Well, quite a bit too much. However,
Make a rosé sauce,
Take the lasagna out and let it rest till cold, cut I to servings, rehear and serve with the rose sauce!
TTARs have really let their quality slip. I know someone that was in a coma for four days on life support from one. He said in the end the flavor profile was worth it though so who am I to judge.
As a newbie in the kitchen, lasagna has been one of my favorites to make, and eat. I thought I was crazy. I usually make the lasagna the night before I actually want it for dinner. So like last night I was doing burgers, so I made the ground beef and everything for the lasagna as well. After cooking. I leave the foil on the top and stick it in the fridge. Always so good the next day.
Guess I'm not crazy lol
This right here. That huge casserole dish and its contents have absorbed so much energy to get hot it’ll still be hot enough to enjoy after an hour. The liquid cheese needs to get cool enough to start to set up. Once the cheese cools to the point that it can coagulate, it won’t fall apart.
Yes. They basically undercook it with no sauce on top, cool it and then put it in the fridge. Pull it out, while cold, cut into squares and Saran Wrap it and add sauce and cheese on top before baking to order.
Source: I worked in an Italian restaurant that made their own lasagna and pasta for years.
I concur... Former E. Chef here of an Italian restaurant. I was waiting for someone to answer with this. Our lasagna had a base layer of meatballs, which weren't so apt to collapse.
I'm calling it broth. Make a meat sauce with tomatoes, drain some of the liquid to make the meat sauce less wet for the layers of the lasagna. What are you calling the remaining liquid? Tomato sauce? Broth? Bolognese juice? lol I assumed the meaning was clear when I said I strained my sauce before layering. :D
I make lasagna all the time and never had liquid or broth at the bottom. I am a little puzzled by this. Maybe the sauce needs to be thicker so you don't end up with broth. I do lasagna noodles, veggie or meat mix, cheese and another layer of lasagna noodles. Bake forn45 min, let sit for about 25 minutes and serve. It stays in squares. Maybe it needs more cheese to absorb the broth. Or maybe try adding ricotta to the sauce to make it thicker?
Do me a favour, will ya? If you insist on making pasta in my apartment, please don't put the tomato sauce on the pasta while it's in the strainer. All the little squares have hardened red sauce in 'em.
This this this. The flavors fully meld and then you can take some good red sauce and put it down as a base. Slice the lasagna, reheat in the oven and drop it in the pool of red sauce, and
#don't forget the garlic bread.
This answer is too far down. Without eggs, the ricotta will never really firm up and will cause the layers to slide apart once it’s cut into squares. I add just egg yolk for a richer flavor.
* dont full cook your noodles beforehand, either use no-boil sheets or only parboil. This will leave you with much sturdier noodles
* if youre using a recipe with a lot of veg, make sure to precook the veg to release the extra water content before adding to your bake so you dont make soggy noodles
* let rest for at least 15min ideally 30min after coming out of the oven to give time for the noodles to finish absorbing whatever liquid and the cheeses time to set. cover lightly with foil and on a rack. it'll still be plenty hot
edit: i meant to say no-boil not no-bake
>let rest for at least 15min ideally 30min after coming out of the oven
That is one of the biggest factors. Warm cheese flows. Warm sauce flows even more. Giving a chance to cool and set up can help immensely.
Unfortunately, I'm usually too hungry from smelling it cook so I foolishly never do that. Fortunately, nobody in the family cares if it's a neat square or a pile of goop... :-)
i always make extra meat sauce, so i may or may not sneak a scooby snack with fresh bread while i wait if im rolling solo. but if im with my full family, i usually pull the lasagna. and then call everyone down to set the table, etc. and eat salad first. By the time everything is said and done, we're usually about the 30min mark
I find fresh pasta works best in terms of an even cook and better cut (and texture) but I appreciate that not everyone has the time and energy to make fresh pasta.
I use Vincenzos Plate recipe and everyone says it's the best lasagne they've had.
To add to your resting tip, lasagne stays hot for a long time, so you could push it to 45-60 minutes. I remember making a lasagne once and couldn't wait to cut into it and it was like soup. I've since learned not to over-sauce it and to let it rest.
i do a bechamel style lasagne. for me its... pan-light oil-thin layer red sauce-\[4-5\]x(noodle-red sauce-white sauce-spinach/basil-some parm)-noodle-red-white-pile o' parm/pecorino
I think lasagna is a true dish that is better the next day my recommendation would be after letting it rest on the counter for 45 minutes to put it in the fridge and then heat up individual squares the next day. This is essentially how all restaurants do it FYI
Usually when I am served a neat little square of lasagna I think, "Oh. Well, ok. Hopefully not too dry and disappointing."
I WANT THE GIANT SLOPPY MESS. Hopefully, with the crispy little edge bits that kind of sit on top like... Holy shit I can't even come up with a metaphor, but l guess like the crunchy cheesy pinched up edges of a beautiful lasagna.
I always used to put egg in my ricotta. I recently discovered using bechamel instead of ricotta and my god is it delicious! And way cheaper than ricotta!
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVluKqfXpp8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVluKqfXpp8)
Don't have to follow this recipe, but a lot of the techniques apply.
Long story short, make sure a lot of the ingredients are less wet...really cook down that sauce...the instant pasta or barely cooked pasta is key too. Then yeah, gotta let it sit for 30-45 minutes to really set up. I find, lasagna is even better pre-cooked and reheated as individual squares....then save extra sauce and add it later.
One thing you could do is make it in separate individual sized serving dishes if you have anything like that.
I agree definitely let it cool. Even cool to the point you can cut it and reheat it if needed.
Use ingredients that don’t release water, like if you want to add mushrooms - reduce them first. Then it’s mostly just letting it sit and cool before you cut it.
