12 Celebrity Chef Tips For Making Lasagna
The classic lasagna recipe is as well-loved as Italian dishes come. According to Statista, lasagna was voted the second-most popular Italian food in 2022 by survey respondents. A massive 82% of people stated that they were fans of the dish, second only to garlic bread, which came in with a slightly higher approval rating.
In a Reddit thread asking for people's opinion on lasagna, a commenter said, "Not all lasagnas are created equal, but when made right, they are delicious." Another Redditor expressed this dish was so good that whoever came up with it should be "awarded with [a] Nobel prize for bettering humanity." While we may not ever know who invited lasagna, we do know its origins lie in Greece.
Making a lasagna, though, can prove to be trickier than you think. With so many elements going into a successful tray of pasta, it's all too easy to mess up somewhere along the line and end up with a dish that's less of a comfort and more of a catastrophe. Luckily, there are countless celebrity chef tips out there to make the ultimate lasagna, and we rounded up our favorites.
1. Skip no-boil noodles, according to Michael Symon
One of the fundamental elements of lasagna, the noodles, is also the hardest to get right. It can be tricky to know which pasta to pick up in the store and how that pasta correlates with the specific timings and ratios of the recipe you're following. But there's one noodle you should avoid above all others: The no-boil variety.
No-boil noodles are an attractive option because they can save you time and effort by being placed directly into your lasagna without cooking first. But, according to Michael Symon, this pasta never belongs in lasagna. No-boil noodles don't have the same structure as regular lasagna noodles. They also don't have the same starch levels, meaning that you end up with noodles that feel flimsy and too thin. In an interview with Food & Wine, Symon said, "Don't bother with those no-boil noodles — they compromise the texture."
So, make sure you pick up regular lasagna noodles at the store. Naturally, these will take more preparation, so just ensure you factor in the necessary time. Above all, though, remember that every pasta manufacturer has slightly different instructions on how their sheets should be prepared — so read the package carefully. Another tip we can take from the chef is to add nutmeg to your lasagna. Symon told Forbes that adding a bit of nutmeg "brings a lot to the table, especially when it is near meat."
2. To get a crunchy topping, use a broiler like Alex Guarnaschelli
The best lasagnas combine a chewy, soft center with a crispy outside to achieve textural nirvana. But getting that much-desired crunchy topping can be tricky. The longer you leave it in the oven, the longer the inside of the lasagna cooks as well. And this can mean that once you take your lasagna out, the interior can be overcooked and soggy.
Celebrity chef Alex Guarnaschelli regularly sidesteps this problem by using her broiler. In a post on Instagram, the "Chopped" judge shared an image of her lasagna, which boasts a showstopping crispy topping with browned, lightly charred cheese. Her secret was revealed to a commenter asking whether she used her broiler to get maximum crispiness, to which she responded that she did.
Naturally, mozzarella cheese is the ideal type to put on top of your lasagna, as it browns wonderfully and becomes soft and chewy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. But remember, a dusting of parmesan can both enhance its flavor and add a textural difference. Just make sure that you're using the good stuff — the better the quality of your ingredients, the better the lasagna will be.
3. You don't need to use lasagna noodles at all, says Giada De Laurentiis
What's the most important part of lasagna? The meat sauce, the béchamel, or the noodles? For most people, this classic dish is nothing without the pasta pieces that make up each layer. And while gluten-free and vegetable-based imitations can make a delicious alternative, they're not quite the same.
But one of Giada De Laurentiis' top tips is that a superb lasagna doesn't need lasagna noodles at all. Rather than using traditional pasta sheets, Laurentiis makes a version of her lasagne using cheese ravioli, she revealed in a post on Instagram via her lifestyle platform Giadzy. This may seem like an indulgent left-turn for your lasagne, but it's actually an excellent time-saving move.
In this version, the cheese-filled pasta replaces both the pasta sheets and the traditional ricotta cheese layer. By doing this, you achieve a lasagna pie that's full of cheese all the way through while avoiding the juggling act of preparing multiple layers at once. And the best part is, this lasagna version separates easily, so you don't have to risk it spilling everywhere when you cut it.
De Laurentiis is no stranger to other lasagna adaptations to make things easier, either. As shown on TikTok, she also likes to make a sheet pan lasagna. She does this by mixing her pasta sheets with the meat sauce, piling it onto a sheet pan, topping it with cheese, and baking. The result? Super-crispy lasagna with less mess.
4. Lorenzo Boni greases his pan to stop things from sticking
One of the biggest tragedies that can befall a lasagna is the sticking effect. The moment where, after spending hours lovingly putting a lasagna together, getting each part to the perfect consistency, and cooking it for the right time, you try to pull out that first piece, and half of it sticks to the bottom of the pan.
