Best Classic Lasagna
A classic lasagna features a meaty sauce, noodles, and three cheeses, suitable for freezing before or after baking.
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Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 F. Concurrently, start boiling salted water for the lasagna noodles.
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Sauté onion and garlic in 3 tablespoons of olive oil until soft, then brown the ground beef.
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Stir in the tomato paste for 3 minutes until bubbling, then add water, tomatoes, salt, basil, cayenne pepper, and bay leaf; stir well.
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Reduce heat and simmer the sauce, uncovered, for 15 minutes until thickened.
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Cook the lasagna noodles as package directs, drain, and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
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Spread 4 to 6 tablespoons of sauce to cover the bottom of a 3-quart baking dish.
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Layer with noodles, one-third of the remaining sauce, half of the ricotta cheese, a few tablespoons of Parmesan, and one-third of the mozzarella cheese.
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Repeat with another layer of noodles, one-third of the remaining sauce, the rest of the ricotta, a few tablespoons of Parmesan, and one-third of the mozzarella.
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Finish with the last layer of noodles, the remaining sauce, Parmesan, and mozzarella cheese.
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Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes; cover with foil if the top browns too quickly.
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Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.