The Best Cheese Lasagna (2024)

FAQs

What's the best cheese to top lasagne? ›

A good lasagna will have cheese on every layer. This is traditionally a ricotta, mozzarella blend. The top layer is usually a blend of mozzarella, Romano, and parmigiano . The sauce is spread over the noodles of each layer and then the cheese mixture.

When put into a lasagna, cottage cheese can remain lumpy and grainy, which is not ideal for a filling that's supposed to be smooth and creamy. Beyond having the incorrect texture, cottage cheese's flavor is sharper and more acidic than mild ricotta, which has a sweeter taste that doesn't clash with other ingredients.

The best way to layer your lasagna is to start with a layer of red sauce, follow it up with a layer of white sauce, then pasta, then cheese. Follow this pattern until you've filled your tray.

Once you've layered your lasagna, you need to make sure you last layers (or top layers) finish with pasta > meat sauce > white sauce > mozzarella cheese. Yeah, that order results in a golden, crunchy and cheesy top with a layer of juicy meat sauce underneath.

Mozzarella is less flavorful than cheddar, which makes it perfect for lasagna. Most of a lasagna's flavor comes from the sauce, which won't be overshadowed by mozzarella. If you are going to substitute pungent cheddar for meek mozzarella, you're changing the flavor profile of the dish in way that isn't harmonious.

Generally, lasagna has about 3 or 4 layers of pasta, with sauce, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, béchamel, and sometimes meat or even meatballs or sausage between those layers. Our many layer lasagna has around 12 layers of pasta, or even more depending on how thin you end up rolling the dough.

The biggest offender, though, is watery, thin pasta sauce. A helpful technique can prevent this pitfall from sabotaging your lasagna: Reduce your sauce to thicken it before pouring it into the casserole. A thin sauce runs right off of cooked lasagna noodles, causing all the layers to slide off of each other, as well.

Mascarpone: Another Italian cheese, mascarpone makes a great ricotta substitute. However, since mascarpone is more tart and flavorful, you should only use it in dishes with other strong flavors. It may overpower milder ingredients.

Do Italians use ricotta in lasagna? ›

In southern Italy lasagna is generally made with dried sheets of pasta layered with rich meat ragú, ricotta and mozzarella. In the north, especially in Bologna, the most popular version of lasagna features fresh egg pasta colored green with spinach and layered with ragú, bechamel and Parmigiano Reggiano.

Since it is super tart, sour cream should be used in moderation compared to ricotta. Like Greek yogurt, sour cream is best used in place of ricotta in recipes like dip — we wouldn't recommend layering it into your lasagna unless the recipe specifically calls for it, like in this taco lasagna recipe.

Spread a thin layer of sauce at the bottom. Top with a layer of noodles, followed by half the ricotta, half your desired fillings, and more sauce. Repeat with another layer of noodles, the remaining ricotta, remaining fillings, and more sauce.

Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until cheese is golden brown, 5 to 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

However, making lasagna always involves assembling repeating layers of lasagna noodles, filling, and sauce. After the layers are assembled, the lasagna heads into the oven to bake.

Finish off your lasagne either with a layer of tomato-based sauce or with your white sauce – whichever you have left – and then grate over plenty of Parmigiano-Reggiano. A common extra topping is torn mozzarella, which makes a lovely, melted cheesy layer on top.

Popular choices include an Alpine cheese like Fontina, Swiss, or Gruyère that are good for melting; aged ones for fine grating like Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano; a smoked cheese like Provola affumicata; or a creamy spreader like Robiola.

Once the mince is cooked, pour half into the oven dish, place 3-4 lasagne sheets over the meat and then cover with half the cheese sauce. Repeat the process with the remaining sauce and sprinkle some cheddar to top.

Oil a baking dish. Spread a thin layer of sauce at the bottom. Top with a layer of noodles, followed by half the ricotta, half your desired fillings, and more sauce. Repeat with another layer of noodles, the remaining ricotta, remaining fillings, and more sauce.