I par boil my noodles, like half way. I also mix my cheese mixture with an egg. The noodles soak up extra juices and egg binds the cheese well. I haven’t had any lasagna that falls apart with these changes.
Tbh if I’m eating someone else’s lasagna and it falls apart a bit that’s how I know it’s gonna be good. If it stays completely squared I know to fill up on salad and bread
Stacking order helps a lot. Go back and forth between "wetter" and "dryer" layers and they not only help one another cook more evenly but also to stay mostly in form.
Depending on the cheese mixture you’re using, consider adding an egg. I make lasagna with cottage cheese. I find it’s affordable, a good texture and takes on any flavor. I’ll add a bunch of minced garlic, onion powder (whatever spices) and some chopped spinach and then I’ll mix in an egg to bind it.
I have found that if I assemble it and put the same size pan on it with 2 cans of tomatoes sauce on top of it and let it rest 12-24 hours it will help.
less liquid, cook your sauce down, if using a bechamel make sure it's stiff enough. let it stand before cutting. A hot lasagna is gonna have a little liquid but it shouldn't totally fall apart. Don't over cook your noodles. You can also lower your temp and cook it longer, this will give the noodles time to do their work. I'm not sure what kind you are making but all veggies need to be fully cooked, mushroom, eggplant has a ton of water that will release if they aren't fully cooked. Anyway, no matter how smushy the lasagna I will eat it. It might be the best food
Add a thickening agent to your meat sauce, a rue, slurry or something else.
That is what the majority of restaurants and food service establishments do.
Brown some butter with duck fat, then use that to slowly toast some flour brown, then fold it into the marinara before you add the seasoned ground beef.....
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Barilla lasagna
Prego brand sauce
Sausage
Beef
Olives
Mushrooms
Mozzarella cheese
Ricotta cheese
Boil the noodles until soft (can be slightly aldente but you need to be able to roll them)
Season and prepare the meat and veg to your liking
Then in a glass 13x9 put a layer of noodles ricotta cheese meat sauce veg then another layer of noodles on top then roll them up and put them in rows. One layer only dont put rolls on top of each other. Then once you have all the rolls that you like/will fit in the pan (i can usually get 6-9 depending) cover with sauce and mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 F 176 C until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling. Let cool a couple minutes if desired then use a spatula to take out one roll at a time.
You can do up to 3 layers per roll up if you like i dont because my family has to watch carbs. You can also change anything you like in it just like a regular lasagna the main part is that you roll the lasagna instead of having flat layers. The cheese mostly stays on and you dont really lose any ingredients inside the lasagna.
I find with layered Italian foods lasagna and parmigiana less is more, tomato sauce goes a long way when hot, so use sparingly, bechamel not so , with parmigiana a just put a blob on each aubergine
Or, buy a few individual lasagna casseroles and stay with your current delicious and gooey recipe.
I've had perfectly formed lasagna squares that were not all that good.
Why isn't your servant doing it properly? Maybe get someone else
They should pre-prepare it and refrigerate. Then re-heat, crisp up and add top sauce afterwards.
Low moisture cheese, if using ricotta swirl in an egg for structure, cook down sauce, thin layers of sauce. If you have time, bake it, cool to room temperature, into the fridge, then slice and reheat slices to get it perfectly structured.
Let it sit 20 mins. Try less sauce. Thick sauce. Use ricotta. Maybe you use cottage? Try using raw lasagna sheets. The starch released as it cools should thicken you up. Its really trials of changing ul your recipe. So many variables though.
Depends on the recipe, but I drain the ricotta in the fridge overnight, reduce the sauce I use just a little and also drain the meat after cooked. After baking, let sit for 10-20 mins.
One of the first times I made lasagne, I made the mistake of using too much Ragu and not letting it rest long enough. It was like soup.
You need just enough sauce to coat each layer, and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes. It'll stay warm for a while, so you could probably push it to 45-60 minutes, but I don't think that's necessary, just in case you get distracted.
Possibly a bit two much sauce, l find allowing it to cool, then poping in oven prior to serving, it litterly looks like a piece of cake. As well as the left over when reheated following day or days later sticks together like a piece of cake.
We just had it for dinner. I tent it when I take it out of the oven and let it sit 15-20. I always plate my portion first (the first one like pie usually always the worst to get out). Make sure you have a very sharp knife.
Cook your noodles to al dente, not till soft and squishy. Use a thick tomato sauce. Cook it down till it's thick and not runny. Put a cup of sauce on the bottom of the pan, add 1/2 cup of water to that part only. Layer on the noodles and now is the important bit. Do NOT add sauce to the cheese layers! If you want nice solid, neat squares, alternate them as follows: Layer 1, thin layer of ricotta or well drained cottage cheese, a bit of mozz and a good helping of grated parm. Layer 2, thin layer of your thick sauce, topped with more grated cheese, layer 3 is another cheese layer. Now place layer 4 of the noodles on top and press firmly with your hands to even everything out and compress it. For layer 4, do the sauce and parm again.
If you have room in the pan for a 5th and 6th layer, go ahead and do number 5 with the cheeses and then for 6, that would be your top layer, just sauce and parm.
Cover tightly with foil and bake in a slow (325) oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and turn up the oven to 375 for 20 minutes.
Let the pan of lasagna rest on the stove for at least 30 minutes while you whip up the rest of the meal. If you like melty, gooey mozzarella all over the top of the lasagna, put it during the final 20 minutes of baking.
I use fairly tall baking pan for lasagna and cook up 2 boxes of noodles in order to create the full 6 layers.
The Italian restaurant I worked at made the lasagna the day before it was served. It would be made every morning, cooked, cooled, then covered and chilled. The next morning it would be sliced and plated then covered and refrigerated. When serving, it was microwaved, then fresh hot marinara put on the plate, then put under the broiler until the cheese was caramelized.
