So once upon a time, my husband and I lived close to my awesome brother-in-law Peter and his 
equally cool wife Stephanie. Peter lived in Italy for a couple of years and while he was there, he learned to make fabulous lasagna. Like real Italian lasagna. Now granted, I’ve been about as far out of the country as Disney Cruise Line takes you on a four-night journey, so I’m taking Peter’s word for it here. But I can say that it tastes just like the lasagna I’ve had in little, homey Italian cafes–you know, those ones where you feel like you’re sitting in your Grandma’s kitchen. So take that for what it’s worth.
you could try grating them or tossing them in your food processor and letting Ms. Cuisinart do all the hard work. That way, you’ll still get the hearty flavor and nutrients of the vegetables, but no one really has to know.
If you’re planning on making lasagna, here are the rest of the ingredients that you’ll need:In a large saucepan or skillet with a lid, brown ground beef (or sausage), onions, and garlic until meat is cooked and onions are tender. Now…about the veggies…some men (and I’m sure some ladies) might balk at the idea of vegetables in their Man Food. If you’re not a fan of chunky vegetables in your lasagna, you could try grating them or tossing them in your food processor and letting Ms. Cuisinart do all the hard work. That way, you’ll still get the hearty flavor and nutrients of the vegetables, but no one really has to know.
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That looks SO delicious. Lasagna is my husband’s favorite food. This would be the perfect recipe for him. Thanks!
With a lead-in like yours, how could they possible get mad?
I’m totally going to be making this! It’s great. Lasagna is Dale’s favorite too. So … we totally have Stake Conference on the 14th!! I think no one will be there … but we’ll be there with 2 of our 3 kids (we’re just leaving the oldest at home. okay, not really, he has plans, lol). I would LOVE to go out, but Dale hates crowds and is too busy right now to plan ahead like that.
I’m very curious about the remaining ingredients listed – butter and milk?! Can’t wait.
As for Valentine’s, I haven’t decided yet. I bought a bunch of beautiful red, yellow and orange peppers, so I’m thinking roasted peppers and chicken of some sort with crash hot potatoes on the side. Maybe some asparagus. I’m cooking for my inlaws. We already went out to Indian food last weekend for our V-day dinner – I despise going out on the actual holiday.
such pretty pictures! I’ve been on the search for the perfect lasagna and I can’t wait to try this. And because V-day is on Sat and my kids are allergic to so many things will probably just make heart shaped sandwiches haha! (and then maybe get take out for us)
No way am I going out to sit in line with my honey on Valentines day. I am making delicious trifle for dessert, and maybe lasagna for the main dish, who knows.
Looking at this is making me hungry and I just had dinner an hour ago! I MUST try this recipe :)
It looks scrumptious! Can’t wait to try it!
Peter said that as long as he gets any royalties from the recipe that he won’t be mad. He’ll have his agent contact you. I’m kidding. We actually both laughed when I read it to him and he said it’s not really his recipe anyway – it belongs to Italy – so post away! I have to say though, it’s absolutely the BEST with sausage rather than beef, although a lot of people are used to beef in lasagna and the ricotta is ESSENTIAL! As are the veggies. I find it funny that Peter, who barely even knows what a vegetable is, makes this lasagna that’s chock full of them (although we sometimes use spinach instead of celery because we never have any). Oh, and I also have to add that the best way to use just the sauce is to bake it with some penne or mini farfalle with some mozzarella-parmesan mix broiled on top. With a side of good, toasted, cheesy garlic bread, of course. Heaven!
Oooh, is the butter and milk for the beschamel? That’s a step I often forget and Peter is always appalled that I would forget such an essential component! And then I call him an Italian snob and tell him to be quiet and eat his dinner or fix it himself next time! hee hee
Oh, good, Stephanie–I’m so glad I’m not going to be ostracized! :)
And yeah, the milk and flour is for the bechamel. Yummmmmm… :)
Looks yummy! We’re just doing heart shaped pizza that night with the kiddos. We’re painting our walls all this week, so nothing fancy here!
Psshh…what is Valentine’s day? We have an agreement to never celebrate Valentine’s day. Talk about commercialization! Do I WANT my hubby to buy flowers that are triple the price? No. Do I WANT to wait 2 hours to eat at any and every restaurant in town? Nope!
But I will say that this meal looks delish and will probably make it on a non-V-Day day. :)
That’s why we try to celebrate “special” days AFTER the commercial holiday! (When we can buy the candy for 1/4 the price) ;) We also celebrate random days & certain holidays multiple times. Thanksgiving is one we celebrate multiple times every Autumn, because the food is so darn yummy (and there are so many options) its a shame to do it once, and because thankfulness makes for a happy family. And if a certain holiday is always spent with …er, stressful people, its nice to do a relaxed family version at home!
You know I’ve had Handsome, Talented, Genius Peter’s Lasagna made by Handsome, Talented, Genius Peter himself and it *is* so so yummy! I’m excited to try this.
Kate, you’re so funny! I better not show all this to Peter or he might get a big head and then REALLY be an Italian snob! LOL!
Stephanie, you’re right–we don’t need that. Peter, you’re the kind of person who flips to the end of Harry Potter just to see who dies. And your brother thinks your buckle-y shoes are kinda girly…
I love this sauce, just look at it !! I want some!
I like all of the vegetables in this pasta/lasagna sauce.
