Patsy's True Italian Lasagna

This is lasagna done the way Italian-American kitchens have been making it for generations. A slow-simmered meat sauce built from canned tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, ground beef, basil, and oregano. Layers of noodles, cottage cheese blended with egg, sliced mozzarella, and a shower of Parmesan on top.

The sauce simmers for 45 minutes, which is long enough for the three forms of tomato to meld into one rich, thick, clingy sauce. The sugar isn’t about sweetness. It tames the acidity of the tomatoes so they taste round and full instead of sharp.

Cottage cheese mixed with egg is the old-school American-Italian stand-in for ricotta. The egg binds it so the filling holds its shape when you cut a slice instead of oozing out the sides.

Pro Tips

• Let the assembled lasagna rest for a full 10 minutes before cutting. This is not optional. Cutting too soon means a sloppy, soupy plate.
• End the top layer with sauce, not cheese, if you want clean slices. Then sprinkle Parmesan over the sauce before baking.
• Don’t skip the oil in the pasta water. Lasagna noodles love to fuse together, and a stuck sheet tears when you try to layer it.
• This reheats beautifully. Leftover lasagna is arguably better than fresh.

Variations

• Use ricotta instead of cottage cheese for a smoother, creamier filling.
• Add a layer of sauteed spinach or sliced zucchini between the noodles for extra vegetables.
• Mix half Italian sausage with the ground beef for a spicier, more complex meat sauce.