- ~16 dried lasagna noodles (I use Barilla)
- 2.5 pounds 85%/15% ground beef
- 16 slices of swiss cheese
- 1 pound requesón cheese
- 1 pound shredded oaxaca cheese
- 12.5 oz grated cotija cheese
- 67 oz jar of Prego Traditional spaghetti sauce
- 24 oz jar of Prego Traditional spaghetti sauce
- 24 oz jar of Prego Creamy Vodka spaghetti sauce
- Salt (to taste)
- Pepper (to taste)
- Garlic Powder (to taste)
- Onion Powder (to taste)
Serving size: 10 ounces or 283.5 grams. Calories: 460
Lasagna is the traditional dish for the beginning of the Saturnalia feast. Saturnalia, of course, runs from December 17 to December 23 every year. Well, it’s hard to say what is “traditional” because I’m pretty much singlehandedly bringing Saturnalia back in fashion. So it’s the “traditional” dinner for the Saturnalia feast in my version of Saturnalia anyway.
Step 1 (optional): parboil your noodles. This step is optional because you really don’t need to parboil your noodles or boil them either. You can just layer them dry in your pan and when you cook the lasagna, they will become hydrated and soften. But unless your pan just happens to be the exact same size as your noodles, you will want to cut them into different sized pieces, and parboiling helps. You don’t need to boil them completely. Just soften them a little in the simmering, salted water. Parboiling also helps the noodles soak up some salt.
Step 2: Add a reasonably thick layer of sauce to the bottom of your pan. This will help hydrate the noodles during cooking, plus it will also really help keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Step 3: Add a layer of parboiled (or dry) noodles.
Step 4: Add a layer of swiss cheese slices
Step 5: shred your oaxaca cheese. You can maybe buy it pre-shredded or use pre-shredded mozzarella. But I elected for Mexican cheeses because fresh cheeses make a world of difference, and it’s very easy to find fresh Mexican cheeses. So my advice would be to use fresh oaxaca cheese, and just shred your own.
Step 6: Set aside 5 ounces of cotija cheese for sprinkling on top. Combine the rest of your cotija with your oaxaca and requesón cheeses. You can substitute mozzarella, parmesan, and ricotta cheeses if you can find them fresh. I do prefer requesón to ricotta cheese, however, because it is somewhat dryer.
Step 7: Divide your batch of cheese into two halves and spread one half over your lasagna.
Step 8: Cook your meat and add your spices to taste. Then add in the rest of your spaghetti sauce. Divide it into thirds, and pour one third of your meat sauce on top of your lasagna.
Step 9: Repeat steps 3, 4, 7 & 8 for a second layer.
I’m missing the picture for the second layer of meat sauce, but it definitely goes in at this time.
Step 10: Add another layer of noodles and cover with the last third of your meat sauce.
Step 11: Sprinkle the last five ounces of cotija cheese on your lasagna. Try to get it as evenly spread as you can, but realistically sometimes it turns out like mine and there’s more in some areas than others.
Step 12: Cover with aluminum foil. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and then when it reaches temperature, cook the lasagna for 1 hour and ten minutes.
Step 13: Remove and let cool.
Step 14 (optional): Refrigerate overnight. Then cut into pieces and reheat pieces in the oven when ready to serve. This last step is optional, but highly recommended. The reason that I make it the night beforehand and then refrigerate overnight is twofold: First, the pieces will have a chance to meld and so they will be more perfectly formed. If you try to eat it after it comes out of the oven without letting it set up, you are likely to get a sloppy mess that tastes good but doesn’t hold its form. But second, the simple fact is that letting it set up lets the flavors meld. It’s just better tasting on the second day than it is on the first.
That’s it! Really great lasagna without a ton of work. You can make the sauces fresh and even make the noodles fresh, if you wish. But there’s a ton of work with diminishing returns to doing so.
