Is Lasagna Better With Sausage or Beef
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03/30/2009
Having grown up in a family of excellent Italian cooks, I admit I am a "tough room" when it comes to Italian recipes. Despite that, this one is so good that I am sure my mother and grandmother are smiling down from heaven in approval! I saw this same recipe on another site and it only called for 1 teaspoon of salt, not 1 tablespoon. It came out perfect with the lower amount of salt. It also did not call for any salt in the ricotta. I have some recommendations, below: Cut down the water to 1/4 cup. It makes a slightly thicker sauce and I felt the lasagna holds up better that way (although this recipe is good even with more water). Use half parmesan and half romano cheese. It gives a slightly more robust flavor. Put a few tablespoons of the romano/parmesan cheese in with the ricotta mixture. Add a half teaspoon of grated nutmeg in with the ricotta mixture. Increase to one teaspoon of fennel seed. Use 23 ounces of ricotta instead of 16. Use bulk sausage meat if you can find it. Otherwise if you buy link sausage make sure to remove it from the casing and mix it with the ground beef. And finally (and this is very important), make the sauce the night before and leave it in the fridge overnight. The sauce tastes better and better as it sits and develops more richness of body and flavor. Trust me, all of these changes will improve the recipe! Mangia!
10/24/2008
Great recipe, I'll be making this again and again. And finally, I found a lasagna that doesn't fall apart on a plate but isn't dry either! I read a lot of the reviews before deciding on how I was going to make this for the first time. I made the following changes: 1) used 1 lb of ground beef plus the sausage, 2) added a can crushed tomatoes to the sauce to make it a little heartier 3) substituted red wine for the water (wow did that improve the flavor!) 4) added only 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt to the sauce 5) doubled the Italian Seasoning 6) omitted the fennel (don't like it) 7)used 1 lb of mozzarella cheese 8) added 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 8) cooked the noodles by placing them in hot water for 30 mins (worked well, they turn out perfect) 9) used dried parsley because I didn't have fresh stuff. The two things I wish I'd have known prior to making this: use the deepest dish you can find or you won't fit all the layers, and if you like the white cheezy part of the lasagna, you'll definitely need to double the ingredients for the ricotta cheese mixture. The recipe makes barely enough to fully cover my 9 X 13 dish. Hope this helps! Happy cooking!
10/08/2004
I am going to write mt first review ever on this board, and it is for this recipe. I am from the mother country Italy, and this is the closest recipe to ones like home I have found. If you want to try a real italian lasagna, this is the one. The sauce is the key and would be great on anything. I added more garlic, but that was it. My family and friends thought this was a old secret family recipe. It is now and they will never know.
11/08/2007
Absolutely the BEST lasagna I have ever made! Per others' suggestions, I made the following changes: 1) used brown suger instead of white 2) used fresh basil instead of dried 3) used red wine instead of water 4)didn't boil the noodles...just soaked them in hot water while the sauce was cooking. 5) added a couple dashes of nutmeg to the ricotta cheese mixture 6) used shredded mozarella instead of slices. This recipe makes A LOT of sauce. I had about 2 cups left over even after I was generous with it in my layering. My boyfriend LOVED it and said it's the best he's ever had. I didn't find it all that 'labor intensive' to make considering it is lasagna! Thanks for this recipe!
01/12/2010
Believe it, everyone. This lasagna is amazing! I served it tonight to at a dinner party and all my guests raved and went back for seconds! I read all the reviews before I started cooking and here's what I did to the recipe to make it extra yummy - 1. I used a lb. of Italian sausage and 1 1/2 lbs. of lean ground beef. 2. I chopped a medium onion instead of using minced onion. 3. I used six cloves of garlic instead of two. 4. I used a 1/2 c. of red wine instead of water. 5. I used brown sugar instead of white sugar. 6. I used fresh chopped basil and fresh chopped parsley instead of dried. 7. I used 1 teaspoon of salt. 8. I doubled the ricotta. 9. I added 1/2 tsp. of nutmeg to my ricotta mixture. 10. I grated a lb. of mozzarella cheese instead of using sliced mozzarella. Even though this recipe is a little time consuming, it's absolutely worth it!! This is the only lasagna recipe I will ever use from now on!!
