AHunter3 makes racer72's Twelve Cheese Lasagna

Cafe Society
1

From this vintage-2004 thread –

I had said to myself that that 12-cheese lasagna recipe sounded enticing and that I should try making it some time. Well, it’s been 20 years but I finally got around to it.

First, the acquisition of a seriously deep pan. racer72 said it needs to be 4" deep. This pan was designed for folks who make really tall sheet cakes. Worked well.

Grating that much cheese is easier with the food processor…

The cheeses prepped and arrayed: mozzarella, cheddar, monterey jack, colby, provolone, fontina, parmesan, romano, asiago, ricotta, cream, and emmenthaler.

Browning a full pound each of ground beef and ground pork!

Adding onion and garlic:

Adding marinara sauce, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, and Italian spices:

Assembly begins with a 1/2" layer of the sauce:

While the lasagna noodles are cooking in a big pot of salted olive-oiled water, I mix the ricotta and cream cheeses together:

Building layers…

…and layers…

…and more layers…

After 45 minutes of cookitude in a 325° oven, out it comes!

Took two spatulas to lift squares out of this pan…

This was every bit as decadent as it sounded. (Also we’re gonna be eating on this for quite some time…)

@racer72 you invented a good thing.

2

Nice!

3

This is delightful! Thank you for going through the trouble to take us on your lasagna-building journey.

4

I know nothing of Italian cooking but I just want to thank AHunter3 for making a thread with lots of photos. A good change-up from all the other threads that are nothing but words. Anything with 12 cheeses can’t go wrong; looks delish.

5

This was every bit as delicious as it looks! I am looking forward to a few more dinners from this batch.

6

9.75/10 (no garlic bread).

Looks delicious!

7

Thanks for the pics! The browning meat one looks like it’s glowing, lol.

I’ve never made lasagna though I always enjoy it.

8

Thanks for the call out. That sure looks good. Due to dietary restrictions, I can no longer eat this lasagna. The last time I made this was for a family get together back in 2013 just before my wife and I went to New Zealand. I visited a new cheese shop that recently opened and saw a couple cheeses that would be good in lasagna, I bought the Kentucky bourbon Bellavitano cheese. Added some to a boxed mac and cheese and it really make it good. I think I might make me the lasagna but make it with alfredo sauce instead of marinara.

9

How many layers of noodles are there? The recipe seems to call for two, but I usually make it with three.

Also, your photos make it look like you forgot the second layer of sauce, and put noodles directly on top of the shredded cheese.

10

I left out some of the photographs that didn’t come out so good. I had at least 3 layers of sauce. I think I had at least seven layers of lasagna noodles, the upper ones separated only by cheese layers. Three noodles per layer, 20 in the box total.

11

Do you think it might be even better with fresh tomatoes (minced into some pulp or sliced very thin)?

12

Yeah, and some mushrooms of various types wouldn’t hurt, and perhaps some sliced bell peppers and black olives. But as this was my first attempt, I pretty much did it by the book.