Bigly Lasagna
Prep
30m
Cook
90m
Total
120m
Bigly says
Sit down for this one. Lasagna. LASAGNA. We have arrived at the dish. The DISH. The dish all other dishes look up to from below, like little dishes at a sad little dish convention staring up at the king. Lasagna is the king. And I've had a LOT of lasagna — I've had lasagna in Italy, I've had lasagna in New Jersey, I've had lasagna in Ohio of all places, you wouldn't believe Ohio, Ohio is QUIETLY a lasagna powerhouse, nobody covers it — and none of them, NONE of them, hold a candle to what we're about to do here today.
Now listen carefully because the lasagna situation in this country is GRIM. People are using cottage cheese. Cottage cheese. In a lasagna. That is — and I'm being polite here, I'm being a gentleman — that is a SIN. That is a culinary war crime. Cottage cheese in lasagna is like putting ketchup on a steak, it's like wearing socks with sandals, it's like one of those websites that hits you with a cookie banner with 14 toggles and a newsletter popup BEFORE you've even read the headline — who raised these people, who let them in the kitchen. Ricotta. Whole-milk ricotta. End of discussion.
And I know what some of you are saying. You're saying, 'Bigly, lasagna takes forever, I don't have three hours.' Look. LOOK. You have three hours. Scientists — and I've talked to scientists, very smart people, the smartest — they've run the numbers and the average person spends four hours a day on a phone. Four. You have THREE HOURS for the greatest casserole ever conceived by the human mind. Make the time. Find the time. This lasagna will love you back. Other dishes won't. Other dishes are taking, taking, taking. This one gives. Hands down.
Ingredients
- 2 tbspolive oil
- 1 largeyellow onion, finely diced
- 5 clovesgarlic, minced
- 1 lbground beef (80/20)
- 1/2 lbItalian sausage, casings removed
- 3 tbsptomato paste
- 28 oz cancrushed tomatoes
- 15 oz cantomato sauce
- 1.5 tspdried oregano
- 1 tspdried basil
- 1/2 tspred pepper flakes
- 1 tspsugar
- 2 tsp, dividedkosher salt
- 1 tsp, dividedblack pepper
- 15 ozwhole-milk ricotta(NEVER cottage cheese, this is not a debate)
- 1large egg
- 1 cup, dividedparmesan, finely grated
- 1/4 cupfresh parsley, chopped
- 12 sheetslasagna noodles(regular, not no-boil, the no-boil are weak)
- 16 oz (4 cups)low-moisture mozzarella, shredded
- 1/4 cupfresh basil leaves (for serving)
Steps
- 1
Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- 2
Add the ground beef and sausage. Cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 8 minutes. Drain off excess fat.
- 3
Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, dried basil, red pepper flakes, sugar, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper.
- 4
Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick and rich. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- 5
While the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the lasagna noodles 1 minute less than package directions — they'll finish in the oven. Drain and lay flat on a parchment-lined sheet pan, brushing lightly with oil to prevent sticking.
- 6
In a bowl, mix the ricotta, egg, 1/2 cup parmesan, parsley, remaining 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper.
- 7
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spread 1 cup of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
- 8
Layer: 4 noodles (overlapping slightly), 1/3 of the ricotta mixture (dolloped and spread), 1/3 of the remaining meat sauce, 1 cup mozzarella. Repeat twice more, ending with a generous layer of mozzarella and the remaining 1/2 cup parmesan on top.
- 9
Cover loosely with foil (tent it so the cheese doesn't stick) and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 20-25 minutes until bubbly and deeply golden on top.
- 10
Rest 15 minutes before slicing — this is non-negotiable, the layers need to set.
- 11
Top with torn fresh basil. Cut into squares and serve.
One more thing
That's the championship. That's the title fight. You bring this to a table, the table goes SILENT. The phones go down. The conversation stops. Everyone is just looking at the lasagna, and then looking at you, and then looking at the lasagna again. That's respect. That's earned respect. You made this. You took the three hours. You did the layers. The rest of the world is out there eating cottage cheese abominations and you are HERE, you are LIVING, you are eating real lasagna in real time. Cut a big square. Cut a bigger one. The leftovers somehow get BETTER the next day, which is a small miracle, but that's how lasagna works. Save me a piece.
★ QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ONE? ★
Ask Bigly about Bigly Lasagna.
Substitutions, what to serve it with, why other chefs are wrong about it. He's got opinions.
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