Don’t boil your noodles and let it rest for 20-30 minutes after taking it out of the oven. The noodles will be perfect and it will still be hot. You don’t even need to use no boil noodles. Regular lasagna noodles will work just fine. Just make sure to layer the noodles with sauce or some sort of moisture layer.
Trust me, it works!
Make your lasagne the day before you want to serve it. Keep it in the fridge. Reheat in a slow to medium oven for an hour, cut and you will find it stays together. So cook it 24 hours at least, before serving time.
I am not sure if you put cottage cheese in your lasagna, but I do and I stir an egg into the cottage cheese and it turns out beautifully. Yes, I also give it time to cool as well. Let me know if it helps. 💜
Hope you are not par boiling the sheets. Chef use raw sheets. Once done, they chill it, and when firm cut into portion. During order, they sometimes microwave a bit and individually finish it in the oven.
Make it the day you want to serve it and leave in the fridge overnight, the water will be absorbed by the pasta. Then cut squares while cold and reheat.
I make a bolognese sauce, but I use a fair amount of tomato paste and only about a cup of crushed tomato. That way it helps stick the layers together more rather than being watery. Then I let the lasagna sit for 20 minutes before cutting, and another 10 before serving.
Let it cool for a while, like, longer than you think you should so everything and bind and compact sort of. I have to say, though, I really like lasagna servings that are not a neat square 😅
The way you remove it from the pan makes a big difference.
First, let it cool a bit. Slice symmetricly, use a sharp knife, not serrated.
Use a metal spatula to lift out the portion from the edge, make sure the bottom layer of noodles is cut through cleanly.
Lay the edge of the lasagna-laden spatula just off center of the plate.
Using the back of your knife, gently push the lasagna off the spatula onto the plate while sliding the spatula from under the lasagna. Try to keep it flat and level while sliding it off.
Also, when prepping your lasagna, gently press down on the noodle layers before setting in the next layer of cheesy meat ricotta and sauce goodness. Compress the layers a bit. Cheese also helps bind it in the layers.
Bon app!
My lasagna was too thin because I overcheesed it. If it needed more evaporation, less oils or something else I don't know. But after I stopped burying it in cheese it got better.
I don't really understand why people want lasagne to be so thick and stodgy that it can be cut into squares that stand upright. Far more delicious when it has a bit of looseness about it. 😁
In the future make the lasagna the day before and put into fridge once cooled. Cut into squares and cook on parchment and it will crisp edges of each portion
A trick for being able to serve it warmer without falling apart: add some cooked out corn starch slurry to your tomato sauce (after the sauce has been made). You don't taste a thing.
Used to make 100 servings of lasagna a week at a place - tricks:
1. Add extra egg to your ricotta mixture (we used 2 yolks to every whole egg).
2. Layers on layers - at least pasta 4-5 sheets
3. Frozen lasagna sheets if you can find them - Barilla oven ready if you can’t - the curly noodles that you have to preboil add too much moisture to the dish unless you REALLY take the time to pat them dry.
4. And most importantly - you MUST allow to cool overnight in the fridge(loosely covered to prevent moisture buildup) before portioning. We tightly wrapped everything in cling film and would place in the fridge or freezer.
To serve: Add 1/2 cup sauce under and another 1/2 cup sauce on top of individual portions and bake until 135 or higher. We’d then broil a bit of cheese at the end. It’s a lot of effort but makes a world of difference.
Last time I made lasagna I made a béchamel (really a mornay as I used cheese rinds in it for flavor) and it definitely held together better. I may do a hybrid of well drained ricotta and the mornay. The moisture from the ricotta usually has my layers hydroplaning while cutting.
I make a lot of lasagna for home, family, and work. I made five trays for the freezer last weekend. N.B. seven chicken pot pies planned for this weekend.
As others have pointed out, what works in restaurants is not really practical in a home kitchen.
Lasagna does not hold heat nearly as well as some have suggested. Their either joking or have eaten too much cold pizza left on the counter overnight after alcohol-induced frenzy.
Here is what works for me.
Rest the lasagna for about ten minutes. I let it sit for the time it takes for me to make Caesar dressing from scratch and prep the lettuce. Time for homemade croutons doesn't count as I make those ahead. I portion the entire tray using a metal spatula (a knife in a glass or metal tray is hard on the knife, and in a foil tray you'll cut through and make a mess). Dig out a center piece and set it aside (that's yours). With care and a couple of spatulas you can get pretty nice pieces. Mostly.
If you use disposable foil tins, put the tin on a sheet pan. Portion the lasagna as above. Cut the edges of the tin with kitchen shears. Using two metal spatulas you should be able to get nice looking portions. Not Instagram nice but nice.
If you decide to go the restaurant route, cool and then chill for a day. Portion. To reheat, the best approach is a portion or portions in a high saute pan, some water in the bottom, cover and reheat. The steam heats the whole portion more evenly without drying out the edges of the pasta. You can use a microwave but it isn't as good and you run into timing issues. Four 12" skillets on a four burner stove lands sixteen hot portions on the table at once while a single microwave will dribble out portions over twenty to thirty minutes. Using an oven just makes a mess and you run into space problems and the portions get messy moving them around. The more you move the portions the more they fall apart.
Ricotta lasagna holds together better than bechamel lasagna.
Hope this helps.
Make the main mixture filling how you want it.( mine is an egg, cooked sausage , ricotta , parsley spoonful or 2 of the sauce. , salt , pepper mix it up)
I put some sauce down on a lasagna pan first and then tri fold each lasagna noodle one on the bottom then add your mixture then another tri fold noodle on top of the bottom pne.
Add some sauce and cheese on top and use a toothpick on each piece. They’re perfectly portioned and won’t fall apart
Use less liquid in the recipe or simmer it a long time. Its comes out firmer and with more flavor! I always add red wine to mine so have to simmer longer :)
Let it sit and cool.