10/01/2013
With all of the reviewers' suggestions, this recipe is definitely 5 star. As written, it could use a few improvements. Here is what I did (following others' suggestions in their reviews): - Soak noodles in very hot tap water for up to 30 mins while prepping sauce/ricotta mixture. - Use 1lb ground beef (they sell sweet Italian sausage at Trader Joe's, but I've used pork sausage with sweet chilis and that works, too). - Drain excess liquid after browning meat and before adding onions and garlic, then cook until onions are soft before adding the other ingredients to the sauce. - 6 cloves garlic instead of 2. - Only 6 oz tomato paste, instead of 12oz. - 1 Tablespoon of sugar instead of 2, and 1 teaspoon of salt (instead of 1 Tblsp). - 1/3 cup fresh basil instead of dried, if you have it (dried is fine otherwise). - 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes. - Add 1 Tblsp parmesan and a dash of nutmeg to the ricotta mixture. - I've used both sliced mozz and fresh mozz - both work great. - Layer as follows (from bottom to top): 2 c meat sauce / 6 noodles (overlap them) / 1/2 ricotta mixture / 2 c meat sauce / 1/4 c parmesan / 1/2 of the mozzarella / 2 c meat sauce / 6 noodles / remaining ricotta mixture / 2 c meat sauce / remaining mozzarella / remaining parmesan. - Cover and refrigerate overnight. - Let sit at room temp for an hour before baking. Everything else in the recipe that I haven't mentioned, I followed as written. The lasagna got rave reviews and disappeared
05/05/2003
The very best I've ever made . . . with a few changes to the sauce - red wine instead of water, omit the sugar & salt & add 1/2 tsp cinnamon (from my Italian Nona). Save time & energy by replacing the cooked lasagna noodles with layers of uncooked won ton wrappers which are basically an uncooked noodle. No one will know the difference except to say how great it is because the noodles are not so thick.
02/10/2011
Like many I have a very good lasagna recipe that I have used for years. Once in a while it's fun to change it up. I've tried a couple of the well rated others here but nothing was a great improvement over mine. I had thought this recipe was one I had tried, but it wasn't. This is simply fabulous. The sausage is wonderful in the sauce, subtle but noticeable. The fennel is another added flavour hint making the sauce taste homemade and unique. I like everything as is but do agree that the salt could be cut. I must commend the reviewers who explained how to build 3 layers. Now why didn't I think of that?? Liking the taste of regular lasagna pasta noodles over "oven ready" I have been using the soak in hot water method for a long time and would never do it any other way. Thanks so much for this wonderful addition to my menu
02/10/2011
This was excellent and the sauce had a wonderful flavor! I mostly stuck to the recipe, except it calls for way too much salt. I only used one tsp. Also, when layering the lasagna, you need three layers of noodles (4 ea) to fit the divided ricotta mixture in between. 2 layers wouldn't even work. I used 1/4 of the sauce on the bottom, in between the layers and on top. These are very small changes about only the salt and assembly which I feel are mistakes in the recipe. Also, an ordinary, shallow 13x9 pan would be too small for this. I used a spacious lasagna pan. Thanks for the recipe!
12/31/2011
Too much Tomato Paste for amount of liquid. Bring to a boil impossible without burning. Saved it by dumping a lot of red wine and some water in. Drank rest of red wine and felt better.
02/13/2009
This was awesome. I will only make lasagna this way from now on. Not that my dad's wasn't the best and he is from Italy but this is the recipe I will hand down to my kids. I only made a couple changes and they weren't even that big. I used about 1.4 lbs of meat and I used 1.25 lbs of sweet italian sausage and instead of 28oz of crushed tomatoes I used 14oz and used 14 oz of diced italian tomatoes seasoned with garlic, basil, and oregano. I made the night before so the flavors could marry and used no boil noodles. This is def traditional italian lasagna. Nothing american about this one. It's a must try.UPDATE The no boil noodles didn't work out so well. Just use traditional noodles and use the method of soaking them in hot water for 30 min. Works for me everytime. I also only added 1 tsp of kosher salt and not a tbl, I also added about a half a palm full of crushed red pepper flakes about a tsp to offset the sweetness. My kiddos and husband can't get enough of this. This is def money. Also the secret italian thing is to add a pinch of nutmeg to any sauce and it makes it pop. Why I don't know but my dad taught me and it has never failed me.
02/10/2011
This was excellent and the sauce had a wonderful flavor! I mostly stuck to the recipe, except it calls for way too much salt. I only used one tsp. Also, when layering the lasagna, you need three layers of noodles (4 ea) to fit the divided ricotta mixture in between. 2 layers wouldn't even work. I used 1/4 of the sauce on the bottom, in between the layers and on top. These are very small changes about only the salt and assembly which I feel are mistakes in the recipe. Also, an ordinary, shallow 13x9 pan would be too small for this. I used a spacious lasagna pan. Thanks for the recipe!
