# What is the perfect lasagna to you? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 28, 2017, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-perfect-lasagna-to-you/790069 "2017-06-28T17:29:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-perfect-lasagna-to-you/790069/21 "2017-06-28T19:25:30Z")
Free. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-perfect-lasagna-to-you/790069/22 "2017-06-28T20:43:10Z")
I like noodly, meaty lasagnas, with 8+ layers of plain pasta, and light spreads of sauce and meat or cheese between layers. A thick layer of cheese on top is a must-have finishing touch. I use ground beef and mince it finely as it cooks so there are no big chunks. The sauce I prefer is a tomato sauce, seasoned with some Italian seasoning, garlic, a pat of unsalted butter, and either beef base or Maggi sauce. It’s savory, not sweet or spicy, and it’s thick, not watery. I used to mix an egg and herbs with ricotta, but I stopped because I realized I didn’t really like ricotta much. Instead, I use mozzarella and grated parmesan. No measurements, just whatever seems right. After it bakes a bit, I like to switch to the broiler so the cheese browns a little and gets some crispy bits on the edges. I serve it with extra meat sauce spooned over it. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-perfect-lasagna-to-you/790069/23 "2017-06-28T20:48:41Z")
Three layers of noodles, two layers of filling in between. I prefer mozzarella over ricotta, I’ll use about 3:1 ratio with parmesan and maybe provolone. Bolognese sauce, seasoned with garlic, onion, parsley, thyme, basil, and oregano and some carrot. Mostly beef, sometimes I’ll add ground pork or sausage meat. I’ll layer in spinach as well if I have it. I use sheets of fresh pasta instead of dried noodles when I can. Anything could end up in any one lasagna. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-perfect-lasagna-to-you/790069/24 "2017-06-28T23:02:34Z")
I boil the noodles enough so that they’re bendy but not cooked through. For my cheese filling, I like a 50/50 blend of ricotta and cottage cheese with two eggs beaten in. Fry up some Italian sausage or ground beef. Maybe add some mushrooms and peppers. I cheat on sauce and use store brand. Mix most of the sauce in with the meat but save some. Slice up a chunk of mozzarella. Assemble: Spread the saved sauce in the bottom of the pan, add a layer of noodles, then a layer of cheese filling, then a layer of meat sauce. Repeat with another layer of noodles, filling, and sauce. Add a third layer of noodles and a third layer of sauce. Put the mozzarella on top. Cover in foil. Bake in a 350 degree oven for thirty minutes. Take off the foil. Bake for another fifteen minutes. I tried a variation last week. I used alfredo sauce instead of tomato sauce and used imitation crab and lobster instead of meat (I didn’t cook the sauce mix). It came out pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-perfect-lasagna-to-you/790069/25 "2017-06-28T23:08:12Z")
For me, the perfect lasagna was cooked yesterday. It’s like twice as good when reheated. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-perfect-lasagna-to-you/790069/26 "2017-06-28T23:17:13Z")
No offense to bechamel proponents and not that I’m normally super-picky, but lasagna made with that stuff is of the devil :). There is no keener disappointment than being someplace where lasagna being served, only to realize it has been _ruined_ by the substitution of delicious ricotta with abominable bechamel. I think in part for me it is the texture thing, but it is just a gigantic fail. Hell, I’d far rather take straight cottage cheese over bechamel. Cinnamon? No. **RickJay** seems to be on the right track. Many layers, multiple cheeses, much sauce, nicely meaty. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-perfect-lasagna-to-you/790069/27 "2017-06-28T23:23:00Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > I think in part for me it is the texture thing, but it is just a gigantic fail. Hell, I’d far rather take straight cottage cheese over bechamel. Pretty much exactly the same for me, going the other way. Don’t get the allure of the graininess of ricotta or cottage cheese compared with the silken smoothness of bechamel. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-perfect-lasagna-to-you/790069/28 "2017-06-28T23:27:13Z")
How many layers? What meat(s)? What cheese(s)? What spices? What else? Yes ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-perfect-lasagna-to-you/790069/29 "2017-06-28T23:36:53Z")
