Extra Cheese Lasagne

This is the lasagne to make when you actually want to cook. Homemade egg pasta gets rolled into 13-inch sheets, layered with a garlicky ricotta and spinach filling, then blanketed in three different cheeses (sharp provolone, melty mozzarella, and salty grated parmesan) at every layer for serious cheese pull.

Using Roma tomatoes for the sauce gives you a sweeter, less acidic base that holds up against all those cheeses without overpowering. The covered-then-uncovered baking approach is what creates a deeply melded interior with a perfectly bronzed top.

Pro Tips

• Roll the fresh pasta truly thin. Thick noodles take forever to soften in the oven and turn the lasagne starchy and dense; thin noodles cook through and stay tender.
• Drain the thawed spinach aggressively. Squeeze it in a clean towel until almost no water comes out, otherwise the filling weeps water and turns the lasagne soupy.
• Tent the foil so it doesn’t touch the cheese on top. Direct contact pulls the molten cheese off when you remove the foil and ruins the appearance.
• Let the lasagne rest the full 10 minutes before slicing. This is the difference between clean wedges and a sloppy mess. The rest sets the layers.

Variations

• Add 1 pound of cooked, drained Italian sausage to the sauce for a meaty version.
• Swap provolone for shredded fontina for a nuttier, even more melty character.
• Use no-boil dry lasagna noodles in place of homemade for a much faster weeknight version (add 1 cup extra sauce to compensate).