Easy Lasagna Soup Recipe - I Heart Naptime (2024)

FAQs

How do I make my lasagna less soupy? ›

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.

Yes it's tempting to cut into the lasagna right when you pull it from the oven, but let it rest on a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes. This will help firm up all the layers and make it much easier to slice a square. And of course you can make it a day ahead or in the morning then reheat.

Begin Layering

After the initial sauce layer, add a layer of pasta sheets, ricotta mixture (or bechamel), sauce, and cheese. Then repeat the layers. Top the last layer of your lasagna with sauce and cheese. You can also alternate layers of sauce and ricotta cheese.

You can prepare lasagna up to 24 hours before baking it.

Use Cornstarch or Arrowroot: Mix a slurry of cornstarch or arrowroot with water and stir it into the sauce. 🌽 Parmesan Cheese: Grate and add Parmesan cheese; it not only thickens but also enhances flavor.

How can I keep lasagna from being a mushy mess? The best way is to keep your ingredients dry. Cook your pasta sauce long enough to boil out most of the moisture so the sauce is thick.

Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until cheese is golden brown, 5 to 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

How many layers is too many for lasagna? ›

FITTING IN ALL THE LAYERS

Generally, lasagna has about 3 or 4 layers of pasta, with sauce, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, béchamel, and sometimes meat or even meatballs or sausage between those layers. Our many layer lasagna has around 12 layers of pasta, or even more depending on how thin you end up rolling the dough.

The best way to layer your lasagna is to start with a layer of red sauce, follow it up with a layer of white sauce, then pasta, then cheese.

Cooked lasagna keeps in the refrigerator for up to five days if stored in a tightly sealed container to keep out excess moisture and other contaminants. The best way to determine whether or not lasagna has turned is to look for dried-out noodles or a sour smell emanating from the tomato sauce and cheese.

You can make it ahead.

The lasagna needs at least 5 hours to chill and let the sauce soften the noodles, but you can definitely make it the night before (even 3 days before) and bake it when you need it. Want your own freezer lasagna? Wrap it up in foil once you assemble it, no need to bake it beforehand.

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).

Use Flour and Water

Combine 2 tablespoons flour with every 1/4 cup cold water and whisk until smooth. Add the mixture to your sauce over medium heat, and continue to stir and cook until you've reached your desired consistency.

The best way is to keep your ingredients dry. Cook your pasta sauce long enough to boil out most of the moisture so the sauce is thick. Do the same with the cheese portion of the layers.

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.

How do you reheat lasagna without drying it out? Refrigerated lasagna is best when adding additional liquid or sauce on top before reheating it in the oven. Use foil to cover the lasagna so it helps seal in the moisture while it reheats.