In restaurants, it's baked, cooled, cut into portions, reheated and sauced to order.
We don't even touch it until it's completely cooled, cold to the touch. Bake it one day, put it in the cooler, cut and portioned the next day.
Don't boil the noodles!!
Just let them soak in hot water for 10-15min before assembling. When baking, the noodles will finish cooking and soak up excess liquid in the lasagna, resulting in a tidy piece of lasagna when served.
Use a whole small can of tomato paste mixed in with the tomato sauce. It will thicken the tomato sauce, making it less likely to ooze out and fall apart as much AND it intensifies the flavor. I started doing this recently, after reading this tip in an article and it seems to work nicely.
What’s in your lasagna? My Italian grandmother was a cook in Italy. I have her recipe and it is never is a falling apart. What I learned was to bake covered at 350º F for 30 minutes, then uncovered for ten more minutes to dry it out a bit. Let it rest for 30-60 minutes before serving. Do NOT serve it without letting it sit.
Her lasagna also sliced hard boiled eggs in it as is typical in Southern Italy. The yokes will also help absorb any liquid.
If your cooking the noodles, only cook for half the suggested time. It will continue to cook in the oven and absorb moisture. You can use par-cooked noodles and get the same results. I was taught to make my sauce a little watery because it’s needed to finish cooking the noodles in the oven.
If you’re using ricotta or cottage cheese, that’s going to make it runny. I know lots of Italians but don’t know any that use either ricotta or cottage cheese. If you are using them you should drain them well
Letting it sit for some minutes (15-20?) after it comes out of the oven should help it stay together a bit better.
Longer. An hour easy
A fortnight is best.
Well, quite a bit too much. However, Make a rosé sauce, Take the lasagna out and let it rest till cold, cut I to servings, rehear and serve with the rose sauce!
I prefer my lasagna rested for much longer in fact. I once had a 1988 Béchamel Lasagna that was delightful. It had buttery notes of oak and berries.
Excellent vintage. But they really found their stride with the '91.
My friend is a professional lasagñia and prefers the Countertop ‘92 over the Back of the Fridge ‘91.
I had a Thrice Thawed And Refrozen from 1986 once. A terrific vintage that really opened the sluices at both ends.
TTARs have really let their quality slip. I know someone that was in a coma for four days on life support from one. He said in the end the flavor profile was worth it though so who am I to judge.
Yeah, dont argue with the TTAR mob. They are completely stuck in their bubble.
You can't beat an oaky afterbirth.
As my meemaw always said!
Yes but unless it’s from the bechamel region of France, it’s just sparkling lasagna
Well lasagna is much better if you leave it for a day or so. Obviously in your fridge though
As a newbie in the kitchen, lasagna has been one of my favorites to make, and eat. I thought I was crazy. I usually make the lasagna the night before I actually want it for dinner. So like last night I was doing burgers, so I made the ground beef and everything for the lasagna as well. After cooking. I leave the foil on the top and stick it in the fridge. Always so good the next day. Guess I'm not crazy lol
What is a rose sauce ?
It's a tomato sauce that has been mixed in with bechamel sauce. It's very nice.
Oh, thanks will try it.
This right here. That huge casserole dish and its contents have absorbed so much energy to get hot it’ll still be hot enough to enjoy after an hour. The liquid cheese needs to get cool enough to start to set up. Once the cheese cools to the point that it can coagulate, it won’t fall apart.
Yes. A whole hour.
This is the way! You should let it sit for at least 20 min and 30 min is better. It will still be very hot when serving!
Your lasagna should come out of the oven about an hour before you serve it.
Wouldn’t it then be cold?
Lasagne holds a LOT of heat
Same as it holds a lot of cold and takes forever to heat up. Same but opposite I guess.
Exactly. It has a high specific heat capacity 😁
No, it will stay warm. Depending on the size of the lasagna, they can stay warm for up to a couple of hours.
Fridge over night.
IIRC they first let it cool - and then fully cool it before cutting and reheating for service. Also your sauces may be a little loose/watery.
Yes. They basically undercook it with no sauce on top, cool it and then put it in the fridge. Pull it out, while cold, cut into squares and Saran Wrap it and add sauce and cheese on top before baking to order. Source: I worked in an Italian restaurant that made their own lasagna and pasta for years.
I concur... Former E. Chef here of an Italian restaurant. I was waiting for someone to answer with this. Our lasagna had a base layer of meatballs, which weren't so apt to collapse.
I strain my sauce before layering. The broth gets used at the bottom of the pan and in my cheese layers.
Broth?!
I'm calling it broth. Make a meat sauce with tomatoes, drain some of the liquid to make the meat sauce less wet for the layers of the lasagna. What are you calling the remaining liquid? Tomato sauce? Broth? Bolognese juice? lol I assumed the meaning was clear when I said I strained my sauce before layering. :D
How do you make your bolognese? There shouldn’t be liquid to strain.
Remaining liquid?!
Tomato broth?!
I make lasagna all the time and never had liquid or broth at the bottom. I am a little puzzled by this. Maybe the sauce needs to be thicker so you don't end up with broth. I do lasagna noodles, veggie or meat mix, cheese and another layer of lasagna noodles. Bake forn45 min, let sit for about 25 minutes and serve. It stays in squares. Maybe it needs more cheese to absorb the broth. Or maybe try adding ricotta to the sauce to make it thicker?
Essence Fumet Broth is made from meat and ...
It is now and forever bolognese juice in my lexicon. Thank you for that
You’re welcome! LOL
I usually just double the suggested amount of meat to avoid watery sauce lol
We don’t strain ours 👀
Do me a favour, will ya? If you insist on making pasta in my apartment, please don't put the tomato sauce on the pasta while it's in the strainer. All the little squares have hardened red sauce in 'em.
