Lasagna serves as the epitome of comfort food. Its cheesy, gooey layers entice nearly everyone. Yet, crafting the perfect lasagna isn’t always straightforward. Many variables can turn a homemade masterpiece into a kitchen disappointment. Mistakes in the cooking process can happen to anyone, even the most renowned chefs. Fortunately, celebrity chefs have shared insights to elevate your lasagna game and ensure it’s delicious every time.
After exploring various celebrity chefs’ websites and social media, I’ve compiled invaluable tips from names you trust, like Giada De Laurentiis, Rachael Ray, and Gordon Ramsay. Implementing their tricks will have your homemade lasagna rivaling restaurant fare in no time.
Gordon Ramsay emphasizes using dry pasta, browned flour, and a well-thickened sauce
Lasagna should ideally be dense and cheesy, with layers that hold their shape when served. A common pitfall, however, is ending up with a watery mess, which can occur for various reasons. Gordon Ramsay offers a smart trio of tips to combat this issue: opt for dry pasta sheets, sprinkle browned flour over your vegetables, and ensure your sauce is thickened adequately with cheese.
According to Ramsay’s insights shared in an interview with The Kitchn, it’s best not to pre-cook your noodles. Instead, use dry sheets, allowing them to absorb sauce and moisture. For the veggies, lightly browning two to three tablespoons of flour before adding them will lead to a thicker final outcome. Lastly, when using bechamel sauce, incorporate plenty of cheese to keep it thick. Following Ramsay’s advice will help prevent your lasagna from becoming watery.
Ina Garten pre-soaks her noodles to avoid sticking and shortcuts prep time
Let’s face it: Making lasagna requires a lot of effort and time. Fortunately, Ina Garten has a brilliant tip to cut down on prep and avoid sticky noodles. Instead of boiling them, simply pre-soak your noodles in hot water for about 20 minutes before assembly.
Traditional boiling can often lead to overcooking and clumpy noodles. Ina’s approach, shown in a Food Network recipe, minimizes both problems effectively. Simply fill a large bowl or pot with hot tap water, let the noodles soak, and then lay them out on parchment paper until ready to build your lasagna. It’s a straightforward method that offers an excellent alternative to no-boil noodles, which often turn mushy.
Mary Berry allows her lasagna to rest for sauce absorption
No one enjoys a dry lasagna. The goal is to achieve that delightful, gooey texture, complemented by a crispy top. To prevent dryness, Mary Berry has a unique suggestion shared in her 2015’s “The Complete Aga Cookbook.”
She recommends letting your assembled lasagna rest in the fridge for at least six hours before baking. This allows the noodles to absorb sauces (both bechamel and marinara), resulting in flavorful, tender layers. This technique works remarkably well with dried pasta sheets, eliminating the need for pre-boiling. Plus, it gives you the convenience of preparing it earlier in the day or even the night before, making it ready to pop in the oven whenever you are.
Ree Drummond enhances her recipe with ground beef and hot breakfast sausage
Ree Drummond, known as The Pioneer Woman, focuses on creating straightforward recipes with familiar ingredients. However, she incorporates a flavorful twist to her lasagna with the addition of hot breakfast sausage alongside ground beef.
In her Best Lasagna Recipe Ever, she combines 1½ pounds of ground beef with one pound of spicy sausage for a savory kick. She browns the meats in a skillet with garlic, advising to consider draining some fat for better flavor without going overboard. For those who prefer milder flavors, alternatives like mild or Italian sausage work just as well, ensuring a delicious end result.
Bobby Flay experiments with a cauliflower bechamel
While most lasagnas feature meat, Bobby Flay embraces creativity by preparing a vegetarian version with roasted cauliflower bechamel.
In his Instagram post, Flay describes his method. Starting with roasting cauliflower on a pan, he then blends it into a traditional bechamel sauce made with a butter-flour mixture and scalded milk, thickening it with multiple cheeses. This unique twist provides excellent moisture balance, making it suitable for vegetarians or anyone looking for a fresh take on lasagna.
Rachael Ray infuses her sauce with wine and Parmesan rinds
Rachael Ray emphasizes the importance of bold flavors in her lasagna, and two standout recommendations involve using wine and Parmesan rinds.
In her Tuscan Meat Sauce Lasagna recipe, she incorporates wine to elevate the sauce’s depth. She also suggests adding a Parmesan cheese rind into the sauce while it simmers, enriching the dish with umami flavors. Don’t forget to store the leftover rinds in the freezer for future use; they can dramatically enhance your sauces.
Ree Drummond substitutes zucchini for noodles to up the veggie game
Ree Drummond enjoys a hearty lasagna but also promotes lighter versions. Her Zucchini Lasagna recipe offers a great alternative.
In this dish, she replaces traditional noodles with thinly sliced zucchini, coupled with a savory mixture of spinach and mushrooms instead of meat. To prepare, she cuts zucchini into thin strips, salting them to extract excess moisture before roasting. The sautéed spinach and mushrooms provide a hearty flavor, complemented by a creamy blend of cheeses and seasonings. Layer as you would in traditional lasagna for a delightful veggie-centric meal.
Giada De Laurentiis crafts a sheet pan lasagna for crispy bites
Renowned for her Italian culinary skills, Giada De Laurentiis creates her lasagna differently by making it in a sheet pan. This method allows for crispy edges in every serving, enhancing the overall experience.
In a 2022 YouTube video, Giada shares her process, starting with a ricotta-spinach blend before browning Italian sausage. She mixes these with marinara and uncooked lasagna noodles. After layering the mixture in a sheet pan with cheese, she bakes until deliciously crispy. This innovative approach guarantees a delightful texture that will have you rethinking traditional lasagna preparations.
Michael Symon uses foil and timing for perfect browning
Michael Symon cherishes the lasagna his mother made, and he’s retained valuable secrets from her recipes. A standout suggestion involves covering the lasagna with foil during part of the baking process and removing it for the last 10 minutes.
Many cooks skip covering lasagna, but Symon’s advice ensures proper browning. In an interview with Food & Wine, he explains this technique allows the cheese on top to crisp to your liking. This simple yet effective method guarantees delicious results.
Giada De Laurentiis insists on allowing lasagna to rest before serving
A key point echoed by many chefs, including Giada De Laurentiis, is the effectiveness of allowing lasagna to rest before cutting. This advice even reached notable figures, including Prince William during a 2011 meeting, as shared in PopSugar.
Resisting the temptation to slice into your lasagna right away is essential. Resting allows the sauces and cheeses to absorb into the noodles, creating better, more cohesive layers upon serving. Set it aside for about 10 to 15 minutes before cutting, and your patience will surely reward you with a more satisfying presentation.