The perfect lasagna was the one my mom made. I miss my mom. bottom layer: ground beef in homemade tomato sauce layer homemade lasagna noodles layer ricotta/egg/parsley layer homemade lasagna noodles layer ground beef in homemade tomato sauce layer homemade lasagna noodles layer mozzarella layer parmesan and oregano Alternatives: Stouffers four-cheese lasagna “white” lasagna with no red sauce, but also no veggies! Ground Italian sausage in the sauce ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-perfect-lasagna-to-you/790069/30 "2017-06-28T23:38:08Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > Welllllll… > > To me lasagna is not one dish, it is a type of dish, with many possibilities. It’s sort of like asking “What is the perfect sandwich to you?” Vermonte Cristo at the Mountain Creamery, Woodstock. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-perfect-lasagna-to-you/790069/31 "2017-06-28T23:41:53Z")
My ex-wife made a dish called “Quick Crescent Dough Lasagna”, in which as the name implies, the noodles were replaced with layers of crescent dough. The filling was very similar to lasagna filling, though with the addition of Lingreas… I mean, Liguiça. I miss that dish. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Marci\_Al](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Marci\_Al](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marci_Al)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-perfect-lasagna-to-you/790069/32 "2017-06-28T23:44:47Z")
I don’t like red at the lower half and white at the upper. I like it all orange from tomato and cheese, and greasy from all the beef. Just have a boat of bechamel on the side if it turns tedious. ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-perfect-lasagna-to-you/790069/33 "2017-06-28T23:51:07Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I don’t think I’ve ever had cinnamon in lasagna. Who does that? Greeks? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-perfect-lasagna-to-you/790069/34 "2017-06-29T00:12:44Z")
> [@Weisshund](#): > > Greeks? Already figured it out with pastitsio a few posts back. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-perfect-lasagna-to-you/790069/35 "2017-06-29T00:34:33Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Already figured it out with pastitsio a few posts back. IMHO your pastitsio will be much better if you OOOOPS forget to add any cinnamon to the ground beef. Cumin too, for that matter. My pastitsio meat layer takes a heaping tablespoon each of dried oregano and basil (it’s a cold-weather dish for me) to a pound of ground beef, plus a healthy dose of crushed red pepper, at least three cloves of minced garlic, and a minimum of onion (maybe a tablespoon chopped) to avoid over-sweetening. And just enough chopped fresh tomato or tomato sauce to hold it together. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-perfect-lasagna-to-you/790069/36 "2017-06-29T01:06:35Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > For me, the perfect lasagna was cooked yesterday. It’s like twice as good when reheated. Have you ever had it for breakfast, cold from the fridge, with an ice-cold glass of milk? Oh, baby! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-perfect-lasagna-to-you/790069/37 "2017-06-29T01:56:31Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > IMHO your pastitsio will be much better if you OOOOPS forget to add any cinnamon to the ground beef. Cumin too, for that matter. Not sure I’ve ever had it with cumin, but cinnamon kind of seems key to me. Not that I’ve had a lot of pastitsio in my life (maybe a half dozen times), but I do like those “warm” spices. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-perfect-lasagna-to-you/790069/38 "2017-06-29T02:09:40Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I don’t think I’ve ever had cinnamon in lasagna. Who does that? I use cinnamon every time I use canned tomato sauce. Every time, no joke. Spaghetti sauce, chili, all of it. As for lasagna, mine has exactly one layer featuring ricotta cheese. The rest of the layers are meat sauce topped with mozzarella and parmesan. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-perfect-lasagna-to-you/790069/39 "2017-06-29T03:21:13Z")
I’m not quite sure. I haven’t eaten enough lasagna in my life. All of you who claim to have the best, please send me a frozen 4x4 sample. PM for address. Will let you know. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-perfect-lasagna-to-you/790069/40 "2017-06-29T04:37:46Z")
My wife took her recipe from a basic cookbook. It called for cottage cheese, as well as mozerella. I told her to scratch the cottage cheese and substitute ricotta. Perfection ensued. (Paul Newman’s spaghetti sauce was another innovation.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-perfect-lasagna-to-you/790069.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-perfect-lasagna-to-you/790069.md?page=3)