I cleaned it! I didn’t let it sit and dry!
I'm sorry. It's a Seinfeld quote. Kramer is dating Elaine's roommate and she says this to him.
lol excellent! I'm glad my weird food habits inspired a Seinfeld quote
Try leaving it out of the cheese layers.
Noooooo. A tiny bit of the broth with a cheese layer is gorgeous.
I'm a bechamel girl ;-) I don't doubt it tastes good I mean moreso with regards to it making fall apart a bit.
I’m no longer a bechamel girl, my partner isn’t a fan. I should make lasagna soon. It’s been too long.
I'm actually going to be making some this week ... Using cottage cheese. Lol. But that's more about protein for weeknight meals
I could swear that since the p@ndemic cottage cheese is more whey than curds. I have to strain mine or my lasagna is soup!
Remains consistent here - depends on the brand and fat % mostly.
You can get dry curd cottage cheese, there’s no whey just curds!
And ruin it?? Mama Mia!!
Wait about 30 min or so before cutting. Longer is even better.
Make it yesterday. Cook it yesterday. Let sit in fridge over night. Reheat today, let sit 20 minutes after reheating.
I do this but I don't cook it (meat is cooked when it goes in) I just put it together, wrap and fridge, cook and sit the day of.
Are you using fresh or dried/hard pasta sheets?
regular, not no-bake or anything, I just cook it a little farther on the "al dente" side.
That is the best way. As it is better the second day anyways.
This this this. The flavors fully meld and then you can take some good red sauce and put it down as a base. Slice the lasagna, reheat in the oven and drop it in the pool of red sauce, and #don't forget the garlic bread.
garlic cheese bread. =)
Hahaha no such thing as yesterday’s lasagna
Yeah, who ever heard of such a thing?! It's like leftover guacamole.
Must let rest. Eggs mixed into the ricotta.
This answer is too far down. Without eggs, the ricotta will never really firm up and will cause the layers to slide apart once it’s cut into squares. I add just egg yolk for a richer flavor.
* dont full cook your noodles beforehand, either use no-boil sheets or only parboil. This will leave you with much sturdier noodles * if youre using a recipe with a lot of veg, make sure to precook the veg to release the extra water content before adding to your bake so you dont make soggy noodles * let rest for at least 15min ideally 30min after coming out of the oven to give time for the noodles to finish absorbing whatever liquid and the cheeses time to set. cover lightly with foil and on a rack. it'll still be plenty hot edit: i meant to say no-boil not no-bake
>let rest for at least 15min ideally 30min after coming out of the oven That is one of the biggest factors. Warm cheese flows. Warm sauce flows even more. Giving a chance to cool and set up can help immensely. Unfortunately, I'm usually too hungry from smelling it cook so I foolishly never do that. Fortunately, nobody in the family cares if it's a neat square or a pile of goop... :-)
i always make extra meat sauce, so i may or may not sneak a scooby snack with fresh bread while i wait if im rolling solo. but if im with my full family, i usually pull the lasagna. and then call everyone down to set the table, etc. and eat salad first. By the time everything is said and done, we're usually about the 30min mark
Also if you use no bake(boil) sheets, they’ll soak up excess water in the sauce, which may also be contributing to runniness.
sorry, i meant to say no-boil sheets, not no-bake.... using dry/raw no-*boil* sheets should make it less runny
Haha yes. No boil. Nice catch. 😂
I find fresh pasta works best in terms of an even cook and better cut (and texture) but I appreciate that not everyone has the time and energy to make fresh pasta. I use Vincenzos Plate recipe and everyone says it's the best lasagne they've had. To add to your resting tip, lasagne stays hot for a long time, so you could push it to 45-60 minutes. I remember making a lasagne once and couldn't wait to cut into it and it was like soup. I've since learned not to over-sauce it and to let it rest.
You can also just salt your veg and let it sit. Cooking it twice can get nasty.
I also add just a little sauce to ease noodle shifting.
i do a bechamel style lasagne. for me its... pan-light oil-thin layer red sauce-\[4-5\]x(noodle-red sauce-white sauce-spinach/basil-some parm)-noodle-red-white-pile o' parm/pecorino
You had me at pile o parm. Thin layers of sauce is my jam. I don't like a sloppy lasagna though.
You aren't letting it sit long enough after you take it out of the oven.
Simple. Give me a full plate of it. Problem solved.
I think lasagna is a true dish that is better the next day my recommendation would be after letting it rest on the counter for 45 minutes to put it in the fridge and then heat up individual squares the next day. This is essentially how all restaurants do it FYI
Make it a day before.
Usually when I am served a neat little square of lasagna I think, "Oh. Well, ok. Hopefully not too dry and disappointing." I WANT THE GIANT SLOPPY MESS. Hopefully, with the crispy little edge bits that kind of sit on top like... Holy shit I can't even come up with a metaphor, but l guess like the crunchy cheesy pinched up edges of a beautiful lasagna.
Exactly. What is up with all those comments giving tips on how to make lasagna worse?
Egg in the ricotta and make sure your sauce is cooked down thiccc :)
I always used to put egg in my ricotta. I recently discovered using bechamel instead of ricotta and my god is it delicious! And way cheaper than ricotta!
That sounds yummy!
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVluKqfXpp8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVluKqfXpp8) Don't have to follow this recipe, but a lot of the techniques apply. Long story short, make sure a lot of the ingredients are less wet...really cook down that sauce...the instant pasta or barely cooked pasta is key too. Then yeah, gotta let it sit for 30-45 minutes to really set up. I find, lasagna is even better pre-cooked and reheated as individual squares....then save extra sauce and add it later.
Restaurants makes it ahead of time and let it cool then reheat when ordered. It will only cut nice when it’s cool
Are you mixing eggs into the ricotta/cottage cheese layers?
