Lasagna

Few meals are as comforting as a hearty homemade lasagna. Master some basic techniques, and this impressive casserole will become an especially versatile favorite for family-style dining and entertaining. While the traditional baked pasta dish is made up of alternating layers of Bolognese sauce, thin sheets of pasta, and béchamel, the layers, fillings, and variations are infinite. Take inspiration from these recipes, and use the tips below to make the dishes your own.

Perfectly Cooked Pasta

The term "lasagna" actually refers to the wide flat sheets of pasta. Precook your lasagna by boiling just until it's almost al dente. Run it under cold water quickly to stop it from cooking further, and then lay it out flat in single layers on paper towels to cool and dry. If you do not wish to precook the pasta, use no-boil lasagna sheets.

Putting Everything Together

Lay out all of the ingredients, and cook the various sauces and fillings while precooking the pasta. Before assembling, spray the casserole dish with nonstick spray to ensure that nothing sticks to the bottom. The first layer should be sauce, then pasta, then cheese, and so on, repeating in that order until you have run out or filled the dish.

Baking It All Up

Cover the dish tightly with foil so that heat is trapped and everything cooks through. Remove the foil only for the last 10 to 15 minutes so that the cheese can bubble and brown.

Thinking Ahead

Lasagna is a great make-ahead dish and only gets better as the layers and flavors have a chance to blend together. Make it on the weekend, wrap securely, and freeze in anticipation of a day when you will want a warm, hearty meal but won't have time to cook.

By Heather Tyree