Lasagna in the highest! Traditional vs. quick, simple recipes to try on your family at home

Catholic Online editor's note: There may be nearly as many lasagna recipes as there are lasagna chefs. With so many possible variations, what recipe is best: A time-consuming and meticulous recipe handed down for generations or an efficient throw-it-together variety that saves your time and energy?

(Here we provide one traditional family's lasagna recipe handed down for generations, and one no-frills, fast and simple recipe for cooks on the go. We suggest you try both -- which do you prefer?)

Joanne Ciccarello's Lasagna with Meatball Gravy

The first aroma that would waft into my childhood bedroom on a Sunday morning was the smell of onions and garlic frying. That scent would wake me up. I would hear the sizzle as the onions hit the hot olive oil in the pan; the sputtering sound of the crushed canned tomatoes following suit occurred moments later. In my parents' home, Sunday was macaroni and gravy day (you might call it "pasta" with "sauce"), and holidays offered the hallowed lasagna.

Relatives would stop by after church with a warm loaf of bakery Italian bread to chat for a bit before returning home to their family's version of this classic. Inevitably, when my mother wasn't looking, we'd grab hunks of the warm loaf and dip it into the pot, blow on it, and devour.

On cue, my mother would complain that someone had left bread crumbs in the sauce. It was a kind of joke since my mother indulged as well. We couldn't help it. The richness of the sauce, the sweetness of the tomatoes and meat simmering - who could wait until dinner?

Lasagna was for special occasions. The ricotta always came in a can punched with holes to drain the excess water. The Parmesan or Romano was grated by hand, a task saved for the daughters who were to follow in this art. Even the parsley was fresh.

Today, for special occasions, I make an extra trip to a favorite Italian deli where I buy the ricotta made fresh in Connecticut and delivered twice daily. I buy the grating cheese there as well. My favorite is pepato Romano - Romano cheese dotted with peppercorns.

For many years it was difficult to find scamorza, a tangier, saltier version of mozzarella. To my delight, local supermarkets are carrying it again so I use that as a substitute for the mozzarella when it's available.

These days, busy schedules mean less time to cook but I would never sacrifice the flavor of a homemade meat gravy to a can or jar for convenience. I've tried. Even the best brands tend to have sweeteners, and just about every supermarket tomato sauce includes oregano. Oregano would never make it to the pot of gravy I grew up with.

In my stubborn mind, oregano belongs in pizza sauce.

No two Italians cook their gravy or lasagna alike. So this recipe makes no claim to authenticity. It's simply what I grew up with. When I do find the time or the excuse to make it, I find myself thinking back to a childhood ritual with the attending sensations that make this meal so special. Buon appetito!

Meatball Tomato Gravy and Lasagna

Meatball gravy (sauce)

Olive oil

2 medium garlic cloves

1 medium onion, sliced

6-ounce can tomato paste

6 ounces water

2 16-ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed (or two 16-ounce cans crushed tomatoes and no paste)

2 basil leaves

Cover the bottom of the saucepan with olive oil. Brown the cloves of garlic in the hot oil and then remove. Add sliced onion and sauté until deep brown. Add tomato paste and stir in one tomato paste can's worth of water. Blend and let bubble for two minutes. Add the whole crushed tomatoes. (If using crushed tomatoes, simply add the purée to the pot without the paste.) Stir and simmer with basil leaves for at least an hour.

Meatballs:

2 cups cubed day-old bread soaked in 1/2 cup of water

1/2 to 1 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (to taste - more for a saltier, stronger cheese flavor)

1 large garlic clove, crushed

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

3/4 pound ground pork

3/4 pound ground beef

1 egg, slightly beaten

Squeeze the bread to remove excess water. Add grated cheese, garlic, and parsley, and blend thoroughly so it is almost like a paste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the meat and egg, blending thoroughly.

Wet hands with water and scoop a handful of the mixture and roll slightly smaller than a tennis ball. Make sure that there are no cracks on the surface of the meatball to keep them from breaking up in the gravy.