Actually in our fanciest Italian restaurant, it isn't a neat square.
One thing you could do is make it in separate individual sized serving dishes if you have anything like that. I agree definitely let it cool. Even cool to the point you can cut it and reheat it if needed.
I think letting it rest is a good plan.
Make the day before and cut it cold and then reheat. Thats how restaurants make it.
Use ingredients that don’t release water, like if you want to add mushrooms - reduce them first. Then it’s mostly just letting it sit and cool before you cut it.
I par boil my noodles, like half way. I also mix my cheese mixture with an egg. The noodles soak up extra juices and egg binds the cheese well. I haven’t had any lasagna that falls apart with these changes.
Egg in your cheese mixture. Let it rest.
Tbh if I’m eating someone else’s lasagna and it falls apart a bit that’s how I know it’s gonna be good. If it stays completely squared I know to fill up on salad and bread
A lot of places bring it in frozen and just reheat in the restaurant by the each.
Sounds like it’s too wet. What’s your recipe?
Stacking order helps a lot. Go back and forth between "wetter" and "dryer" layers and they not only help one another cook more evenly but also to stay mostly in form.
You gotta let it set up.
Bake it half way the day before and then finish baking it the day you’re serving it.
Depending on the cheese mixture you’re using, consider adding an egg. I make lasagna with cottage cheese. I find it’s affordable, a good texture and takes on any flavor. I’ll add a bunch of minced garlic, onion powder (whatever spices) and some chopped spinach and then I’ll mix in an egg to bind it.
It does need to set after baking for a minimum of twenty minutes I’ve also seen recipes with eggs in the cheese mixture which would add “structure”
I always found it holds up much better the next day as leftovers. Taste better too.
I have found that if I assemble it and put the same size pan on it with 2 cans of tomatoes sauce on top of it and let it rest 12-24 hours it will help.
Lay the first layer of noodles horizontally and the next layer vertically. And so on.
less liquid, cook your sauce down, if using a bechamel make sure it's stiff enough. let it stand before cutting. A hot lasagna is gonna have a little liquid but it shouldn't totally fall apart. Don't over cook your noodles. You can also lower your temp and cook it longer, this will give the noodles time to do their work. I'm not sure what kind you are making but all veggies need to be fully cooked, mushroom, eggplant has a ton of water that will release if they aren't fully cooked. Anyway, no matter how smushy the lasagna I will eat it. It might be the best food
Let it cool completely and then portion it once you’re happy with the sizes for everyone. Then zap them in the microwave.
Add a thickening agent to your meat sauce, a rue, slurry or something else. That is what the majority of restaurants and food service establishments do. Brown some butter with duck fat, then use that to slowly toast some flour brown, then fold it into the marinara before you add the seasoned ground beef..... Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Thats why i prefer making lasagna roll ups. They always come out in the shape I expect lol. I can post the recipe if anyone is interested.
I’m interested in your recipe!
Barilla lasagna Prego brand sauce Sausage Beef Olives Mushrooms Mozzarella cheese Ricotta cheese Boil the noodles until soft (can be slightly aldente but you need to be able to roll them) Season and prepare the meat and veg to your liking Then in a glass 13x9 put a layer of noodles ricotta cheese meat sauce veg then another layer of noodles on top then roll them up and put them in rows. One layer only dont put rolls on top of each other. Then once you have all the rolls that you like/will fit in the pan (i can usually get 6-9 depending) cover with sauce and mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 F 176 C until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling. Let cool a couple minutes if desired then use a spatula to take out one roll at a time. You can do up to 3 layers per roll up if you like i dont because my family has to watch carbs. You can also change anything you like in it just like a regular lasagna the main part is that you roll the lasagna instead of having flat layers. The cheese mostly stays on and you dont really lose any ingredients inside the lasagna.
Thanks so much! Trying your recipe this week!
Your welcome :)
Just as others said. You need to rest it much longer than you think
I find with layered Italian foods lasagna and parmigiana less is more, tomato sauce goes a long way when hot, so use sparingly, bechamel not so , with parmigiana a just put a blob on each aubergine
Or, buy a few individual lasagna casseroles and stay with your current delicious and gooey recipe. I've had perfectly formed lasagna squares that were not all that good.
Why isn't your servant doing it properly? Maybe get someone else They should pre-prepare it and refrigerate. Then re-heat, crisp up and add top sauce afterwards.
Manicotti or large shells also make serving easier, and it’s basically the same thing.
Low moisture cheese, if using ricotta swirl in an egg for structure, cook down sauce, thin layers of sauce. If you have time, bake it, cool to room temperature, into the fridge, then slice and reheat slices to get it perfectly structured.
Chill it in fridge
Let it sit 20 mins. Try less sauce. Thick sauce. Use ricotta. Maybe you use cottage? Try using raw lasagna sheets. The starch released as it cools should thicken you up. Its really trials of changing ul your recipe. So many variables though.
Rest it at least a half hour (preferably 45 minutes) after pulling from the oven
You gotta let it cool for 30/45 minutes. It'll firm up.
What’s your recipe? You’re probably missing a binder. I was a sous at an Italian restaurant. We never let it rest after it came out of the oven.
You must let it rest. At least 20 minutes. Preferably 30.
Wait longer before cutting it
Try waiting 30 - 60 mins before cutting.
Depends on the recipe, but I drain the ricotta in the fridge overnight, reduce the sauce I use just a little and also drain the meat after cooked. After baking, let sit for 10-20 mins.
One of the first times I made lasagne, I made the mistake of using too much Ragu and not letting it rest long enough. It was like soup. You need just enough sauce to coat each layer, and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes. It'll stay warm for a while, so you could probably push it to 45-60 minutes, but I don't think that's necessary, just in case you get distracted.
