Lasagna: A Labor of Love

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I rarely make lasagna because it takes so stinking long but any time I have an excuse, I take it. We're bringing dinner to a friend's house tomorrow and I have some Skagit River Ranch hot Italian sausage in the freezer. Perfect excuse for this labor of love.

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Now the tough question... which lasagna should I make????

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I love my mom's basic recipe. It's always a hit and she uses cottage cheese which keeps it light. I also enjoy Barefoot Contessa's Turkey Lasagna (although I use Italian chicken sausage instead of turkey). Her recipe uses goat cheese which adds a great flavor and texture without it being too heavy. And you can't go wrong with Tyler Florence's Ultimate Lasagna. It's fantastic.

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What's your favorite lasagna? I'm always looking for a new one to try. And while you're add it - do you use dry noodles, no-cook noodles, or fresh noodles? If you use dry noodles, do you boil them like most recipes call for, or do you do the Ina-soak? I usually do the Ina-soak because it's faster, easier and works great. Tomorrow I'm going to try fresh noodles because it's even faster and easier. We'll see how it goes.

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The Ina Soak

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Fill a large bowl with the hottest tap water. Add the noodles and allow them to sit in the water for 20 minutes. Drain.