09/17/2006
I have been on a long search and agree this is the best lasagna I have found. The sauce is fantastic, which is a big compliment from me as I'm very picky about my sauce. I read a lot of other people's comments. At the end of the day, I made the recipe as written except that I omitted the salt, use 1.25 pounds of ground beef, spicy italian sausage instead of sweet, and used only half the ricotta. How much ricotta you use is really up to personal taste. My view is a little goes a long ways. Several people mentioned doing it in three layers instead of two, but two took it up to the very top of the pan anyway. This recipe is great!
07/23/2001
This is almost my exact recipe for lasagne - except I like to use hot italian sausage and add some chopped mushrooms to the sauce while it is simmering. A dash or two of a good red wine to the sauce isn't a bad addition either. This is an absolutely wonderful dish - a little time consuming, but worth every minute!!
03/24/2010
THE REVIEWS ARE RIGHT! They all have good hints. 1. Soak the noodles for 20 minutes instead of boiling. 2. Omit the sugar and salt: the sausage has tons of salt/sugar as well as the tomato products and most of the reviews that were negative said that it was too salty or sweet 3. I used fresh herbs and LOTS of them including fresh marjoram and tripled the garlic (some of the bad reviews said it was bland so add what you usually like!). 4. Turn that water into red wine!!! 5. Add nutmeg to the ricotta mixture, I used lots of freshly ground nutmeg 6. MAKE TWO DISHES! You're going to be in the kitchen for a while, just double the recipe and freeze the extra one! I took care of 2 birthday parties with one stone so to speak... and EVERYONE RAVED!!!!!! This is not a light lasagna, I served a little portion with lots of steamed asparagus and a light salad (spinach with pomegranate seeds and goat cheese with champagne vinaigrette).
11/14/2007
No question this is an outstanding lasagna. I have had lasagna quite a lot in my life and this one is at the top. The secret, or not so secret, to this recipe is the sauce. I also love love love a good chicken parm and this will be the sauce I will use for my chicken parm from now on. I did make a couple changes that I don't think changed anything. One, reduce the salt content...it calls for too much. Two, use fresh herbs it worth the extra $. In building the lasagna, I tried to slash out some of the fat. It wouldn't be the same with any other meat than is called for so I went after the cheese to reduce the fat and cholesterol. I used non-fat ricotta cheese and lower fat mozz. I still went with the regular parmigiana cheese, however. Other than that I went with the recipe which I almost never do. Give this one a try if you like good dishes like this.
08/29/2001
This recipie was time consuming but easy enough. I was so pleased with it - my husband and I were so busy gobbling it up that I forgot to serve the garlic bread that I had made. My 14 month old was just shoveling it in, going "yum, yum." :) Somewhere along the line, it ended up too salty, so I would adjust that. I used the oven ready lasagna noodles. Sauce would be excellent just over pasta. Couldn't stop stealing some as it was simmering! Am afraid to make this for my Mom - don't want to hurt her feelings - she's worked a long time perfecting hers, but WOW this one was better than Mom's. Thanks for the recipie!
09/29/2009
The secret is the Italian sausage. It really makes the lasagna so much better than the basic hamburger version. Freeze half uncooked for later, you'll crave it again in about a week.
08/13/2009
I must comment on the reactions to the sugar in the sauce...the purpose of the sugar is to counter the bitter back taste of the various tomato products & not to sweeten it. Whenever I make a tomato sauce I taste and determine the amount of sugar needed usually it's about a tsp. I personally have never had to use that much sugar. Obviously the salt was a typo as many have stated, that much salt would give me a stroke. tip: In a small sautee pan put 2 or 3 Tb of olive oil and fresh minced garlic amount according to personal preference. (My family loves garlic so I use approx. 4 to 6 cloves and put it through a garlic press or simply smash) To this I add finely chopped onion, when the onion is tender I add all the seasonings minus the salt and seasonings are quite personal and differ as do people so use what you love, we like a little kick and use red pepper flakes. Turn down the temperature to low after it sizzles, put a lid on and allow to simmer. This is an important step as it infuses the flavors into the scant 'heart healthy' olive oil. Meanwhile cook and crumble desired meats. Lightly SALT your meat but not the sausage! Set aside. (drain the excess oil from the meat). NOTE a very small amount of salt brings out the flavor of your meats. The sauce however,should not be salted. I enjoy the Hunts flavored sauces and sometime will use their spaghetti sauce as a starter for my sauce only because it expedites time. Combine your sauce, meat and sauteed season., simmer/assemble.
