LASAGNA
makes 1 9x13 pan · total 1h 25m · tested

A hearty, savory lasagna engineered with a deeply seasoned ricotta-MSG
mixture and a blend of beef and pork sausage. Utilizes no-bake noodles
and a specific layering technique.

Salt Calculation Note: Since commercial pork sausage contains roughly
1.5% salt, we only need to salt the unseasoned beef in the pan. For the
ricotta, swapping the original "garlic salt" for straight garlic powder
removes about 12g of salt from the mixture. To bring the 860g of fresh
dairy and eggs up to a perfect 1.25% savory equilibrium, exactly 6g of
kosher salt is added back into the cheese blend.

INGREDIENTS
  -- The Meat Layer --
      454 g   ground beef (1 lb)
      454 g   ground pork sausage (1 lb (inherently salted))
        6 g   kosher salt (1.5% equilibrium for the unseasoned beef)
        5 g   Italian seasoning (approx 1 tbsp)
        2 g   black pepper
  -- The Ricotta Mixture --
      454 g   ricotta cheese (1 lb)
      226 g   mozzarella/provolone (shredded; 1 standard 8oz bag)
       50 g   parmesan cheese (grated; approx 1/2 cup)
      100 g   eggs (lightly beaten; 2 large eggs)
       30 g   fresh parsley (chopped; 1 bunch)
       10 g   garlic powder (pure powder, not salt)
        8 g   onion powder (1 big tbsp)
        8 g   white sugar (approx 1-2 tsp)
        6 g   kosher salt (explicitly calculated for the dairy matrix)
        6 g   MSG (approx 1.5 tsp)
        5 g   Italian seasoning (approx 1 tbsp)
        2 g   black pepper
  -- Assembly --
      255 g   no-bake lasagna noodles (1 standard box)
     1360 g   pasta sauce (2 standard jars (Ragu Kettle))
      226 g   mozzarella/provolone (shredded; 2nd standard 8oz bag)
       20 g   parmesan cheese (grated; for topping)
        2 g   Italian seasoning (for topping)
              cooking spray

STEPS
  Prep & Mix
    1. Preheat: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Spray the bottom and
       sides of a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray.
    2. Brown the Meat: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook
       the ground beef and ground pork sausage together until fully
       browned. Drain any excess fat. Season the meat with the 6g of
       kosher salt, black pepper, and 5g of Italian seasoning. Set
       aside.
    3. The Ricotta Emulsion: In a large mixing bowl, combine the
       ricotta, 1 bag (226g) of the mozzarella/provolone blend, 50g
       parmesan, 2 eggs, the chopped parsley, garlic powder, onion
       powder, sugar, the 6g of measured kosher salt, MSG, Italian
       seasoning, and black pepper. Stir vigorously until completely
       uniform.
  Architectural Assembly
    1. The Base: Spread a very light, even layer of pasta sauce on the
       bottom of the 9x13 pan.
    2. Layer One: Lay down 1 layer of no-bake noodles. Spread another
       light layer of sauce directly over them (just enough to wet
       them). Top with exactly half of the browned meat mixture,
       followed by half of the ricotta mixture. Add a very light
       sprinkle of mozzarella from the 2nd bag.
    3. Layer Two: Lay down a second layer of noodles. Add a light layer
       of sauce. Top with the remaining half of the meat, followed by
       the remaining half of the ricotta mixture.
    4. Layer Three (The Cap): Lay down the final layer of noodles. Pour
       a thicker layer of sauce over the top, using a spatula to ensure
       the top noodles are completely submerged/covered (this is
       critical so the no-bake noodles hydrate properly and don't curl
       or burn).
    5. The Cheese Crown: Dump the remainder of the 2nd bag of mozzarella
       evenly over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese
       and a final dusting of Italian seasoning.
  Bake
    1. Cover: Cut a piece of tin foil large enough to cover the pan.
       Spray the underside of the foil heavily with cooking spray so it
       doesn't peel off the melted cheese crown. Cover the pan tightly.
    2. Bake: Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 45 minutes.
    3. Brown & Rest: Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10-15
       minutes until the cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown on the
       edges. Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes before
       slicing so the layers stabilize.

EQUIPMENT
  9x13 baking pan, large skillet, large mixing bowl, aluminum foil.

FOOD SAFETY
  Ensure the ground pork and beef mixture reaches 160°F during the
  browning phase.

STORAGE
  Refrigerate leftovers tightly covered for up to 4 days. Freezes
  exceptionally well in individual portions.

LICENSE
  CC BY 4.0: share and adapt freely, credit longproof and link to
  https://longproof.duckdns.org/recipes/lasagna.txt
  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/