I got a chance to make the lasagna at work yesterday. It's classic, fattening, and perhaps boring, but it's also beautiful and undeniably delicious.
3 L ricotta cheese
2.5 lb spinach
4 L meat sauce
2 cup tomato sauce
2 L grated mozzarella
2 cups grated cheddar
16 large sheets of prepared lasagna sheets
yield: 2 x 12" by 18" by 2" lasagna pans
Prep:
Hang the ricotta in a cheese cloth to drain out as much moisture as possible. Wilt the spinach, squeeze out all the moisture, and fold it into the ricotta.
If the meat sauce is wet or runny, it can be stiffened up by adding bread crumbs or panko and/ or some parmesan cheese. We try to make it fairly stiff so that it maintains its shape in the store case.
Layering:
Started out by spreading the tomato sauce over the bottom of the dishes, to prevent the lasagna from sticking, followed by a layer of lasagna sheets, a layer of meat, a sprinkle of mozzarella, a layer of lasagna sheets, the ricotta and spinach mix, a layer of lasagna sheets, one more meat and mozzarella layer, a final layer of lasagna sheets, and top it all off with a thick layer of mozzarella plus cheddar at the very top to add colour.
Bake it in an oven until golden on top.