12/13/2010
It is truely wonderful, except.....WAY TOO MUCH SALT! I made the recipe to the chef's specifications. I give it 5 stars, because it is awesome, but will omit the salt. The canned items and the sausage give it plenty.
02/27/2010
This is a great recipe, but it's a rip off of The New McCall's Cook Book (1973)
06/27/2007
Made this last night and thought it was horrible! Way too salty and I love salt! I will go back to my regular sauce of 1 large can (28 oz) crushed tomatos and 1 can diced tomatos 3 Tbsp EVOO, 3 cloves garlic, basil, oregano and Tbsp sugar. I'm not sure what went wrong with this except perhaps the salt content in the tomato sauce was high and that threw the whole thing off. My family ate it but asked for me to go back to the regular sauce recipe for next time. It did hold together good and the sliced mozza is a great idea. Also placing the noodles in a casserole pan and soaking in boiling water works very well even with rice pasta, which I have to substitute due to my wheat gluten allergy.
01/31/2001
Not easy, not quick. But oh, it is sooooo worth the wait and the work. I used turkey Italian sausage to cut out some fat, and it was great.
03/11/2008
This lasagna is great and the sauce itself is awesome too. My husband told me that this sauce is better that the one I usually make and that one was from his mother's recipe. This recipe makes a little more sauce that you need so I use the leftover for some pasta or ravioli few days later. I followed some suggestions from the previous reviews and from making this recipe few times here are some things I changed. *Used 1lb each of beef and Italian sausage *Used less salt (only about a teaspoon) *Used only 1 tablespoon of sugar in the sauce *Used wine instead of water *Used fresh chopped basil instead of dry (about ½ cup) *Used "ready to bake" lasagna noodles *Used fresh deli grade ricotta cheese not the processed stuff from the container *Used freshly grated Parmesan cheese This is a 5 start lasagna recipe that it better than the one you order in the restaurant!! I often add spinach (fresh spinach wilted with some butter) to the ricotta cheese and it tastes great. Remember to always use as much fresh ingredients as you can – you will taste the difference (fresh ricotta and Parmesan, add fresh parsley and basil etc) Enjoy! Also, make the sauce a day earlier to save time.
12/27/2000
Really the best!!! The only one that is truly like my grandmother's. The combination of ground beef AND sausage can't be beat!
05/09/2009
OK, I just made this for my family for Mother's Day. I read a LOT of the reviews, and took notes on what each person was suggesting to make it better. It was absolutely the best lasagna I have ever had. Everyone LOVED it. Here are the changes I made after looking through the reviews, so you don't have to spend as much time looking through them: 1. Double the Ricotta. 2. Add some fresh spinach to the ricotta 3. Add a dash of nutmeg to the ricotta 3. Use Cajun sausage instead of sweet (adds a nice little kick) 4. Use a Teaspoon of salt instead of a Tablespoon 5. I used probably 5 more mozzarella slices than suggested. 6. Feel free to be generous with the Parmesan. Extra cheese is a good thing! Enjoy!!
09/05/2001
THIS IS THE MOST DELICIOUS LASAGNA I HAVE EVER EATEN...TIME CONSUMING BUT WORTH IT !!!
04/26/2009
WITH ALL DUE RESPECT TO THE OWNER OF THE RECIPE A 9 X 13 IS NOT BIG ENOUGH I ASSEMBLED IT VERY CAREFULLY FOLLOWING THE DIRECTIONS BUT AT THE 2ND LAYER THE PAN WAS TOPPED I COULD NOT FIT THE REST I TRANSFERED EVERYTHING TO A BIGGER PAN BIG MESS!!! THANK GOD I'M NOT HAVING ANYONE OVER SO MUCH WORK FOR A MESSY LASAGNA!!! VERY DISSAPOINTED
02/21/2008
I find it strange that I am going against over 1200 people's opinions but this was quite possibly the worst lasagna I have ever had! It was dry, had a funny taste and was truly a waste of time and ingredients. No one out of my family of six liked this in the least! I guess though that when u have a lasagna recipe that you've grown up with as I do, then different ones just don't compare.
05/19/2001
I make this sauce by itself all the time to use with spaghetti. I also use ground turkey breast and turkey sausage to cut down on the fat and it's really, really good. Everyone who has tried it loves it!
09/29/2001
This Lasanga is delicious. I used this recipe the first time I made lasanga, and I will probably never try another recipe. People beg for me to make it...
02/25/2001
Absolutely the best. Used Italian tomatoes, paste & sauce & fresh lasagna. Everyone loved it!
