After an unplanned hiatus — thanks for your patience! — here’s the next installment in our Family Recipe Box series, Lasagna.
This recipe is from the collection of Karen McDonald, member of the Taschwer and Haupt families + married into the Kidder family (later McDonald) and mother of two. Her son, my father-in-law, was kind enough to share her cookbooks and clippings with me.
This lasagna was a special occasion meal that she served when she wanted to impress a guest or make the people at her table feel extra cherished. The recipe was not specifically written down, but it clearly came from one of her well-used cookbooks. I think it was most likely adapted from Betty Crocker’s Family Dinners in a Hurry, as evidenced by her handwritten notes and its stained pages.
Get the downloadable + printable version of this recipe (PDF)
About Lasagna
Lasagna’s origins might be found in medieval Italy — or even ancient Greece. But the earliest possible versions of the dish were not super similar to what we think of as lasagna today, other than being made up of thin dough stacked with various other ingredients.
Bologna claims lasagna as part of its regional cuisine in modern times, officially defining it as a layered dish of egg pasta, meat sauce, and béchamel. Variations of the dish can be found all over Italy. This, of course, is also quite different from the kind of lasagna we see on our own tables; Italian-American lasagna more commonly includes additional ingredients like tomatoes and various cheeses — including the recipe below.
Karen’s grandparents, Benedict and Mary (née Kroisenbacher) Taschwer, immigrated to America from the state of Carinthia, Austria; this region borders Italy. Though this specific recipe does not originate from those particular ancestors, it’s safe to guess that they were familiar with similar pasta dishes.
Ingredients + Equipment
Two large pots and a 3 1/2 quart (9x13 inch or similar) baking dish
Italian-seasoned ground sausage, 1 lb [see notes]
Whole tomatoes, 1 can (28 oz), drained
Tomato paste, 2 cans (6 oz each)
Garlic, 2 cloves, minced
Dried basil flakes, 1 Tbsp
Salt, 2 1/2 tsp, divided
Lasagna noodles, 12 oz [see notes]
Eggs, 2
Ricotta, 3 cups (30 oz)
Parmesan or Pecorino Romano, grated, 1/2 cup (1.5 oz) or more to taste
Dried oregano flakes, 1 tsp
Dried parsley flakes, 1 tsp
Ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp
Mozzarella, 1 lb, sliced thin or shredded; reserve 1 cup
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Make the meat sauce. Brown the sausage in a pot; drain off the fat. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, basil, and 1 1/2 tsp salt. Simmer for 30 minutes; stir occasionally and crush the tomatoes.
Cook the noodles. While the meat sauce cooks, bring a pot of water to boil. Cook noodles according to package directions; drain and set aside.
Make the cheese filling. While the meat sauce cooks, mix together the eggs, ricotta, grated cheese, dried herbs, pepper, and 1 tsp salt.
Assemble the dish. Spread half the noodles in the baking dish. Top with half the cheese filling, half the sliced or shredded mozzarella, and half the meat sauce. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Bake for 30 minutes. After 20 minutes, add the reserved mozzarella and additional grated cheese on top.
Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Noodle options:
To avoid using a second pot and handling hot noodles, use oven-ready noodles that do not need to be cooked before being layered in the dish and baked.
Health-conscious options:
For a lower-calorie version, use ground chicken or turkey sausage and low-fat or skim milk cheeses.
Method suggestions:
If your baking dish is filled to the brim after layering all the ingredients, place it on a large baking sheet in the oven in case of spillover.
To prepare ahead of time, follow steps 1–5; at this point, the dish can be covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day before finishing.
Get the downloadable + printable version of this recipe (PDF)
Call for Comments + Family Recipes
Do you make a version of this dish?
Visit this post on Substack to comment about variations or ask questions, or just send me a note via email!
Do you have an inherited recipe to share?
If there’s a dish that’s extra special because it always made an appearance at family events or because the recipe was taught to you by an older relative, I’d love to hear about it. If you’re comfortable with sharing, I’d be happy to make the dish in my own kitchen and write it up in a shareable format, like this one — just respond to this email to reach out!