It's definitely not the greatest feeling, but all it takes is some practice and a bit of grease. Lightly rubbing your chosen dish with fat is one of the easiest ways to elevate your lasagna, according to Barilla America's executive chef Lorenzo Boni. This will stop anything from getting trapped on the bottom or the sides of the dish as it cooks, ensuring that everything gets released when you slice into it.
Additionally, which layer you start with is an important factor in how easy it'll be to remove from the pan. Putting pasta on the bottom will cause it to burn, leaving you with a charred mess that'll be a nightmare to remove. Avoid this issue by making your first layer your meat sauce, which has enough moisture to stop it from getting burnt and stuck.
5. Ina Garten's turkey lasagna is boosted by an unusual cheese
The purists out there might insist that lasagna always needs to be made with pork and beef. But anyone who's ever made one with ground turkey will know that it can make an excellent and light substitute for red meat. Crucially, though, ground turkey has its own unique flavor profile, so when used in lasagna, you might need to adjust your recipe. And that's where Ina Garten comes in.
Garten uses a particularly tangy cheese to elevate her turkey lasagna — goat's cheese. After spooning the more traditional ricotta cheese into a bowl in an episode of her show, "Barefoot Contessa," she takes a package of goat's cheese and crumbles it in, too (via YouTube). "I know it's unusual in a lasagna, but I think it really gives a great flavor," she said. We can see why, too. Goat's cheese has an especially complex, slightly briny taste, which underpins and deepens the slightly milder flavor of ground turkey.
As Garten notes, there's no need to be too precise with your measurements, with a little more or less goat's cheese still doing the trick. She then finishes off her cheese mixture with grated parmesan, an egg, some fresh herbs, and seasonings before mixing it all together, ready to be layered into her pasta pie.
6. If you're bored of regular lasagna, make it into a dip like Kardea Brown
Lasagna tends to be one of those classic recipes that's usually uninterrupted and followed across the board. But the "Delicious Miss Brown" star Kardea Brown's revolutionary take on preparing lasagna has us hooked. Instead of serving her lasagna as a traditional dish of baked pasta, meat, and cheese, Brown turns it into a dip that begs for a cracker or carrot stick to be plunged into it, she shows via her Instagram.
She begins by making a classic Italian meat sauce with two types of meat, chopped vegetables, garlic, and tomatoes. Once this is ready, she whips up a béchamel sauce and spreads it over the meat mixture in a large, cast-iron pan. The celebrity chef then tops this with two types of cheese, and for the pièce de résistance, she deep-fries some cooked lasagna sheets. This turns the sheets into super-crispy morsels that make the perfect boat for this lasagna dip.
Once the lasagna mixture is cooked through in the oven, she then puts it directly on the table and goes to town with the deep-fried pasta. We're not exaggerating when we claim that this version could be even better than most lasagnas you've tried.
7. Combine your meats, says Valerie Bertinelli
The meat sauce in lasagna is a key component, but it's also the part that people can tend to think about the least. As a lot of people have a basic understanding of how to make a traditional bolognese ragu, arguably more time and focus can be put into the béchamel sauce, which takes a bit more specialist skill.
Overall, the meat sauce in lasagna provides a great deal of complexity. And one way to create even more layers of flavor is to combine your meats. Rather than using just beef to make her sauce, actress and "Valerie's Home Cooking" host Valerie Bertinelli puts in a combo of beef and sausage, as her mom did (via Facebook).
Bertinelli uses hot Italian sausage, which she removes the casings of before putting it into the pan and breaking it up with her spatula. Using spicy sausage gives an additional flavor profile and piquancy, which means you don't have to add any chili flakes. You can, though, use mild Italian sausage if you're cooking for kids or simply prefer things with less heat.
Bertinelli also opts for lean ground beef in her sauce. When combining beef with pork sausage, using a lean product is advisable, given the sausage's often-higher fat content. She finishes it off with some onion, garlic, oregano, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and seasonings. Let it simmer for a while, and you're ready to go.
8. Follow Rachael Ray's advice, and let your lasagna rest
Look, we get it. A freshly-baked lasagna is a thing of absolute beauty. And when that tray comes out of the oven, it's hard to hold the hungry masses back from digging in and taking a slice. But if you want a truly exceptional lasagna, a key step lies at the very end of the cooking process, and it involves doing absolutely nothing.
Celebrity chef Rachael Ray recommends allowing your lasagna to rest after you pull it out of the oven, ideally for up to half an hour. Simply put it on the countertop on a heat-proof mat, and keep your hands off while, presumably, batting your family and guests away, too. Although this may seem like a long time, it's vital to make sure the finished product is both delicious and structurally sound.
