11 Ways to Upgrade Lasagna
This baked pasta dish is the quintessential way to serve a crowd.
Celebrate National Lasagna Day with these 11 creative versions.
1. Grandma’s Lasagna
Forget purists, with their béchamel sauce. For nostalgic lasagna, make it with ricotta and tomato sauce.
2. Sausage
Whether made with classic pork (above) or fancier lamb, sausage can only make your lasagna better.
3. White
For an over-the-top cheesy lasagna, skip the tomato sauce in favor of one made with heavy cream. Wash it down with plenty of wine.
4. Flatbread
For a sort of lasagna-meets-bread-pudding, use store-bought flatbread instead of noodles.
5. Pumpkin
For a healthier take on tomato-less lasagna, make a sauce with canned pumpkin puree.
6. Mushroom
Whether white or red, use mushrooms to make “meaty” vegetarian lasagna.
7. Alternative cheese
Who says Italian cheeses are required? Add any cheese that melts well, from smoked Gouda (above) to cheddar.
8. Alternative veggie
Want to boost your lasagna’s nutrient quotient? Add zucchini, sweet peppers (above) or even kale.
9. Puttanesca
Instead of the usual marinara or Bolognese, layer other popular tomato sauces in lasagna, like the olive-studded puttanesca.
10. Individual-size
Layer your ingredients in ramekins for lasagna “cupcakes.”
11. Salad
Want truly healthy lasagna? Don’t make it. Instead, use the noodles in a salad with antioxidant–rich walnut pesto.