Labor of Love Lasagna

@seattlehanddoc
Father of 5, Orthopedic Surgeon, Chief of Ortho Surgery Swedish Med Center, Board Director Proliance Surgeons, Orthopedic Specialists of Seattle
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Updated: 5/16/2025
1 hour 50 minutes Prep: 30 minutes + 5 minutes cooling time Cook: 1 hour 15 minutes
Serves: 12 Save

Ingredients (19)

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion, minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • salt to taste
  • 2 quarts tomato basil sauce (homemade or store bought)
  • ½ cup red wine
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ large onion, minced
  • 2 cloves garlic; minced
  • 2 bunches spinach, loosely chopped
  • 2 cups whole milk ricotta
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 boxes lasagne noodles (not no-boil)
  • 1 tablespoon butter, or as needed
  • 16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 8 ounces sliced mozzarella cheese
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat; add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Cook and stir 1 minced onion and 2 minced cloves garlic until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
  3. Add ground beef and 2 pinches salt to onion-garlic mixture; cook, breaking beef with spoon, until cooking through, about 10 minutes.
  4. Pour tomato basil sauce and red wine over cooked ground beef. Season meat sauce with salt; bring to a simmer, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.
  5. Heat a separate skillet over medium-high heat; add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add ½ minced onion and 2 minced cloves garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle spinach over onion-garlic mixture; cook until spinach is wilted and bright green, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and season spinach mixture with salt.
  6. Transfer spinach mixture to a bowl. Stir ricotta cheese into spinach mixture; add eggs and 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese and mix just until combined.
  7. Cook lasagna noodles according to directions on the box, slightly al dente.
  8. Butter a deep 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
  9. Piece together several strips of lasagna noodles so that they cover the bottom and hang over the edges of the baking dish. (Later they will be folded over the top, effectively sealing in the fillings.)
  10. Spoon a thin layer of the meat sauce over the layer of lasagna noodles. Place 3 to 4 lengths of noodles on top of the sauce to make a layer. Spread ⅓ the meat sauce over this first layer of pasta and cover with ¼ the shredded mozzarella mozzarella.
  11. Add another layer of lasagna noodles and cover this with ⅓ spinach-ricotta filling. Continue with 3 more sets of lasagna noodles, meat sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, lasagna noodles, and spinach-ricotta filling.
  12. Finish by laying 4 strips of lasagna noodles down the center and folding the overhanging edges over the top.
  13. Cover the top with a layer of meat sauce, sliced mozzarella cheese, and ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese.
  14. Cover the lasagna with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
  15. Remove the foil and continue baking until the top is puffed and browned, about 15 minutes more. Let the lasagna rest for a few minutes; then cut it into pieces and serve.