03/26/2001
Delicious! I used 1 lb beef, 1 lb sausage filling (casings removed) and colby jack cheese as well as mozzarella. It is better the next day, and the meat sauce is just as good on its own, on spaghetti, etc. Wonderful recipe.
03/23/2006
Sorry, we did not care for this. We found the flavors very overpowering. Guess we are looking for a receipe that blends together better. But thanks.
02/08/2011
This pasta sauce is excellent. We made it for pasta sauce an were so impressed. The fennel seeds really add greatly to the flavor and this was just w/ hamburger meat. I cant wait to make this recipe in its entirety and enjoy it. I will go to Whole foods for the meats and Central Market for the vegetables.
05/02/2009
Best? You must be kidding me. I made this today, it is way too salty with the recommended salt quantity. I followed every step, I even starved myself and my husband to wait for the meat sauce to simmer for more than one hour. iOther reviewer are just to kind I guess... People, be honest! you're leading people like me into wrong direction. I wouldn't recommend this.
12/26/2001
Good stuff! A bit too sweet & a bit too salty -- I would cut both the sugar & salt in half. Otherwise very good though, will replace my other lasagna recipes for this one. It is essential to simmer the sauce for at least an hour and a half, more if you have time.
11/19/2001
I made this for my boyfriend on his birthday, He loved it. I thought it was wonderful also. The best I have ever made.
02/19/2011
Awesome flavor! I will double this sauce and then freeze portions for other future Italian meals. Here's my secret for lasagna: Don't cook the noodles in water. They are much easier to work with uncooked. Add an extra cup of water to the sauce per 13 X 9 pan. Assemble the night before, cover & refrigerate over night. Either bring it to room temperature before baking OR add extra time (15-30 min) to baking time. Bonus of refrigerating over night is that the flavors "blossom".
02/12/2008
A nice recipe that was well received by the family. I was really expecting a lot more after reading the numerious reviews raving about this dish. The dish was ok, not "world's best" by any stretch. Definitely cut back on the salt; with all the cheese it is salty enough without it!
11/15/2004
I usually make the sauce from this recipe to serve on top of baked ziti at family gatherings, to appease both meat eaters and non. Other reviewers mention salt concerns. When I DO make the recipe in its entirety, I leave the salt out of the cheese mixture altogether. I think the salt could be lowered in the sauce as well with equally good results. I have found that adding even a little too much fresh parsley can SERIOUSLY change the flavor of the sauce. I recommend adding it at the tail end of the sauce cook time, to taste. Lower by half or omit the parsley in the cheese mixture altogether. I make the sauce in the slow cooker (less mess). Next time I might switch to dried parsley, as it is less potent and less likely to 'build' in flavor over time.
02/10/2011
This was excellent and the sauce had a wonderful flavor! I mostly stuck to the recipe, except it calls for way too much salt. I only used one tsp. Also, when layering the lasagna, you need three layers of noodles (4 ea) to fit the divided ricotta mixture in between. 2 layers wouldn't even work. I used 1/4 of the sauce on the bottom, in between the layers and on top. These are very small changes about only the salt and assembly which I feel are mistakes in the recipe. Also, an ordinary, shallow 13x9 pan would be too small for this. I used a spacious lasagna pan. Thanks for the recipe!
05/18/2008
Very unimpressed. The sauce was so sweet..not authentic italian if that is what you are lokking for. Waste of time and money!
01/30/2012
I made this thinking that it was going to turn out great considering the number of positive reviews. :(. There is WAY too much salt. It was so salty and I was so disappointed to serve this to my guests. Please fix the amount of salt. Horrible waste of food I can't eat the leftovers.
12/27/2010
Three of my friends and I all made this recipe separately within a few weeks of each other. We each followed the recipe exactly. We all agreed it was the weirdest lasagna we have ever eaten.
01/19/2012
To me, this was just OK. I don't think there's nearly enough cheese and it was just so heavy with all the meat. I think it's just my personal tastes that I prefer a lighter version of lasagne. It was very expensive too, so I guess I expected it to taste out-of-this world and so I felt a bit let down.
11/13/2008
I am so disapointed with this recipe. Reading all the reviews, I really thought this would be worth the work. Unfortunately, even though I followed exactly as written, it came out too salty, and too sweet at the same time. Very hard to finish a whole piece. My kids were begging me to let them not finish their piece. It isn't horrible, but for the time and effort it takes to make, it is definately NOT worth it. I didn't understand why raters loved this one so much. No vegetables made this lasagna so incredibly heavy and hard to digest. I am so sorry, but will never make again. Will stick to my usual much more simple, faster recipe that is also way healthier.:( thanks for sharing though!
