Lasagne is one of my absolute favorite Italian dishes. My Mother would make this delicious layered dish for special occasions and for all of my years of cooking I made it exactly like her original recipe. Her layers consisted of Prince Lasagne Noodles, Ricotta Cheese mixed with eggs, parmesan cheese and chopped parsley, Tiny Meatballs and Marinara Sauce. There would be three layers of noodles, two layers of ricotta cheese with the meatballs and sauce and it would all be topped with Mozzarella cheese.
I have always made my lasagne that exact same way. That is until just recently. I decided I wanted to change it up. Since I am a lover of pasta, I wanted more pasta layers with less ricotta cheese and sauce in between each layer. I also have never been super crazy about the mozzarella on top as it just seemed to weigh everything down causing the lasagne to become heavy.
The first thing I changed was to use my delicious Bolognese Sauce instead of marinara and tiny meatballs. The next change was to add chopped basil to the ricotta mixture. Another big change to come along was to use 5 layers of pasta noodles (Barilla Oven Ready Lasagne Sheets) and 4 thin layers of ricotta and sauce. The super big change was to top it with a White Cheese Sauce instead of straight mozzarella. These changes produced a lighter, more delicate and tender lasagne.
I love using Barilla Oven Ready Lasagne Sheets. The sheets are thin and very much like homemade pasta and what is exceptionally nice about using Barilla is you do not have to pre-boil the pasta.
Lasagne Alla Camille
Makes One 9″x13″x3″ Deep Ceramic Pan
2 Boxes Barilla OvenReady Lasagne Sheets (You may not need two full boxes)
1 Recipe of the Ricotta Mixture
1 Recipe Bolognese Sauce
½ to 3/4 Recipe White Cheese Sauce
Constructing The Lasagne
Preheat Oven to 350º. Lightly spray a 9″x13″x3″ Deep Ceramic Pan with non-stick cooking spray (Pam is the best).
Spread a thin layer of Bolognese Sauce on the bottom of your prepared ceramic pan. Next place several lasagne noodles side by side to cover the bottom of the pan. Spread ¼ of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles and a thin layer of Bolognese Sauce on top of that. Repeat layering ending up with 5 layers of noodles and 4 layers of ricotta/sauce. Top the 5th layer of noodles with a thin layer of Bolognese. Top that with the White Cheese Sauce spreading it evenly from end to end and side to side.
Cover loosely with a piece of foil that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray (Pam). You do not want the foil to touch the top of the Lasagne. Place the Lasagne on a sheet pan and bake in the preheated oven for 1½ hours until the Lasagne is cooked through and the top is slightly and lightly golden (see photo).
To test for doneness, insert a thin bladed knife into the center of the lasagne. After 30 seconds remove the knife and if it is really hot it is ready. Remove from the oven.
Let stand at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve with some of the Bolognese Sauce spooned on to the bottom of the each individual plate.
Serve this with a salad and a bottle of Chianti Classico and you will be in heaven.