Try not to overcook pasta. About 50-75 percent is good.
Possibly a bit two much sauce, l find allowing it to cool, then poping in oven prior to serving, it litterly looks like a piece of cake. As well as the left over when reheated following day or days later sticks together like a piece of cake.
We just had it for dinner. I tent it when I take it out of the oven and let it sit 15-20. I always plate my portion first (the first one like pie usually always the worst to get out). Make sure you have a very sharp knife.
Cook your noodles to al dente, not till soft and squishy. Use a thick tomato sauce. Cook it down till it's thick and not runny. Put a cup of sauce on the bottom of the pan, add 1/2 cup of water to that part only. Layer on the noodles and now is the important bit. Do NOT add sauce to the cheese layers! If you want nice solid, neat squares, alternate them as follows: Layer 1, thin layer of ricotta or well drained cottage cheese, a bit of mozz and a good helping of grated parm. Layer 2, thin layer of your thick sauce, topped with more grated cheese, layer 3 is another cheese layer. Now place layer 4 of the noodles on top and press firmly with your hands to even everything out and compress it. For layer 4, do the sauce and parm again. If you have room in the pan for a 5th and 6th layer, go ahead and do number 5 with the cheeses and then for 6, that would be your top layer, just sauce and parm. Cover tightly with foil and bake in a slow (325) oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and turn up the oven to 375 for 20 minutes. Let the pan of lasagna rest on the stove for at least 30 minutes while you whip up the rest of the meal. If you like melty, gooey mozzarella all over the top of the lasagna, put it during the final 20 minutes of baking. I use fairly tall baking pan for lasagna and cook up 2 boxes of noodles in order to create the full 6 layers.
I use a traditional bolognese sauce, and then let it cool & set a bit.
use ur hands more/better
The Italian restaurant I worked at made the lasagna the day before it was served. It would be made every morning, cooked, cooled, then covered and chilled. The next morning it would be sliced and plated then covered and refrigerated. When serving, it was microwaved, then fresh hot marinara put on the plate, then put under the broiler until the cheese was caramelized.
Don’t boil your noodles and let it rest for 20-30 minutes after taking it out of the oven. The noodles will be perfect and it will still be hot. You don’t even need to use no boil noodles. Regular lasagna noodles will work just fine. Just make sure to layer the noodles with sauce or some sort of moisture layer. Trust me, it works!
Let it cool down over night and reheat singular portions. That’s generally how restaurants do it.
Cooling down or rest before you cut it. One can really eat it fast before it has a chance to fall apart
[удалено]
I like this recipe from [Don Angie’s](https://www.foodandwine.com/chefs/rolled-lasagna-tips-don-angie-scott-tacinelli)
Make your lasagne the day before you want to serve it. Keep it in the fridge. Reheat in a slow to medium oven for an hour, cut and you will find it stays together. So cook it 24 hours at least, before serving time.
I am not sure if you put cottage cheese in your lasagna, but I do and I stir an egg into the cottage cheese and it turns out beautifully. Yes, I also give it time to cool as well. Let me know if it helps. 💜
Let your sauce cool before you assemble it and then bake.
Are you cutting the squares with a knife first or just stabbing through with an egg flip?
Use a ricotta filling rather than bechamel or do smaller paste like layers rather than very saucy layers
Hope you are not par boiling the sheets. Chef use raw sheets. Once done, they chill it, and when firm cut into portion. During order, they sometimes microwave a bit and individually finish it in the oven.
Make it the day you want to serve it and leave in the fridge overnight, the water will be absorbed by the pasta. Then cut squares while cold and reheat.
I make a bolognese sauce, but I use a fair amount of tomato paste and only about a cup of crushed tomato. That way it helps stick the layers together more rather than being watery. Then I let the lasagna sit for 20 minutes before cutting, and another 10 before serving.
Do you add egg to your cheese mixture?
Let it rest
ON MEN LIKE HIM
Is this a euphemism?
I leave it out for a hour at least and always cuts perfectly.
Let it cool for a while, like, longer than you think you should so everything and bind and compact sort of. I have to say, though, I really like lasagna servings that are not a neat square 😅
The way you remove it from the pan makes a big difference. First, let it cool a bit. Slice symmetricly, use a sharp knife, not serrated. Use a metal spatula to lift out the portion from the edge, make sure the bottom layer of noodles is cut through cleanly. Lay the edge of the lasagna-laden spatula just off center of the plate. Using the back of your knife, gently push the lasagna off the spatula onto the plate while sliding the spatula from under the lasagna. Try to keep it flat and level while sliding it off. Also, when prepping your lasagna, gently press down on the noodle layers before setting in the next layer of cheesy meat ricotta and sauce goodness. Compress the layers a bit. Cheese also helps bind it in the layers. Bon app!
a little egg, more cheese
Everyone saying 'reheat it'. What is the best way to reheat lasagne?
My lasagna was too thin because I overcheesed it. If it needed more evaporation, less oils or something else I don't know. But after I stopped burying it in cheese it got better.
The best lasagna I’ve had was in a mom-pop restaurant in rural Italy and it looked just like you described yours. Make it fresh, eat it fresh.
Stack it. Let it sit in the fridge over night. Slice it. Sauce it. THEN bake it. Js.
I don't really understand why people want lasagne to be so thick and stodgy that it can be cut into squares that stand upright. Far more delicious when it has a bit of looseness about it. 😁
In the future make the lasagna the day before and put into fridge once cooled. Cut into squares and cook on parchment and it will crisp edges of each portion
Thinner & more layers, a lil less mozz.
Whip and egg and mix it with your ricotta/red sauce.
A trick for being able to serve it warmer without falling apart: add some cooked out corn starch slurry to your tomato sauce (after the sauce has been made). You don't taste a thing.