In a heavy frying pan, fry the meatballs all around over medium-high heat, searing the outside brown. They won't look like balls when you are done, but the browning is what gives the gravy its flavor. Let the meatballs stand for 10 minutes before dropping them into the tomato base. Deglaze the frying pan and add the drippings to the tomato mixture as well. Simmer for three hours, stirring occasionally. Meatballs can be crumbled into the layers of lasagna or served on the side.

Lasagna

1-1/2 to 2-1/2 cups grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (to taste)

1 pound lasagna noodles

3 pounds ricotta

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1 pound mozzarella or scamorza, sliced in chunks

Blend ricotta, parsley, and 1 to 2 cups grated cheese together. (Reserve some grated cheese for the assembly.) If using regular noodles that require boiling, boil only until the noodles can bend slightly, five minutes at most. Drain.

In a lasagna pan, spoon some gravy on the bottom to keep the pasta from sticking to the dish. Add a layer of noodles and spread a small amount of gravy on top. Next, spoon a thin layer of the ricotta mixture to cover the noodles, do not worry about getting into every corner. Lay thin slices of mozzarella or scamorza on top of the ricotta and add more gravy to cover the cheese. Spoon grated Parmesan or Romano on the gravy, then add the next layer of noodles. Continue until the noodles and ricotta are used up. Finish with a layer of noodles, gravy, mozzarella, and grated cheese. Reserve some gravy for serving. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F. for 40 minutes. Let sit 20 minutes before serving with meatballs (if you didn't crumble them into the sauce) and extra gravy. Serves 12.

Vic Roberts' Easy Lasagna

Why on Earth would anyone spend three days cooking something that takes just 10 minutes to eat?

It's a question that I have pondered many times before throwing another frozen entree into the microwave.

While I am glad to know a few home cooks are willing to spend hours in the kitchen preparing meals that I devour in a matter of minutes, I don't have much desire to return the favor.

In fact, I'd rather spend time doing something more constructive - like watching football on TV.

But for times when the game isn't on, I'll squeeze in an hour to make a lasagna that can last a week.

It's quick. It's easy. And hey, it tastes pretty good, too.

"Low-prep lasagna" leans heavily on ingredients prepared by others. The noodles are "no boil," so they don't need to be cooked before they are stacked with the lasagna's other ingredients. The mozzarella is already shredded; the spinach prewashed; the store-brand ricotta is straight from a plastic container, and the Parmesan is ready to sprinkle.

Oh, and then there's the sauce.

I don't wish to offend my Italian friends who labor long hours making "the gravy," but I am simply not that picky when it comes to the sauce. Anything from a jar with ingredients that don't require you to be a chemist to understand is just fine with me. Bring on the Ragú!

So if you're someone who has never warmed up to life in the kitchen, give this low-prep spinach lasagna a try. It takes about 10 minutes to prepare and spends 45 minutes in the oven.

While the lasagna cools, throw some frozen garlic bread into the oven, and in a few minutes, you'll be treating your taste buds while most lasagna cooks are still stirring the gravy.

Spinach Lasagna

2 cups ricotta cheese

1 pound preshredded mozzarella cheese

1 package no-boil lasagna noodles (about 12 pieces)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1 10-ounce bag of washed spinach (remove stems)

2 10-ounce jars Ragú spaghetti sauce (I use Chunky Garden Combination)

2 mixing bowls

9-by-13-inch pan

Aluminum foil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Mix spinach with ricotta cheese. Divide mixture evenly into two mixing bowls.

3. Spread a little sauce to cover the bottom of the pan.

4. Cover with a single layer of noodles (three or four, break as necessary to fit).

5. Spread 1/2 of ricotta/spinach mixture over noodles.

6. Cover with 1/3 of the sauce.

7. Scatter 1/2 of the mozzarella on top.

8. Cover with another layer of noodles (breaking as necessary to fit).

9. Layer remaining ricotta/spinach mixture.

10. Cover with another 1/3 of the sauce.

11. Scatter remaining mozzarella.

12. Cover with a final layer of noodles (breaking as necessary to fit).

13. Spread rest of the sauce.

14. Sprinkle Parmesan over the top.

Bake for 25 minutes uncovered. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake another 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serves 8 to 10.