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I am not Italian. At all. No little, old Italian grandmas in the kitchen, cooking up vats of gravy, and brasciole, and manicotti, and whatever else it is that Italian and Italian-American grandmas are always stereotypically making. But I love Italy, and Italian food,though I have to admit that after several trips to Italy, I am a bit spoiled, and Italian food here in America just doesn’t quite live up to my expectations anymore.
But for some reason, when I have to make a large amount of something, I often fall back on Baked Ziti, or Stuffed Shells, or this Lasagna. This lasagna is amazing. It is called the World’s Best Lasagna, and while I can’t verify that the research was actually done to make this claim, in is definitely the best lasagna I’ve ever made. The sauce is so flavorful from having both beef and sausage, there is the perfect amount of cheese, and it all comes together into the perfect bite of hot, cheesy, meaty, saucy deliciousness.
Since it is so good, I have no intentions of changing it or making it my own. I only make a few minor substations and changes – turkey sausage instead of pork sausage, a little less salt and sugar. Oh, and I use no boil noodles (Barilla!!) because this recipe is enough work as it is. And actually, I think the no boil noodles absorb some of the excess moisture so that you get nice slices, instead of a big pile of slop.
Like I said, this recipe is fairly time intensive. I usually make the sauce the day before I plan to assemble the lasagna. This time, it wasn’t even baked until the day after that, so this is definitely one you can make ahead of time. I’ve even frozen it unbaked, and it still turn out fabulous. And I usually make two, because it is only a small amount of additional work. This time I was bringing one to a mom in my mom’s group who just had her third daughter. The other one was for my dad, since he was babysitting The Bug ALL DAY, and I know they both love it. The Bug and The Hubby even had it reheated a couple nights later for dinner. Truthfully, that is when I took these pictures. And it still looks yummy, right?! And, since it makes so much (and sadly I cannot eat it – boo hoo!), we even have some individual portions still in our freezer.
Oh, and for a gluten-free option, I took a little of the filling components, I made a mini-lasagna using roasted eggplant slices as noodles. It was a bit sloppy, but still tasted awesome. Next time, though, I might just use the raw eggplant, and let it cook through during the baking process
You can find the World’s Best Lasagna recipe HERE. Try it!
What was/is your favorite dish of your grandmother’s? Mine was either her chicken noodle soup, or when she made me meatballs out of the stuffed cabbage filling, since I wouldn’t eat cabbage. Oh, and she made the best bowls of cream of wheat.
Oh, and don’t forget about my Chobani giveaway!
Enjoy!
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Enjoy!
{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
Meatballs. Italian grandmothers make lots of meatballs. At least, mine did.
Lasagna is always super yummy, but your’s looks soooo nice. I can never get my pieces to come out that perfectly. The noodles always slide off. What’s your secret?
Kim @ Treats & Trinkets recently posted…Frozen Peach Yogurt Cream
Mmmm, another thing I have not yet perfected. I still need my ultimate meatball recipe! Well, this is a little bit of “food styling magic”. I cut it cold, then reheated in to microwave to make it gooey again. Shh, don’t tell!
My grandmas Soft and fluffy sugar cookies with icing are hands down the most memorable food I will keep in my life
Oooh, that sounds wonderful!
http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/indy_style/kitchen/holiday-memories
There they are….Im big into the food scene and Ms. Chubley asked if I would share them on our local talk show Indy Style
Very cool! And they sound and look delicious!
This lasagna recipe looks amazing and could easily be the worlds best
CJ at Food Stories recently posted…Spaghetti al Limone
If it isn’t THE best, then it probably ranks pretty high.
I’d have to say it was my Grandmother’s Lasagna with the vats of gravy and meat (sausage, pork, meatballs and brasciole!) I’m 1/2 Italian! lol This looks fabulous and eggplant is a great alternative. I also recently tried it with zucchini and it was amazing!
CarriesExpKtchn recently posted…Cinco de Mayo Recipe Ideas
Oooh her lasagna sounds fabulous. I bet the sauce was incredible with the different flavors of all of the meats. I was actually thinking of trying it with zucchini, too.
Hi Brianne, I just love love lasagna!! Thanks for sharing your recipe! I gotta have some today.
kassandra14 recently posted…California Car Insurance
Well if you can make it here, I can give you a slice from my freezer
This really does look like an amazing lasagna. Will have to give it a try.
As for my favorite dish of my grandmother’s, I never got to try any of it! She always lived in Korea while I was in the States. Sad, I know, but lots of food bloggers post their grandmothers recipes so it works out!
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious recently posted…Honey Cornbread Donuts and Mini Muffins with Lemon Sugar Topping
Oh, and I bet she had some amazing recipes! Korean is one type of food I have wanted to try, but haven’t yet.
I do love lasagne! I think the eggplant is a great idea! I have been working on gluten free pasta (from rice) and will let you know how it progresses!
Yes, do let me know. I have tried quinoa and brown rice pasta, but I haven’t seen gluten-free lasagna noodles yet.
Morning Brianne!
I also have a to die for recipe, but I will definitely give yours a try :~D
I have an eggplant lasagne that I make all the time, and here is what I do.
I slice my eggplant into sheets, and then egg and flour them, do them up in the frying pan until crisp on either side. They are used for my layers in place of pasta.
Wonderful! The lasagne does not get sloppy, and it is so good!
Thank you for sharing
Have a Joyful Day
Charlie
That sounds good – wonder if it will work well with gluten-free flour.
Brianne:
I’m not sure, as I have never used gluten free flour.
The old saying goes “You will never know until you try”
I would give it a try!
Have a Joyful Day!
Charlie
Yep, it is worth a try.
mmm that looks so good!
kat recently posted…May the 4th be with you
Thank you!
Brianne:
You should do a search online for gluten free lasagne noodles. They are out there.
Charlie
Yes, I haven’t looked for it, but I will have t try. Though getting in some extra veggies is never a bad thing, right?
The secret to most “casseroles”, is just like meat… they need to “rest” before cutting into them. They will reabsorb some of the moisture and firm up a bit.
Yes, that does help with the “real” lasagna. With the eggplant, there was nothing to absorb the excess liquid. But then again, maybe I was just hungry, so I dug right in.
Try adding a little Asiago too…. yours is similiar to mine.
Debbie
Mmm, Asiago sounds like a great idea.
I want to try making my own lasagna and I think I’ll consult this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Check it out – it is so good!
Your lasagna looks amazing! I think I’ll try it out today.
My Omi (dad’s mom) used to make the BEST turkey soup – it was the best treat. That, and these german buns with bacon and onion inside (called schpekuchen – and I know that’s not how it’s spelled!). I really miss those!
Sorry for taking so long to reply. Blog activity has been slow. I wish I could take credit for the recipe – just happy I could share it. Oh, those buns sound wonderful.