Olive Garden Lasagna Classico

Name: Olive Garden Lasagna Classico
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 1 13x9 in Pan, 12-16 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1/3 cup olive oil; 1 lb ground beef; 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper, plus extra for coating beef; 1 medium onion, chopped small; 1 red pepper, chopped small; 1 green pepper, chopped small; 6 garlic cloves, minced; 5 leaves basil, finely chopped, plus leaves for garnish; 1 tablespoon oregano, Chopped; 1 (14 ounce) can tomato sauce; 1 (8 ounce) can tomato paste; 2 teaspoons salt; 1 (8 ounce) box dry lasagna noodles; 1 pint ricotta cheese; 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated, plus extra for garnish; 1 cup mozzarella cheese, Grated

Submitted by Swordbreaker

"Copycat Recipe of Olive Garden Lasagna Classico. My wife loves this version of lasagna. Every special occasion, we had to go to Olive Garden, just for the Lasagna and breadsticks"

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Ready In:: 1hr 30mins
Ingredients:: 16
Yields:: 1 13x9 in Pan
Serves:: 12-16

ingredients

¹⁄₃ cup olive oil
1 lb ground beef
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper, plus extra for coating beef
1 medium onion, chopped small
1 red pepper, chopped small
1 green pepper, chopped small
6 garlic cloves, minced
5 leaves basil, finely chopped, plus leaves for garnish
1 tablespoon oregano, Chopped
1 (14 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (8 ounce) can tomato paste
2 teaspoons salt
1 (8 ounce) box dry lasagna noodles
1 pint ricotta cheese
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated, plus extra for garnish
1 cup mozzarella cheese, Grated

directions

Heat the oil in a large pot on high heat. Add the beef and coat it with pepper. Cook through, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the beef from the pot and add in the onions, peppers, 1/2 of the garlic, and herbs. Turn the heat to medium and cook the vegetables until soft. Add in the tomato sauce and paste. Season with salt and pepper and let simmer for 1 hour.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Add the dry lasagna to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Remove and place on baking sheet coated with olive oil. Toss the pasta to coat it completely.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a bowl, mix the ricotta and Parmesan well. In a 9 by 12-inch baking dish, begin laying down the pasta. Smooth on a layer of the cheese mixture and spoon on meat sauce. Add another layer of pasta and repeat this process until you reach the top of the dish. The final layer should be cheese mixture and fresh mozzarella.
Cover with foil and place in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and let brown for 15 more minutes.
To serve, spoon on meat sauce on a warm plate. Place a large square of lasagna on the pool of sauce. Top with Parmesan and a basil leaf.

Questions & Replies

This recipe is leaving me with so many questions. First, after removing the beef, when do I add it back in? Do I need to drain the grease in the pan? The ingredients call for 6 minced garlic cloves, in the first steps it says to add in half of them. When do I add the other 3 cloves? Can you clear these up in the recipe or comments?

angela.wheeler

Reviews

This is good but nothing like Olive Garden's lasagna.

burks1999
This recipe was AWESOME! After watching the YouTube Video from Olive Garden, there really are two differences. In stead of all ground beef, use half Italian sausage. Second, this recipe doesn't not use egg in the ricotta. Nevertheless, I made it as directed here, and love every bite. : )

Gwenniesfine44
This recipe was atrocious. I spent almost 3 hours prepping and assembling this and had to fix top ramen to feed the kids for the night. I wound up baking it the next night. It was absolutely flavorless. If I ever try this again I would add italian sausage and more tomato sauce.

tgerlvr
Not even close to tasting like Olive Garden Lasagna Classico. However, my family thought it was tasty. I'll keep up my search to find one that tastes like Olive Garden's

cynthiakuenzi