Mickey's Lasagna

This vegetarian lasagna skips the ground meat and lets a triple-tomato sauce do the work instead. Canned tomatoes, tomato paste, and tomato sauce combine with sauteed garlic and basil for a rich, concentrated flavor that holds its own against all that cheese.

The ricotta filling gets whisked with egg, grated Parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper. The egg binds everything so the ricotta layer sets firm when baked instead of oozing out the sides when you cut a slice.

Shred the mozzarella yourself from a full pound block. That much cheese means thick, stretchy layers between each tier of noodles and sauce. Pre-shredded bags won’t melt the same way because of the anti-caking coating.

Build the layers starting with a thin spread of sauce on the bottom of the pan. This prevents the noodles from sticking and burning. Then alternate noodles, ricotta mixture, mozzarella, and sauce until the pan is full.

Pro Tips

• Let the lasagna rest for 10-15 minutes after pulling it from the oven. This firms up the layers so slices hold together instead of collapsing on the plate.
• Cook noodles just shy of al dente. They’ll absorb moisture from the sauce during baking and finish softening in the oven.
• Thin sauce on the bottom, heavier sauce on top. The top layer needs enough sauce to keep the cheese from drying out and browning too fast.
• Cover with foil for the first 20 minutes, then uncover for the last 10 to let the top get golden and bubbly.

Variations

• Meat version: Brown Italian sausage or ground beef and stir it into the tomato sauce before layering.
• Spinach ricotta: Mix a cup of thawed, squeezed-dry frozen spinach into the ricotta filling for extra color and nutrition.
• No-boil shortcut: Use oven-ready lasagna noodles and add an extra ¼ cup of water to the sauce to compensate for the moisture the dry noodles absorb.