The Ultimate No-Boil Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons / 1/4 cup) butter
• fresh garlic, to taste
• onions, to taste
• green bell pepper, to taste
• ground beef, to taste (or substitute ground turkey)
• Italian sausage, to taste (or substitute chicken sausage)
• garlic powder, to taste
• salt, to taste
• onion powder, to taste
• Italian seasoning, to taste
• dried basil, to taste
• 2 jars (24 ounces each) tomato/pasta sauce
• sugar, to taste (optional, to balance the acidity)
• cooking spray, to grease the pan
• no-boil lasagna noodles, uncooked, to taste (layered dry, they cook in the sauce)
• ricotta cheese, to taste (optional)
• freshly grated mozzarella cheese, to taste
• freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese, to taste
• Italian seasoning, to taste (optional, for the top)

How to Make It

1. Add 1/2 stick of butter to a Dutch skillet (or any pot or pan you have) and begin melting it.
2. Before the butter fully dissolves, add the fresh garlic.
3. Cook the garlic in the butter for about 2 to 3 minutes to make a garlic butter.
4. Add the onions and green bell pepper and sweat them down for about 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Add the ground beef and Italian sausage, but do not season them yet.
6. Break the meat down and cook over medium-to-high heat until no longer pink and cooked all the way through.
7. While the meat cooks, preheat the oven to 400°F.
8. Strain the cooked meat to drain off the rendered juices and grease.
9. Return the strained meat to the pot and continue breaking down any lumps.
10. Season the meat with garlic powder, salt, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and dried basil, adjusting and tasting as you go.
11. Pour in 2 jars (24 ounces each) of tomato sauce and stir in well — don't add too much sauce or it will turn out watery.
12. Taste and add more seasoning if needed.
13. Stir in a little sugar to balance the acidity if you like (optional).
14. Spray the baking pan with cooking spray.
15. Spread a thin base layer of the meat sauce over the bottom of the pan so the noodles don't stick.
16. Lay down a layer of uncooked no-boil lasagna noodles.
17. Spread more meat sauce evenly over the noodles, making sure they're fully covered so they can absorb the sauce as they cook.
18. Add a layer of ricotta cheese if you like (optional).
19. Top with freshly grated mozzarella and sharp cheddar cheese.
20. Repeat the layering of noodles, sauce, and cheese, always ending with meat sauce on top and never bare noodles, so the top noodles stay submerged and cook.
21. Sprinkle a little Italian seasoning over the top if you like (optional).
22. Cover the pan with foil.
23. Bake at 400°F for 45 minutes, up to 1 hour, checking for doneness.
24. Once done, uncover and add the rest of the cheese on top.
25. Return to the oven until the cheese is golden brown and crispy on top — that's the sign the lasagna is ready.
26. Let it sit and rest for 10 minutes before cutting.
27. Cut and serve — the pasta should come out firm.

Curtis's Tips

• I like a Dutch skillet here because it heats up evenly throughout and makes cooking a lot easier, but use a regular pan or whatever you have.
• If you don't like pork or beef, swap in ground turkey or chicken sausage — use your favorite type of protein.
• Don't season the meat before you strain it. You're going to strain off the grease anyway, and you don't want to lose all that seasoning when you do.
• The meat texture is your call — leave it chunky or break it all the way down, just make sure it's cooked through with no pink.
• The key is to not add too much sauce or it gets really watery. Add more only if you like it extra saucy.
• The sugar is optional, and it's not there to make it sweet — it's to balance out all that acidity.
• Layer the noodles dry and trust the process. This way is way better and a lot faster than boiling the noodles, and they come out more rich in flavor because they cook right in the sauce, so keep them fully covered.
• Ricotta is optional — if you don't like ricotta cheese, don't add it.
• Grate your own cheese for the best melt — pre-shredded cheese has a film on it that keeps it from melting well. If you're short on time, packaged cheese is fine.
• You can mix the mozzarella and cheddar together or keep them separate. I keep mine separate in case I don't use it all.
• Always end with the meat sauce on top, never with bare noodles, so the top noodles stay under the sauce and cook properly.
• The best thing about this dish is you can put as much cheese as your heart desires.
• Don't forget the foil — cover the pan before it goes in the oven.
• Bake 45 minutes up to an hour. Once the cheese is golden brown and crispy on top, that's a good sign your lasagna is ready.
• Rest it 10 minutes after baking before cutting. The pasta should come out firm — if it didn't come out firm, it means something went wrong.