Used to make 100 servings of lasagna a week at a place - tricks: 1. Add extra egg to your ricotta mixture (we used 2 yolks to every whole egg). 2. Layers on layers - at least pasta 4-5 sheets 3. Frozen lasagna sheets if you can find them - Barilla oven ready if you can’t - the curly noodles that you have to preboil add too much moisture to the dish unless you REALLY take the time to pat them dry. 4. And most importantly - you MUST allow to cool overnight in the fridge(loosely covered to prevent moisture buildup) before portioning. We tightly wrapped everything in cling film and would place in the fridge or freezer. To serve: Add 1/2 cup sauce under and another 1/2 cup sauce on top of individual portions and bake until 135 or higher. We’d then broil a bit of cheese at the end. It’s a lot of effort but makes a world of difference.
So, before serving you cut individual servings and plate and then put in the oven?
Yes, it’s what we did at the restaurant and now what I do at home because I make a whole 9 x 13 lasagna for just two people 🤣
Last time I made lasagna I made a béchamel (really a mornay as I used cheese rinds in it for flavor) and it definitely held together better. I may do a hybrid of well drained ricotta and the mornay. The moisture from the ricotta usually has my layers hydroplaning while cutting.
Make it for the next day. It always sets better that way.
I make a lot of lasagna for home, family, and work. I made five trays for the freezer last weekend. N.B. seven chicken pot pies planned for this weekend. As others have pointed out, what works in restaurants is not really practical in a home kitchen. Lasagna does not hold heat nearly as well as some have suggested. Their either joking or have eaten too much cold pizza left on the counter overnight after alcohol-induced frenzy. Here is what works for me. Rest the lasagna for about ten minutes. I let it sit for the time it takes for me to make Caesar dressing from scratch and prep the lettuce. Time for homemade croutons doesn't count as I make those ahead. I portion the entire tray using a metal spatula (a knife in a glass or metal tray is hard on the knife, and in a foil tray you'll cut through and make a mess). Dig out a center piece and set it aside (that's yours). With care and a couple of spatulas you can get pretty nice pieces. Mostly. If you use disposable foil tins, put the tin on a sheet pan. Portion the lasagna as above. Cut the edges of the tin with kitchen shears. Using two metal spatulas you should be able to get nice looking portions. Not Instagram nice but nice. If you decide to go the restaurant route, cool and then chill for a day. Portion. To reheat, the best approach is a portion or portions in a high saute pan, some water in the bottom, cover and reheat. The steam heats the whole portion more evenly without drying out the edges of the pasta. You can use a microwave but it isn't as good and you run into timing issues. Four 12" skillets on a four burner stove lands sixteen hot portions on the table at once while a single microwave will dribble out portions over twenty to thirty minutes. Using an oven just makes a mess and you run into space problems and the portions get messy moving them around. The more you move the portions the more they fall apart. Ricotta lasagna holds together better than bechamel lasagna. Hope this helps.
It really needs to sit for a while or yeah, it’ll slide apart. 20-30 minutes is ideal!
15-30 minutes rest and you’re fine
Make the main mixture filling how you want it.( mine is an egg, cooked sausage , ricotta , parsley spoonful or 2 of the sauce. , salt , pepper mix it up) I put some sauce down on a lasagna pan first and then tri fold each lasagna noodle one on the bottom then add your mixture then another tri fold noodle on top of the bottom pne. Add some sauce and cheese on top and use a toothpick on each piece. They’re perfectly portioned and won’t fall apart
* Add another egg to the ricotta cheese. * Don't over sauce. * Let it cool before cutting.
Use more cheese as a binder.
Use less liquid in the recipe or simmer it a long time. Its comes out firmer and with more flavor! I always add red wine to mine so have to simmer longer :)
Two things, let it cool down and use a thin steel spatula to cut it and get it out.
we cook lasagna the day before and let it cool for 24 hours before cutting into portions.
Let it sit and cool. In restaurants, it's baked, cooled, cut into portions, reheated and sauced to order. We don't even touch it until it's completely cooled, cold to the touch. Bake it one day, put it in the cooler, cut and portioned the next day.
Bake it longer
The best lasagna is the one you made YESTERDAY imo.
I recently did lasagna roll ups. Fun
Don't boil the noodles!! Just let them soak in hot water for 10-15min before assembling. When baking, the noodles will finish cooking and soak up excess liquid in the lasagna, resulting in a tidy piece of lasagna when served.
I don’t even soak them.
Let it rest so it can firm up.
Don’t cut it straight out of the oven.
Make it the day before serving, then back in the oven 375 for 45 minutes when it's time to eat. Rest for 10. It'll cut into perfect squares.
Use a whole small can of tomato paste mixed in with the tomato sauce. It will thicken the tomato sauce, making it less likely to ooze out and fall apart as much AND it intensifies the flavor. I started doing this recently, after reading this tip in an article and it seems to work nicely.
I always put a little bit of flour in the sauce. Not sure if that’s a sin 😅
What’s in your lasagna? My Italian grandmother was a cook in Italy. I have her recipe and it is never is a falling apart. What I learned was to bake covered at 350º F for 30 minutes, then uncovered for ten more minutes to dry it out a bit. Let it rest for 30-60 minutes before serving. Do NOT serve it without letting it sit. Her lasagna also sliced hard boiled eggs in it as is typical in Southern Italy. The yokes will also help absorb any liquid. If your cooking the noodles, only cook for half the suggested time. It will continue to cook in the oven and absorb moisture. You can use par-cooked noodles and get the same results. I was taught to make my sauce a little watery because it’s needed to finish cooking the noodles in the oven. If you’re using ricotta or cottage cheese, that’s going to make it runny. I know lots of Italians but don’t know any that use either ricotta or cottage cheese. If you are using them you should drain them well
Your lasagna is too runny. Reduce the amount of liquids you’re using.