How do you make lasagna stay firm?

Garfield got it right: Lasagna is the bomb. For one thing, it's an easy-to-make crowd pleaser. For another, it lends itself to endless ingredient riffs (see all of our recipes here), a tasty dumping ground for leftover meat and vegetables. But too often, a slice of home-cooked lasagna has landed on our plates with a sad plop---a shapeless mess of sauce, cheese, and noodles. We'll smile and slurp up the soupy casserole any day (messy lasagna is better than no lasagna), but there are better ways to do it. So we consulted out test kitchen for tips to achieve a slice that stands as a tower of bubbling perfection.

1. "Always use the no-boil noodles. They won't get soggy and will absorb extra liquid. Don't add too much sauce or cheese, and be sure to bake the lasagna uncovered at least at the end until the topping is nice and browned on top." --Janet McCracken, Deputy Food Editor

2. "Make the lasagna early in the day or a day ahead, cooling it completely, then reheating it gently. This is great if you want to cook it off, cool, slice, and freeze portions, too. Also, be gentle! Lasagna is like a custard: If you jostle it too much, the cheese will break and get runny." --Mary-Frances Heck, Associate Food Editor

3. "Last but not least, be patient! You've spent all this time building your lasagna. Now that it's gorgeous and browned and bubbly, let it rest for at least 20 minutes like you would a gargantuan standing rib roast. This will ensure more even squares when you cut it, and the cheese and sauce won't run all over the plate." --Hunter Lewis, Food Editor

   Lasagna is a favorite dish we all love. If you’ve ever made your own, you know the disasters that can happen, right?

   
   

   That delicious meal you’ve ever so tenderly built in a casserole dish comes out. You slice the servings up and before you can get it to the plate, it falls apart. Or, the cheese on top is so rubbery you need a hack saw to pry it apart.

   I don’t know about you friends but when I first started making lasagna (way too many years ago to count), it seemed like you went through this big bunch of hootenanny only to wind up with plates full of pasta slop. I like my food to look as good as it tastes. I don’t care how fantastic your ingredients are, if it doesn’t look delicious, it doesn’t taste as good.

   So, here are a few pointers I’ve learned about building a beautiful lasagna..

   First things’ first. Avoiding excess water in the dish is imperative.

   • Strain the ricotta in some cheese cloth or a fine meshed strainer before mixing it with the other ingredients.
   • Pat your noodles dry with a paper towel after you boil them.
   • Use a thicker sauce like a marinara. (try Easy Marinara Sauce)
   • If you are including ground meat in your lasagna, make sure you strain it really well after browning.

   Another important aspect to the perfect lasagna every time is how you layer it up. Don’t get all saucy, thinking that you should pour sauce in between layers. Instead, ladle the sauce on after the portions are placed on the plate. In prepping and building, just cover the bottom of the pan and the top of the lasagna after you’ve placed your layers.

   
   

   The most difficult part of keeping lasagna together is the ricotta layer. When the dish comes out of the oven, that cheese is piping hot and can fall apart if you slice it too quickly. The smooth and creamy center needs time to settle and firm up. That means you should let your lasagna cool for at least 30 minutes before digging in. I know, I know.. the agony! But if you’re going for aesthetically pleasing pasta, patience is required.

   
   

   Think of it like a cheese cake. These things need babying. Simply spread the mixture over the noodles and top with more noodles, tucking that ooey, gooey deliciousness in safely. The waiting for cooling is just a part of the perfection.

   
   

   What we love about lasagna are the layers of sauce, meat, noodle and cheese. Keeping all of those things in “layers” is the goal, rather than having a soupy pile of stuff when all is said and done.

   When it’s time to bake, cover the dish with foil to keep the top from burning. Poke a few holes in the foil to allow for steam ventilation. Take the foil off for the last ten minutes of baking to dry up any condensation that may have built up.

   
   

   While you’re waiting for the lasagna to cool and “set” warm the remaining marinara up on the stove. Ladle some in your serving dishes and then on top the slice of lasagna. Not only does this make for a beautiful presentation, it gives the finished dish all the moisture it needs for a delicious bite, every bite.

   
   

   Finally, to avoid that ninja strength layer of knife repelling mozzarella sitting atop your masterpiece, leave it off. That’s right, don’t bake the final layer of cheese. We’re not making pizza. Right?

   Place your beautiful strands of scrumptious cheesy goodness over the individual servings after you have it plated up. That warmed sauce will be just hot enough to give it a touch of melt.

   
   

   A tasty and beautiful lasagna isn’t difficult. It’s a matter of layering it right and taking your time.

   
   

   Great ingredients are especially important in building a lovely presentation for your dinner table but a few extra tips always helps. And that’s one thing I love sharing here at Happy Belly Foodie. That little extra know-how will have your loved ones ooing and ahh-ing before they even take the first bite.

   Keep it delicious friends, as always. If you’ve got a beautiful dish/recipe you’d love to share, we’d like to see it. You can catch up with Happy Belly Foodie on any of those shiny buttons above or leave us a comment down below.

   Till next time ~ much love, Connie

   Perfect Lasagna Every Time

   Print Recipe

   Servings 10 to 12 servings

   Ingredients  

   • 12 lasagna noodles
   • 1/4 lb ground beef
   • 1/4 lb ground pork sausage
   • salt and pepper to taste
   • 8 oz ricotta cheese
   • 1 egg
   • 1/2 C shredded mozzarella
   • 1 tsp salt
   • 1 tsp oregano
   • 1 tsp basil
   • 2 1/2 to 3 C marinara sauce
   • mozzarella for topping.

   Instructions 

   • Cook the lasagna noodles in a large pot of salted, boiling water until half done. Drain the water off and place the noodles flat on dry paper towels to remove excess moisture. Set aside.

   • Brown the ground beef and ground sausage in a skillet until done. Drain excess grease off well and season with salt and pepper to taste.

   • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

   • Place the ricotta in cheese cloth or a fine mesh wire sieve to strain the excess water off. Place in a bowl and combine with the egg, 1/2 cup mozzarella, 1 tsp salt, oregano and basil. Mix well.

   • In a 8" x 11" casserole dish, spread 1/2 cup of the marinara and top with 1/2 of the beef/pork mixture.

     How do you keep lasagna from falling apart?

     If your lasagna is falling apart it could be because, it is to hot. Let it sit about 5 mins after you pull it out of the oven. Also your sauce could be to thin, if your sauce is watery it will cause your lasagna to not cut properly. Thicken it up by letting it reduce, adding less water or adding a bit of tomato paste.

     Should you let lasagna rest before baking?

     Let the lasagna rest before cooking it For cooking patience is an excellent ally, so when you have finished composing your lasagna, let it rest for about 40 minutes before baking it; in this way the pasta will absorb all the flavors of the condiment and the cooking will be more homogeneous and the taste richer.

     Why does my lasagna go sloppy?

     Re: Why is my lasagne always so sloppy? Don't cover the lasagne when cooking it, also leave it in the oven longer - this will dry it out no matter how much 'goo' you put in.

     Is lasagna better made the day before?

     You can make it ahead. The lasagna needs at least 5 hours to chill and let the sauce soften the noodles, but you can definitely make it the night before (even 3 days before) and bake it when you need it.