11/29/2001
Absolutely the world's best. I have made this with beef, and also with ground turkey and turkey sausage... it is equally as good as my dad's world's famous lasagna (which is saying a lot)
10/15/2008
Too salty and too tomato-y and just not very good at all.
10/15/2001
Very, very good lasagna. My husband and daughter truly loved this recipe, but my picky eater son did not. His loss! This recipe does take some time to assemble, but is worth the effort if you're craving a good lasagna. We made the sauce the day before and that seemed to help.
12/06/2011
Sorry, Johnchandler. My family and I have had lasagnas that required way less work with far fewer ingredients that have tasted infinitely better.
02/06/2011
Fantastic recipe. I didn't change a thing. In fact, the meat sauce in this recipe has become my go-to for rotini bakes, manicotti or anything else that Sunday dinner needs!
10/17/2010
Sooo yummy! The sauce can be used as a spagetti sauce too.
01/28/2002
This was a great lasagna. I especially like the sauce - wonderful flavor. I would cut the amount of meat & sausage to 1# total, however. It seemed like too much meat to me. I will keep this recipe & make again.
04/02/2009
The lasagna just didn't taste good. Too much meat, not enough cheese, and something off about the spices. I don't recommend this recipe.
07/24/2005
My husband loved this lasagna, but I thought it was waaay too salty! I would omit some of the salt. Also, it isn't the lasagna for you if you like a cheesy lasagna, this had so much meat, I had leftover to freeze for spaghetti sauce another night! Overall, it was OK for as long as it takes. The meat sauce is really good though, and I might use it again.
09/04/2007
This is a good basic start, however, I felt it calls for too much salt and sugar. I always add a pinch of sugar to neutralize the acid in tomato sauce, however, what I add is based on taste, and taste only. Some canned tomatoes and pastes have a sweeter taste than others, so I use taste as my only means for adding sugar. This recipe was salt heavy for me - I've never added salt to ricotta and won't. Real ricotta has such a smooth, delicate flavor; I can't imagine what salt might do to it. This is also very meaty. Though I prefer the blend of sausage/beef, I think it's a matter of personal preference. I also agree it needs more cheese, and we add different varities. This is a good, basic recipe - add & modify as you wish, it is a solid foundation.
02/01/2011
Not the best lasagna.
07/17/2007
Good! I would add more garlic and Italian seasoning. I decreased the salt per the reviews. Maybe if I added the whole amount of salt I may not have to add more seasoning. I thought this Lasagna was so creamy. I usually use 1/2 Ricotta and half cottge chese. I think I would do Ricotta cheese only. I will make again to see if my own recommendations will make it the Best Lasagna. I do not think simmering the meat/sauce is necessary. 4/8/15- I decreased the tomato paste, used oregano instead of italian seasoning and used shredded mozarella cheese as MertroWestJP suggested. I added more garlic and a splash of red wine. I think the fennel is a must; decrease the fennel per your liking. No salt was added to the recipe. As I said in my previous one of the creamiest lasagna's I have ever made?
12/26/2010
I made the lasagna this Christmas eve for my Italian family and no one enjoyed the recipe. The sauce was not hearty enough, too overloaded with meat. The ricotta mixture was too dry and left a weird "coating" in your mouth after eating. I have made homemade sauce and lasagna many times with a family recipe, thought I would try something different. Will NEVER repeat. Not for the authentic Italian taste buds.
01/23/2011
This is the best lasagna! My husband who is not a huge fan of Lasagna but really liked this one and even commented on it (this is huge for him) I didnt change anything when making it for lasagna but did add more sauce and a little more water for spaghetti. Such a great recipe and the rocotta is not to much either... thanks for sharing and ENJOY!
10/13/2010
What a huge disappointment!!! Being a big fan of lasange and Italian food in general, when I saw this recipe and the reviews it was receiving I had to try it. I followed the recipe exactly. Maybe it's an American taste thing but Italian food should not be that sweet, it was like eating a dessert. I know I'm in the minority here, not liking this recipe, but as a fan of fine Italian cuisine I felt so strongly about this recipe I joined this site just to warn people away from it.
12/15/2010
I also added 1/8 c red wine, 1/8 c olive oil, and 2 bay leaves to the sauce. I let the sauce simmer for a couple of hrs to let the flavors mix together. I also used fresh (block) of parmesan...tastes SO much better than the powdered stuff! I cut the sausage/ground beef in half, due to not liking that much meat in my lasagna. A very good recipe....my family loved it!
