Lasagna Soup (Perfected Recipe!) - Cooking Classy (2024)

FAQs

What can I add to my lasagna to make it taste better? ›

Sugar: Two tablespoons of white sugar add subtle sweetness and enhance the flavor of the sauce. Spices and seasonings: This lasagna recipe is flavored with fresh parsley, dried basil leaves, salt, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, and black pepper. Lasagna noodles: Use store-bought or homemade lasagna noodles.

Start by spreading a layer of your tomato-based sauce (either a plain tomato sauce or your pre-made ragù) on the bottom of your dish. Next, add a single layer of pasta sheets. Then, add a layer of white sauce, followed by another single layer of pasta sheets.

You could also use a roux, a cooked mixture of starch and fat (usually flour and butter). It's a highly popular and equally effective thickening agent. To make a roux, melt butter in a pan, add flour, and whisk until it forms a thick golden brown paste. Add it to your tomato sauce and whisk well to prevent clumping.

Watery tomatoes aren't the only culprit for soupy lasagna: Oils from cheese and meat and water from lasagna noodles and vegetables can affect your lasagna's consistency. Draining excess fat from ground beef or sausage before adding it to tomato sauce is imperative to maintain a thick sauce.

Maybe a modern style Tuscan red rather than a classic Chianti or a southern Italian or Sicilian red like Nero d'Avola or Primitivo. Barbera is a good pairing too as are Italian grape varieties such as sangiovese from elsewhere.

The Sauces – The white sauce is a homemade bechamel (and could be replaced with ricotta if you prefer), and taking a few extra minutes to make the red sauce, rather than bottled pasta sauce, is so worth the huge improvement in taste!

(Do notice that I put the noodles criss cross – perpendicular from the layer below – it helps it to hold together when you serve it). So, the noodles directly on the cheese means there won't be enough for a top layer of noodles.

Let me break it to you: If you want to make a lasagna, three layers just won't cut it! For the perfect lasagna, you need at least 4-5 layers to really enjoy all those mouth-watering flavors. And, here's a pro-tip: make sure to season each layer generously, but not too much. The average lasagna has 8 layers!

Why is my lasagna so watery at the bottom? ›

Whether you're making a tomato and meat sauce from scratch or using a jarred sauce, you can thicken it with cornstarch to prevent the problem of a soupy lasagna. Cornstarch is a classic binding ingredient that won't affect the sauce's flavor and is much more effective than flour.

However, it can also introduce excess moisture if not handled properly. To avoid a runny mess, it's crucial to pat dry the ricotta before incorporating it into your lasagna. Once your ricotta is sufficiently dry, you can confidently incorporate it into your lasagna without worrying about it turning too watery.

Lasagna is the kind of food that can keep a family fed for many nights in a row, happily. But it has other perks, too: namely, that you can prepare the whole thing in advance, and store it in the fridge overnight—ready to pop in the oven an hour or so before dinner (just before the kids start to whine).

Remove from heat, add cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Mix until the cheese is melted. The Sauce should be thick but still easily pourable – the consistency of heavy cream (you need to be able to drizzle it over the Ragu when layering – see video). If it's too thick, add a splash of water or milk.

Chopped peppers and diced courgettes, cooked down slowly into a rich, tomatoey meat sauce, will give this robust dish an even more Italian flavour. Why not throw in some oregano or dried Italian seasoning at the same time for an intense herby flavour?

Use vegetables like carrots, onions, and celery for flavor plus lots of garlic and herbs. If making a meat sauce, brown and season the ground meat before adding the tomatoes.

There needs to be a balance of salt, sweet and acid. Think good to great tomatoes, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, herbs like thyme, oregano and basil will increase taste experience, and remember the ground pepper. Season the ricotta with salt, pepper, lemon zest, fresh basil, some lemon juice to balance the salt.