As your lasagna cooks, everything gets unbelievably hot between the layers, which thins things out slightly and creates steam. If you serve it straight away, that's going to result in your lasagna falling apart and all the different parts running everywhere. By allowing the lasagna to rest, though, things solidify slightly while also coming down to a temperature that won't scald the inside of your mouth. The lower temperature will also mean that you can discern the individual flavors in it.
9. Aldo Zilli states that how you cook your pasta is crucial
Lasagna sections do more work than we give them credit for. Without those pieces of pasta, lasagna would turn into a soup in the oven. Each layer of noodles serves as a buffer between your piles of cheese and meat sauce and gives the whole thing support and height.
However, cooking your pasta sheets wrong can mean you end up with either sloppy noodles that are way too starchy or still-crunchy pieces that ruin the whole thing. Avoid this with chef Aldo Zilli's tips on how to cook the noodles. The celebrity chef recommends always buying fresh pasta — if possible — and, most importantly, cooking them slightly before use.
In an article in the Mirror, Zilli said that "It is better to blanch them first yourself with a little bit of oil and then drain them and put them in" instead of throwing them in straight off the shelf or, even worse, using dry sheets that don't cook. Remember, it will continue to cook when it's in the oven, so take it off the boil a minute or two before it looks like it's ready. And above all, whatever you do, don't rinse them. When you put pasta under the cold tap after cooking, you also rinse off vital starch that adds to its texture and deliciousness.
10. Ree Drummond uses an unlikely but effective cheese in her lasagna
With a ranch full of people to feed, "Pioneer Woman" star Ree Drummond knows something about catering to a large crowd. And her "cowboy-friendly" lasagna does just that, with Drummond making a meal to feed the masses. One way that she stretches out her lasagna, though, is with a clever tip that everyone should try. Rather than using a more traditional layer of ricotta cheese, Drummond opts for cottage cheese combined with some beaten eggs, as seen via YouTube.
Some people might raise their eyebrows at this choice, particularly those who don't like cottage cheese. But there's a method to her process. Cottage cheese is a dairy product that's packed with protein, full of vitamins and minerals, and is also often very low in fat. This protein can help to alleviate hunger and may make your lasagna even more satisfying.
To add to this, cottage cheese is often easier to find in some places than ricotta, and so if you're having trouble locating the latter, it's useful to know that it works just as well. And aside from all that, it's just delicious. Several YouTube users left comments on her video, expressing that they tried her recipe and absolutely loved the cottage cheese in it.
11. Try to keep your lasagna on the dry side, says Gino Angelini
One of the greatest tests of lasagna is how well it keeps its shape when you cut into it. All too often, lasagnas can look perfect until the moment you try to divide them up, and then things fall apart. The layers separate, everything's wet, and your guests are left with lasagna soup — which is a whole other recipe in itself.
To avoid this, you need to think ahead and make sure that your individual components are slightly drier than you think they need to be. For Angelini, it all starts with the sauce.
When asked if preferred lasagna ingredients to be wetter or drier in an interview with La Cucina Italiana, celebrity chef Gino Angelini said, "You want it to be drier. When you're making the lasagna, you'll want to heat up the ragu so it reduces the sauce down even more. Especially because we're still going to add the béchamel and the parmigiana and you don't want it to be runny."
It can also be a good idea to make your layers of sauce a little thinner than you think they need to be so that things don't get soggy in the middle. At the top of your lasagna, the final béchamel layer should also be quite thin. Top it with a sprinkle of parmesan, and you're good to go.
12. If you don't have an oven, Sunny Anderson's no-bake lasagna is for you
Not everyone has the luxury of living in a space with an oven. But that shouldn't stop you from being able to enjoy your food. And even oven-specific meals like lasagna can still be achieved, thanks to celebrity chef and "The Kitchen" co-host Sunny Anderson's neat no-bake, one-pan lasagna hack.
According to Today her lasagna, which she calls a "pan-sagna," is a chicken version of the classic pasta dish, which she puts together with ease. After sautéing some onions with seasonings and simmering them with tomatoes and chicken stock, she throws in some no-boil lasagna noodles. While some chefs might recommend steering clear of no-boil lasagna noodles, this is a great option for those who don't have access to a fully functioning oven.
Anderson explains that these noodles have "been par-boiled for you," which allows them to cook quickly in the sauce without needing an additional pan. Then, she adds shredded rotisserie chicken, puts a lid on the pot, and allows it to simmer and steam for around 20 minutes. While it cooks, Anderson puts together a ricotta mixture, which she then dollops on top of the cooked pasta dish to finish it off. The result is a lasagna that looks almost identical to the baked variety — and tastes just as good, too.