01/15/2008
This lasagna was reallllly bland. Waste of time and money.
12/31/2010
REALLY good lasagne recipe! I love the combo of the sausage and the beef!
04/18/2009
For the thousands of five star reviews I was very surprised and disappointed in how bland this recipe was. I made this for Easter which was a big mistake because I was trying to impress my guests. It made a huge amount but no one said a word and there was more than half left over that I ended up throwing away. :o( I followed the recipe to the letter so I don't what went wrong. I won't be making this again. Too much work and very bland.
09/01/2008
too salty! did i do something wrong?
12/15/2010
this really is the world's best lasagna. i did not change a thing. i just split up the layers into three. amazing. thank you for posting. this is a keeper.
12/12/2018
Excellent recipe! Everyone loved it! I followed another reviewers advice and put my noodles in a pan with hot water to soften while I finished gathering ingredients. (20 minutes or so) It saved me having to wash a big pot just for the noodles plus they were much easier to use!
01/23/2011
this was ok. very greasy. and expensive. i make a simple lasagna from kraftfoods site that is much easier and better.
10/23/2001
I usually throw a lasagne together but decided to try this one. We thought it was excellent, and I used a soy-based sausage and didn't have quite enough mozzaarella so used colby. I'd recommend following the recipe closely; I think it is how it is put together that makes it good. I had more than enough sauce so set some aside for baked eggplant later.
01/23/2011
I don't get why people think this recipe is so good? It's perfectly fine, but not great. Obviously all lasagna recipes are about the same...it's the sauce that makes the difference from one recipe to the next, and this was a very average sauce, and a bit too thick. I will say because it is so benign, it was very kid friendly. It did set up perfectly, but honestly, between this and a jar of Ragu, by the time you add the meat, onions and garlic, not sure you could really tell much difference. I used all top-shelf ingredients, including real Italian Ricotta cheese, and a better brand of motz cheese, and I made it the night before and baked the next afternoon. It was perfectly "fine", and everyone cleaned their plates, but no one thought it was "great"…I had six family members over for dinner, so you know I got an honest opinion! I knew the sauce wasn't great before I began assembly…lesson learned, don't assembly until you love the sauce...keep working on the texture and the flavor before layering! I also doubled the sauce and made this a three layer pan. The photo attached is NOT a photo of this recipe, as the original recipe is only two layers.
07/10/2011
I guess with a name like "World's Best", there should be no doubt about it, right? Thank you for sharing, however, the "world's best" would definitely call for fresh basil, not dried. Also, I use fresh oregano, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf in the gravy, not italian seasoning, along with a touch of red wine. Really and truly makes all the difference. Also, there is a secret ingredient that the most AMAZING italian cooks use in their gravy but I just can't mention it here... This recipe is ok but sorry, not the world's best.
05/20/2011
This lasagna was not for us. My husband and I like meaty, spicy italian food so I was looking forward to making "the world's best lasagna". I know the recipe called for sugar & sweet italian sausage but the sweetness was over powering. A lot of work for little reward.
10/29/2001
This is really a finger licking World's best Lasagna !!
01/30/2002
This lasagna was so good. I will continue to make it. It was a big hit with all who ate it. I would not change anything about it. The sauce was excellent!
05/17/2007
I made this the other day, and everyone thought it was pretty good...just not the best. I followed the recipe, but cut the salt way down. I also let it sit overnight in the fridge to meld, which did add a lot to the flavor. Still, my daughter said it was good, but said she preferred my normal lasagna recipe. My boyfriend thought it was decent the first day, but when he had it for lunch the next day, he upgraded his opinion to "very good." I will probably make this one again, though, and add some fresh basil and oregano.
09/24/2007
1. Use only a one third of the salt. 2. I did not fine a sweet Italian sausage and use local substitute, one advise. Frankly I did not understand how to process the sausage and I cut it on thin slices. But because the sausage was a raw one in process of cocking the sausage chunks became big. So my advice is to refrigerate the sausage than leave it on warm place for about 20-30 minutes and before its complete unfreezing cut it on very thin pieces. It's condition will allow you to cut it on very thin pieces. 3. I make the lasagna with Barilla products and I did not soak the lasagna noodles in the water. Instead I pour the water from one pack of the mozzarella cheese over the lasagna before the backing. 4. And I use approximate 22 lasagna noodles. (Please excuse my bad English!)
