Common Mistakes You Might Be Making With Lasagna
NEWS
BY STEPHANIE MEE
Preparing
Making lasagna can be a time-consuming process, but if you have everything ready to go ahead of time, it should only take about 15 minutes to assemble your lasagna.
Tony Benedict, executive chef of Sargento, recommends that before you begin layering, you should have your cheese blend done, the sauce finalized, and the noodles cooked al dente.
Pasta
Your lasagna will taste much better with fresh, homemade lasagna noodles, as they have a better flavor and a rougher texture that will capture and hold onto sauce and cheese.
Overcooking
Soggy noodles not only have an unappetizing mouthfeel, but they
can also affect the structural integrity
of your lasagna. The main culprit
is usually overcooked noodles.
Don't fully cook your noodles before adding them to the lasagna, as they will keep cooking in the oven. Also, be sure to add more moisture in the lasagna if you use dry noodles.
Cheese
For lasagna, you want cheeses that melt easily and have a great pull. Tony Benedict said, "For cheese, I always use a pasta filata style, like a mozzarella or provolone."
Another thing many experts recommended is using high-quality cheeses and grating them yourself. Pre-shredded cheese won't give you the same consistency.
Sauce
Store-bought sauce won't give you star-quality lasagna. Instead, make homemade pasta sauce with fresh veggies, herbs, meats, and don’t rush your sauce.
