehey! Yehey! Yehey! Finally, your lasagna recipe! Thanks Ms. Connie for posting this recipe complete with the step by step thumbnails. Mwah! Mwah! Mwah! Now I can now bake lasagna for my hubby :)
LOL Happy cooking and happy eating. :)
Now that is my kind of lasagna!!!Did you use/add more cheese for the topping? I love cheesy pasta! :)
In effect, there’s more cheese on top than in the middle.
Thanks na naman, Connie! This is my son’s favorite!
wah!:D heheh sounds so yummy:D if my mom cld cook!
I haven’t cook lasagna for a long time…my son
and his tennis team fave.
I use mozzarella and ricotta cheese but I’d like to try your white sauce.
Yes,lasagna freezes well.It can be heated in the microwave and taste just the same.
thanks for the replies regarding my question whether lasagna freezes well.
Should I freeze my lasagna before or after baking?
…and another question for the lasagna experts…
Has anyone tried using RAW noodles instead of pre-cooking them? I heard that this could be done but I have never tried it.
Ah the last one I can answer. No-boil lasagna. I used to do that all the time but gave up the practice because of the oven’s power consumption.
The sauce has to be thin rather than chunky (not soupy though) to allow the noodles to cook. And you have to bake your lasagna covered with foil for 45 minutes to an hour. Remove foil and bake uncovered for another 10 to 15 minutes.
I am no expert but I freeze lasagna after baking esp if there is too much leftover that cannot consumed within the next 2-3 days :)
Ms. Connie, can I use a microwave oven for this?
I really don’t know. I’ve reheated lasagna in the microwave but not actually baked in it.
Ms. Connie ,anong klaseng cream ang tinutukoy mo nestle cream ba? cream cheese at nestle cream? Thanks
Nestle is a brand. Cream is generic. Any brand can go into this recipe.
made this last night and it was a blast. loved the cheesey white sauce and so easy to do. used the sharp cheddar and it really tasted good. thanks for another delicious recipe.
hi connie, i love to cook and im happy that i found you and tnx for sharing your recipe to us.
You’re welcome. :)
Wish me luck! I am cooking lasagna with raw noodles- in the microwave as it is hot in the kitchen and do not want the regular oven. I added tomato juice- on the side for lquid for the noodles. I had done this years ago with success…….
Saw an Italian recipe that was facny- but added spinach. will try that next time. Will comment about the results (too much or ok on the tomate juice I added).
Think it is time to take off the plastic wrap.
cooked about 20 minutes so far..
Hi, Connie. Just wondering if this tastes like the filipino-style lasagna like the ones in goldilocks or red ribbon? That’s my favorite dish in both places!
Thanks,
Kay
Sorry, I’ve never eaten lasagna at Goldilocks or Red Ribbon.
this will be our dinner tomorrow… will give you a feedback.
merry Christmas tita connie and family!
Hi Connie, my daughter and I enjoyed making this dish last friday and the whole family loved it. I have been a frustrated cook for the longest time and you and your fantastic step-by-step recipe with pictures gave me hope that I can cook and actually turn out something that can be completely eaten! Thanks for your recipes and your tireless efforts to share them. I shall try the other recipes. Love you!
hi ms. connie! :)
I’m a newbie cook/baker. I made this lasagna recipe last night and my family loved it! Thank you for sharing this. :) I had to make a few adjustments though because some ingredients were unavailable at Landmark Supermarket Trinoma. I used McCormick Oregano (Whole) instead of leaves then regular chorizo bilbao (King Sue brand). May questions lang po ako:
1. Where can I buy spicy chorizo? QC based po ako.
2. Our rectangular bakedish is of the ceramic type, yung white po. I just followed the baking time specified in your recipe, ok pa rin naman yung dish. I was just wondering if you would recommend to shorten the time or lengthen it since mas makapal po yung material niya?
3. Ok lang po ba na parang kumukulo yung sauce while the lasagna is baking in the oven?
Thank you so much, ms. connie! :)
Hi Mintlair.
1. Landmark Trinoma
2. No. Shorten baking time if pan is DARK.
3. Yes.
Thank you, Ms. Connie! :)
Wala lang po sigurong stock ng spicy chorizo sa Landmark yesterday.
I’m really inspired by your blog. Galing nyo pong magluto. :)
Just to clarify… There are different kinds of chorizo, as “chorizo” is just the generic Spanish name for sausage.
Dear Ms. Connie, your white sauce is so different from my bechamel sauce. Another tried & tested tip which I’ve used for years….if you’re preparing for a party or using it as a potluck dish, better to cook the meat sauce at least 2 or 3 days in advance. The ingredients & flavors will totally meld together making the lasagna dish even more delicious. Then bake the lasagna at least 1 day before the party. Allow to cool. Cover w/ a foil. Chill. Then bake again the following day for the party. This will make it easy for us to slice…& definitely it will never crumble or become a mess on the plate…Bon Appetit!
You bake and re-bake and the lasagna spoils fast.
good day, maam, thank you for generously sharing your expertise. i am a culinary newbie and would like to know:
when the direction says “preheat the oven”, how long does it usually take? does it mean that i can put in the lasagna [or whatever it is i am baking] once the oven is “pretty hot” enough, or should i wait for the oven to hit the temp at which i will bake? is preheating arbitrary?
thank you in advance for your response.
Preheating usually takes 10 to 15 minutes. It means wait until the required temperature is reached.
Thank you the recipe is excellent , i tried it today and it turned out good and my family enjoyed it
Hi Ms. Connie,
What’s the effect when you “douse the pasta with very cold water”?
I tried cooking lasagna before and the pasta became crispy, LOL! I should have told them that I would be making “Crispy Lasagna” para excused ang error! haha :D
It just stops the cooking, actually.
hi miss connie goodday, what is the cooking time if i bake it in a microwave oven? tnx
I’m not even sure if you can cook it in the microwave.
miss connie, thanks for sharing your tips, we’ll make our lasagna this afternoon. I would follow your steps. I hope it will come out delicious like yours.
hi miss connie! i love ur lasagna recipe.. but can i use a toaster oven for this? and would be the cooking procedure and cooking time the same? many thanks in advance.
I don’t have an oven toaster, I don’t know what the specs of yours are, so it’s hard to guess.
Wow, that looks very delicious! I’m keeping the URL link for future reference! :)
my very first lasagna, super hit! the recipe was easy to follow and the ingredients are affordable. thanks!
I tried your sauce, ms. connie and its so yummy yet I made my own lasagna noodle.