Jamie’s Signature Lasagna
This is the lasagna people ask for by name. The one that gets requested for birthdays and holidays and any time there is a gathering big enough to justify making a pan this size. A slow-simmered meat sauce built from five pounds of ground beef and Italian sausage with San Marzano tomatoes, red wine, and fresh basil, layered with a whipped ricotta and cottage cheese mixture spread directly onto every pasta sheet, and then fresh sliced mozzarella, shredded mozzarella, and freshly shredded Parmesan piled on between every layer. Covered and baked low and slow then uncovered at high heat until the top is golden and bubbly and the whole kitchen smells like Sunday dinner.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Jamie's Signature Lasagna
- Main Ingredients: The Meat Sauce, ground beef, links Italian sausage, McCormick Perfect Pinch Italian Seasoning, cans Cento San Marzano chopped tomatoes, red wine, A few fresh basil leaves, The Whipped Ricotta and Cottage Cheese Layer
- Why You'll Love It: This signature lasagna layers a slow-simmered San Marzano meat sauce with a whipped ricotta and cottage cheese mixture, fresh sliced mozzarella, shredded mozzarella, and Parmesan for a rich, hearty family-style lasagna.
This is not a weeknight lasagna. It takes time and it is worth every minute of it. The slow simmer is what develops the depth in the sauce. The blended ricotta and cottage cheese together is what makes the cheese layer silky and rich rather than grainy and dense. The combination of fresh sliced and freshly shredded mozzarella is what produces that pull in every slice. There are no shortcuts here and that is exactly the point.
Ingredients Needed
The Meat Sauce
Five pounds of ground beef and three links of Italian sausage browned together produce a rich, deeply meaty sauce base. Cento San Marzano chopped tomatoes are specifically recommended — the quality of the tomatoes is directly reflected in the finished sauce. McCormick Perfect Pinch Italian Seasoning, red wine, and a few fresh basil leaves season and round the sauce out during the long simmer.
The Whipped Cheese Layer
Ricotta and cottage cheese blended smooth together with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt. The cottage cheese adds a slight tang and a lighter texture that keeps the ricotta layer from being too dense. Blended together they produce something smoother, creamier, and more spreadable than plain ricotta alone.
The Cheese Layers
Fresh sliced mozzarella adds a creamy, slightly milky layer that melts differently than shredded. Freshly shredded mozzarella adds the stretchy pull. Freshly shredded Parmesan adds a salty, nutty, slightly sharp depth throughout. All three together are what makes this lasagna taste the way it does.
How to Make Jamie’s Signature Lasagna
Step 1: Make the Meat Sauce
Brown the ground beef and Italian sausage together in a large pot over medium-high heat, breaking them apart as they cook. Drain excess grease. Add the Italian seasoning, San Marzano tomatoes, and red wine. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes then add a few fresh basil leaves and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
Step 2: Make the Whipped Cheese Layer
While the sauce simmers combine the ricotta, cottage cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt in a food processor or a tall vessel with an immersion blender. Blend until completely smooth and creamy.
Step 3: Build the Lasagna
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spread a layer of meat sauce across the bottom of a large baking dish. Spread each no-boil lasagna sheet generously with the whipped ricotta mixture then place it in the dish cheese side up. Top with meat sauce, shredded mozzarella, sliced fresh mozzarella, and freshly shredded Parmesan. Repeat the layers until the pan is about three-quarters full. Do not fill to the top.
Step 4: Bake Covered Then Uncovered
Cover tightly with foil and bake at 375°F for 1 hour. Remove the foil, increase the oven temperature to 400°F, and bake on the top rack until the cheese is fully melted, deeply golden, and bubbling. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
Storing and Reheating
Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. This lasagna reheats beautifully. Cover individual portions with foil and reheat in a 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or microwave on medium power in 60-second intervals. The flavor deepens overnight and many people consider the leftover lasagna better than day one. Freeze fully cooled lasagna tightly wrapped for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat covered in the oven.
Jamie’s Signature Lasagna
Ingredients
Method
- In a large pot, brown the ground beef and Italian sausage together over medium-high heat, breaking apart as they cook. Drain excess grease.
- Add the Italian seasoning, San Marzano chopped tomatoes, and red wine. Stir to combine.
- Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. Add a few fresh basil leaves and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
- While the sauce simmers, combine the ricotta, cottage cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt in a food processor or use an immersion blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Start with a layer of meat sauce spread across the bottom of a large baking dish.
- Spread each no-boil lasagna sheet with a layer of the whipped ricotta mixture then place it into the dish cheese side up.
- Top with meat sauce, shredded mozzarella, sliced mozzarella, and freshly shredded Parmesan. Repeat the layers — pasta, ricotta mixture, meat sauce, cheese — until the pan is about three-quarters full.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake at 375°F for 1 hour.
- Uncover, increase the oven to 400°F, and bake on the top rack until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and deeply golden brown.
- Let rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving.