Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Prepare
• Part 2 of 3: Building the layers
• Part 3 of 3: Get creative with the layers
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities

When making lasagna you have an almost endless choice of ingredients. You can make vegetarian lasagna, meat lover lasagna or lasagna with all the signature ingredients, full of your favorite seasoned meats, cheeses and vegetables. Lasagna is a delicious and hearty dish that is very suitable as a main course. It may seem a bit difficult to figure out how to add all the ingredients without making a mess and keeping your lasagna from falling apart, but don't worry. Layering your lasagna is easy to do. Once you've mastered building the layers, you can get as creative as you want without even following a recipe.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Prepare

1. Prepare all ingredients. This means all cold ingredients such as cheese, warm ingredients such as meat and grilled vegetables and all sauces. Make sure you have a clean workplace where nothing gets in the way and where you have all the essentials within reach.
   • Keep everything organized by placing your ingredients in separate bowls on the counter.
   • If you're making meat lasagna, try using ground beef, chicken, or pork mixed with a little bacon and flavored with herbs. Make sure the meat is fully cooked before adding it to your lasagna.
   • If you're making vegetarian lasagna, try using mushrooms, zucchini slices, and fresh spinach.
2. Choose lasagne sheets. You can use regular lasagne sheets that you have to pre-cook, or lasagne sheets that you can add to your lasagna. Regular dry lasagna sheets should be pre-cooked to soften them before adding them to your lasagna. The other type of sheets is cooked in the oven during baking.
   • Choose a type of lasagne sheets according to your preference and how much time you have. If you don't have a lot of experience making lasagna, you can make lasagna a lot faster with sheets that you don't need to pre-cook.
3. Get the right kind of bowl. To build the layers of your lasagna you need a deep, wide bowl. You can use a glass or metal bowl. Choose the deepest bowl you have that is wide enough for the amount of lasagna you want to make.
   • You will have to leave a deep dish of lasagna in the oven longer than a shallow dish of lasagna.
   • Glass does not conduct heat very well, but it does distribute heat evenly. Use a glass bowl to cook your lasagna more evenly and make sure the dish stays warm if you still have to wait for someone to start dinner.
   • Metals, especially aluminum, are generally better at conducting heat. Metal heats up quickly, but also loses heat quickly when you take the dish out of the oven. With a metal dish, the edges and the bottom part of the lasagna can become crispier than with a glass dish. Because a metal dish cools down quickly, you cannot wait too long before serving the dish.

Part 2 of 3: Building the layers

1. Prepare the lasagne sheets. If you're using skins that you don't need to pre-cook, remove them from the packaging and put them with the rest of your ingredients. If you are using regular lasagne sheets, follow the package directions to cook them and drain them well. Let the sheets cool for a few minutes. They can be very hot to handle when you put all the ingredients in the bowl. It helps to run cold water over the sheets, but be careful not to leave the sheets too long after cooling. They stick together.
   • If you use a smaller bowl than stated in the recipe or use only half the amounts stated in the recipe, you can cut the precooked sheets to size. You can also carefully break into pieces that do not need to be precooked so that everything fits in your bowl.
   • Tuck the ends of the sheets into the bowl before putting it in the oven. Areas protruding over the edges can burn or dry out and become hard and brittle.
   • To make the lasagna easier to serve and to give it a golden brown crust, spread a thin layer of butter on the glass or metal tray before adding the ingredients. If you're using a non-stick bowl, you may not need to use butter.
2. Start with the first layer. Start with a small amount of sauce on the bottom of the dish to keep the lasagna moist and prevent the bottom lasagna from sticking to the dish. Grab some lasagne sheets and lay them flat on the bottom. Let them overlap a little bit. The goal is to completely cover the bottom of the dish with lasagne sheets.
   • Remember that if necessary you can break the sheets into pieces to fit the shell.
   • If you're using skins that don't require precooking, it's probably better to break them up instead of overlapping them. The overlapping parts can harden during baking.
3. Add the filling. The filling depends on the recipe you are using. Follow the recipe directions to make a filling and spread the filling over the bottom layer of lasagne sheets. Spread about a third of the filling on the bottom layer of lasagne sheets.
   • Don't make the layers too thick. This can cause the lasagna to fall apart when you serve and eat the dish.
4. Add the cheese. Follow the directions in the recipe to make a cheese mixture and cover the surface of the bowl with a thin layer of cheese. Use enough cheese to completely cover the previous layer.
   • If the recipe says you need to add a ricotta mixture and a separate layer of mozzarella, add the ricotta mixture first and then the mozzarella.
5. Pour some sauce into the bowl. Use a spoon to pour sauce over the cheese until covered. How much sauce to use depends on the size of the bowl.
   • Make sure you don't use too much sauce, as this can make your lasagna very runny.
   • Use a little more sauce if you're using lasagne sheets that don't require precooking. These sheets absorb more moisture to cook.
6. Repeat the process. When you've added the second layer of sauce, top it off with lasagne sheets, followed by the filling, cheese, and another layer of sauce. The number of layers your lasagna has depends on the recipe and the size of your bowl. Use all the stuffing.
   • Make sure you are left with about four sheets of lasagna, or as many as you need to cover your lasagna on top.
   • Save some extra cheese to sprinkle over the lasagna.
7. Finish the lasagna. Finish your lasagna by placing four lasagne sheets on top. Put one sheet in width and three in length. You may need to use more or fewer sheets, depending on the size of your bowl. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on the lasagna. This will give your lasagna a nice brown crust. You can also sprinkle some sweet paprika on your lasagna for a delicious addition.
   • If you are using skins that don't require precooking or want more sauce in your lasagna, you can spread a thin layer of sauce on top of your lasagna.
8. Freeze the lasagna (optional). If you prefer, you can cover your lasagne dish with aluminum foil and keep the dish for up to three months, and still get a tasty dish.
   • Make sure to thaw the frozen lasagna completely before putting the dish in the oven, or you may have to leave the lasagna in the oven for longer.
   • Remove the frozen lasagna from the freezer the night before baking and let the dish thaw overnight in the refrigerator. It is better to defrost your lasagna slightly cooled than to defrost the dish on the counter.

Part 3 of 3: Get creative with the layers

1. Try some different sauces. Red sauces with and without meat are more popular as well as the traditional options to put in the lasagna, but you can also make a tasty lasagna Alfredo.
2. Use a different type of cheese. Swap the ricotta for cottage cheese to give your lasagna an interesting and innovative touch. You can also use slices of mozzarella instead of grated cheese. Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top as well.
3. Instead of using lasagne sheets, try using ravioli. With this you can make a special lasagna, because you can use your favorite ravioli. Try ravioli with mushrooms, meat or cheese or vegetarian ravioli for a delicious twist on a classic dish.
4. Do not use lasagne sheets at all. This is an excellent way to make lasagna if you're following a low-carb diet or eating gluten-free. Instead of lasagne sheets, use zucchini slices. You will eat healthy without realizing.
5. Make seafood lasagna. If you're looking for a dish to impress someone, make a sophisticated seafood lasagna. Stuff your lasagna with crab, shrimp and shellfish.
   • A red sauce can quickly taste too strong, so that the delicate flavor of most seafood cannot be tasted. Instead of red sauce, add a creamy white sauce to your seafood lasagna.
   • This recipe is very easy to prepare in advance, so that you have more time to enjoy the company of the people you are going to eat the dish with.
   • If it is a special occasion, you can add both lobster and crab.
6. Try different options. Use leftover chicken or steak from yesterday's dinner. Don't be afraid to use it in mince for your lasagna. If you have some tomatoes and onions to use, dice them and add them to the sauce.
   • Be careful when adding extra ingredients, as you may have to leave your lasagna in the oven for longer.
   • You can usually add precooked ingredients perfectly, because they are simply heated up as part of the lasagna. However, if you add fresh ingredients, such as slices of zucchini or grated carrot, make sure they are cooked in time.
   • Chop the ingredients into small pieces if you are not sure if they are cooked.

Tips

• Don't get too fixated on the "right" way to build lasagna. The main principle is that the lasagne sheets have enough moisture to cook (if you don't need to pre-cook them) and that they don't get too heavy (if they are pre-cooked sheets). Also, make sure the lasagna doesn't fall apart when you cut into it. Most things just work as long as you don't make the layers too thick.
• Use a little more sauce if you're using lasagne sheets that don't require precooking. These sheets absorb more moisture to cook.You can cook the sheets more evenly by cooking the lasagna a few hours before baking so that the sheets soften.
• If the sauces are too thin, you get "liquid" lasagna.
• Lasagna tastes great when you make the dish in an intuitive or non-traditional way by adding all kinds of leftover food and making something that tastes a lot better than reheated leftovers.
• Try not to overlap the uncooked lasagna sheets, or you'll end up with hard pieces in the lasagna if the liquid doesn't penetrate properly into the thicker layer of sheets. You can break the sheets into pieces and they fit into the bowl like puzzle pieces, if necessary.
• Wet ricotta is the main cause of liquid lasagna. Strain the ricotta through a piece of cheesecloth or with a colander to remove the excess liquid. You can sieve ricotta in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
• Lasagna is usually baked in the oven, so don't forget to preheat your oven according to the recipe instructions.

Warnings

• Make sure all meat is cooked through before adding it to your lasagna.
• Too thin a sauce will ruin your lasagna. Choose a thicker, chunky sauce instead of a thinner, very liquid sauce.

Necessities

• Lasagne dish
• Baking spray or olive oil
• Large pasta pan
• Kitchen paper for the lasagne sheets
• Colander
• Deep skillet or wide saucepan
• Medium bowl
• Spoon
• Knife