03/14/2011
Made this recipe to a T...at first. The sauce has a nice flavor, but made as the recipe calls leaves it very salty. I ended up adding a bit more sugar to even the ratio out. But let's be honest--for the time, effort, and expense, this quite literally tastes like a Stouffer's! It is not unique enough to be "world's best." There's an Italian restaurant an hour away from where I live that truly has the best lasagna ever. Once it's gone, it's gone--they make a certain number of batches a day. If I ever figure out their recipe, I think we can crown a new lasagna.
11/13/2001
Now I am not a cook but this impressed everyone! The only thing I added was marinated mushrooms. My husband, who is an excellant cook, really loved it. It did take a little time and made a mess in my kitchen but was well worth it.
05/25/2009
I can't believe that I doubted my own judgement and went along with putting the whole tablespoon of salt in! WAY to much salt and very dry. I even went back to the recipe to see if I had in fact made a mistake and used the salt that was supposed to go into the water for the pasta. I can't believe that there are so many positive comments....oh well, next time I'll have to read alot further back in the reviews.
09/30/2001
Yummy! Takes some time to prepare but it's worth the effort. The only change I'll make next time is to reduce the salt by about 1/2 and throw in some other veggies like celery, mushrooms or maybe some red or green peppers. This will be a regular in our home!
02/17/2010
I was very disappointed with this recipe. My mom has made the most phenomenal, tasty lasagne I've ever had, but I decided to venture out and try this one. I had company over and served this, but thought it was so bland that I apologized. I did everything the recipe said, and I had all the ingredients, there was just NOT enough flavor. I won't be making this again, and I am going straight back to my mom's incredible recipe.
02/26/2007
I made this lasagna for friends and family, and everyone loved it!
08/04/2008
it was alright but still not the best
05/28/2010
Look elsewhere! I am a pretty darn good cook....and this is tasteless and boring! I did not care for it at all.
08/29/2011
I tried this recipe and absolutely didn't enjoy it. My boyfriend literally asked me why I switched from my lasagna recipe (which he really enjoys) to this one.
11/09/2010
my kids ate this right up and compared it to being just as good or better than the spagetti factory...thanks.
01/09/2011
okay...wayyyyy over rated... and waaaaaaay too salty... this lasagna certainly wasn't bad but in No way was i blown away...it was just fine...would have rather saved myselft the all afternoon of preparing it and opened a jar of ragu..that has much more flavor..the only flavor in this is using the sweet sausage and i do that all the time..just sayin...reviews are way to generous.
09/18/2002
This recipe kicks lasagna butt. It has officially replaced any other lasagna recipe I have used or would even consider using in the future. I cooked the sauce for 4 hours, and will cook it even longer next time - it just gets better and better. My suggestions: no sugar, no salt, hot italian sausages. I made Terri McCarrell's "Foccaccia Bread" recipe, and came up with my new most FAVORITE meal.
01/05/2011
I thought it was pretty good, but I added more spices! IT NEEDS MORE GARLIC!!! I love garlic and I added lots :)
02/18/2011
I made it. I loved it. That's all you need to know.
04/28/2008
Definitely not world's best--it was runny and not worth the trouble to make. Tasted OK the first night but was too soggy to enjoy the leftovers. My guests said they liked it but no one took seconds. :( I'll stick to stouffer's from now on...
02/10/2010
I did the recipe with no changes....as my niece would say "NO LIKEY". Worst lasange I've ever made.
04/13/2011
I am not impressed. I followed directions exactly. Did not change even one little thing this lasagna turned out dry and virtually tasteless. And the texture of the ricotta cheese was a real turn off for me personally although hubby said he didn't mind it. Will not be repeating this. It was a lot of work for a very disappointing dinner.
02/07/2011
There are better recipes out there for my taste that satisfies my family. Tyler Florenece's meets those needs.
10/29/2011
Sorry, I don't understand the appeal. I made this recipes exactly as described. It was WAY too cheesy and runny. We called it "the meat slop." Too much meat and cheese and sauce.
03/10/2009
I am really sorry but I do not think this ws great at all. I did not mind the work involved but it was a big waste of ingredients as here is my usual recipe for lasagna.....2 tins Campbells Tomato soup, 1 pd ground beef, 1 package Lawrey's spagetti sauce mix, Italian spices, garlic. Cook meat then just heat sauce until hot. Layer with 1 500 ml cottage cheese with one egg mixed in and Parmesan cheese. Also a layer of mozarella and mozarella cheese on top. Very simple but personally I thought much better and cheaper than the "World's Best Lagagna".
01/24/2010
All I can say is I did not like this at all!
Source: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/23600/worlds-best-lasagna/
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