I just made the sauce and will be using it to make lasagna tomorrow. I think its worth making the sauce a day in advance so your house can smell fantastic for TWO days instead of one.
My cupboards were pretty bare today and I needed to make a meal to take to a friend who's feeling under the weather. I realized I had everything for this so I made it this morning. It was so yummy and I just boxed it up with a box of pasta and a couple loves of Rosemary Focaccia and it made an awesome and comforting meal!
This sauce sounds awesome but could I just leave out the carrots and celery (I'm highly allergic to both) or do I need to substitute something for the bulk they would make up? And would it really take down the flavor if they were left out? So many yummy things have both carrots and celery in them and I never know how to handle substitutions.
PS – Thanks for previous help to food dilemmas!
Hey, Lisa! What a bummer to be allergic to celery and carrots! You know, you can use any hearty vegetable in this–you could add more zucchini or throw in some eggplant or maybe even some parsnips or something like that. It's pretty flexible! :)
Kate-
I'll admit, when I saw this recipe I was excited to try it because I love making my own sauce for lasagna but I was a bit apprehensive about all of the chunky veggies…And I have to say, Thank you soooo much for posting this sauce recipe! It is absolutely, deliciously divine! Please send forth a special thanks to your "awesome brother-in-law Peter and his equally cool wife Stephaine" for giving you permission to post his recipe.
Our (mine and my hubby's) tummies THANK YOU FOR IT!!! :-) (Mmmm…leftovers will be soooo great tonight! YAY!)
I am simmering a double batch of this right now. I just snuck a taste and it is divine! Great way to sneak veggies in to my kids diets. They will eat anything on noodles. Thanks for a great recipe! I am going to make your meatballs from another post and put them in this sauce for spaghetti one night, and lasagna another. Add in your wonderful breadsticks and I will be in heaven. When I menu plan for the week your site is the first place I come, I am never disappointed in the results! (Even though I can never use the onion, allergies, I always find a substitute that works well, in this one, extra garlic and fresh mushrooms)
I made this last week and everyone LOVED it…So, I get to make it again, yay! Thank you so much for sharing. I look forward to reading your blog!
I made this for our Bunco group on Saturday and it was a HUGE hit with the ladies! The leftovers were devoured by my family! I will definitely be making this sauce again for spaghetti as well as the lasagna. Thanks for a delicious, uncomplicated pasta sauce!!
Hi guys, I was wanting to make this for dinner tonight and have a question. I am making the Lasagna and it has a list of ingredients after the noodles. Umm, what do I do with them? I figured out that the milk, butter and flour is for the bechamel…but what do I do with the egg? P.S. I am sooooooooo excited to try this. it looks awesome!
Made this 2 times last week. I used the hot turkey Italian sausage and doubled it both times. I used my Pampered Chef chopper to do the veggies. My husband doesn’t like zucchini so this was a great way to include it and him not notice. Thanks for sharing!
Can you make this in the crockpot?
I probably wouldn’t–it’s definitely worth the inconvenience factor! :)
I was wondering if you are able to can this recipe without the sausage. I have tried this recipe and I love it. I would love to make it in large batches and have it ready to go in a jar. Please let me know. Thanks
Chandra, we don’t know the answer to that. I would recommend asking your local extension office to be sure.
Can you make these with fresh tomatoes? I have a lot in my garden and want to use them up? If so, how many do you think it would take?
I’m sure you could, I just don’t know how you’d go about doing it. Keep in mind that the recipe calls for the Italian style tomatoes, so you’d need to get the extra garlic, basil, and oregano in there somewhere, and they’ve also been cooked down. Maybe if you can find a good recipe for canned Italian tomatoes and then go from there? That’s probably my best recommendation. I’m sorry I don’t have more answers! :(
No-boil noodles? Does it say that on the box? I have made lasagna before without boiling the noodles first,is that what you mean?
Does the 4 oz. of fresh Parmesan mean 1/2 c. or does the it refer to actual weight of the shredded Parmesan?
The actual weight. :) It will translate into roughly 1 cup, but even that depends on how it’s grated.
Thank you! We love this lasagne.
This is the BEST lasagna sauce I have ever made. We ate at an amazing little family owned Italian restaurant in San Francisco years ago. We were a bit lost when we went there, and we’ve never found it again. This fulfilled my craving to go back! :)
mmmm…mmmm…mmmm! It’s in the oven right now! I had a scoop of sauce left over after putting it together…um…and I ate it all up right then and there, all by its self! Can’t wait to eat more!!!
We are going to the beach in a couple of weeks. And I want to bring lasagna as dinner one night and I don’t want to be stuck cooking something as time consuming as lasagna the days I am also trying to pack 3 kids and 2 adults (because apparently, as my husband has proven time and again, he is a terrible packer!). Short question, longer…can I make either the whole thing and freeze it or make the sauce ahead of time and freeze it? I love lasagna and have been on a diet so I’m craving carbs- diet will go on hiatus at the beach!
Yep, lasagna freezes really well. The sauce does too- enjoy the beach!
I saw this recipe in my “Our Best Bites” cookbook, but I’m not sure what to do with the Bechamel Sauce. It tells how to make it in the book, but the instructions for the recipe never say when to use it, at least that I can tell. Hope you can help me!
This is the best sauce ever! I’m obsessed with it!
I’m going to be try to be really adventurous and make my noodles from scratch!