What is Lasagna Al Forno?
Everyone loves a good lasagna. Who can resist the cheesy goodness of layered noodles and sauce? The better question is, what does lasagna al forno mean? The Italian term ‘al Forno’ translates into English to “from the stove.”
Al Forno is often used to describe a style of cooking found in northern Italy, where they often use a wood-fired brick oven to bake their dishes, especially lasagna.
While most of us may not have wood-fired ovens in our kitchens, we can still create a delicious homemade lasagna al forno. Continue reading to learn about our favorite baked lasagna recipes.
1. Italian Sausage Lasagna Al Forno
You’ll begin this lasagna al forno recipe by cooking lasagna noodles and Italian sausage (mild or spicy both work). Prepare your mozzarella and ricotta cheeses, canned tomatoes, and Italian seasoning.
Instead of making a typical red meat sauce, this recipe has a twist. The recipe calls for onions, bell peppers, garlic cloves, shredded carrots, chicken broth, and basil.
Start layering your lasagna with the meat and veggie sauce followed by noodles and lastly the cheese mixture. All that’s left to do is bake it at 375 Fahrenheit for 35-45 minutes.
The great part about this recipe is that you can substitute the meat, veggies, or cheese with different kinds and it will still taste great!
Get the full recipe and directions here.
2. Cheesy Lasagna Al Forno
This recipe will be right up your alley if you’re a cheese lover. The ingredients for this recipe are similar to the first recipe – lasagna noodles, mozzarella cheese, canned tomatoes, onion, garlic cloves, and Italian seasoning.
The secret of this dish is its two different sauces. First, you’ll make a ragu sauce, which includes ground beef, dry red wine, and beef stock. Next, make a white sauce by mixing milk, flour, and parmesan cheese.
As you assemble this lasagna al forno, it will include sauces layered alternately in between the noodles, topped with lots of mozzarella cheese. If you want, you can even make this dish vegetarian-friendly by using veggies instead of meat and vegetable stock instead of beef stock.
Get the full recipe and directions here.
3. Lasagna Recipe with Cottage Cheese
Traditional lasagna recipes typically use ricotta cheese to give the dish a smoother texture between the noodle layers. Substituting the ricotta for cottage cheese will enhance the mouthfeel of a typical classic lasagna.
You’ll use additional cheeses, including Parmigiano Reggiano, mozzarella, and gouda, but the cottage cheese is what will enhance the overall texture of this lasagna al forno.
Traditional lasagna noodles and red sauce will create the other layers along with your cottage cheese mix. Sprinkle the remaining cheeses on top to create that gooey goodness after it is baked.
Cook this lasagna al forno for 40 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and serve it with garlic bread or buttery breadsticks.
Get the full recipe and directions here.
4. Freezer-Friendly Lasagna Al Forno
We love that this recipe can be frozen either before or after you bake it, which makes it easy on those nights when you don’t know what to do for dinner. All you have to do is pull one of these pans out of your freezer and voila, you’ve got yourself a no-muss, no-fuss meal!
The only things you’ll need to make this dish are one pan, one bowl, and one 9×13 baking dish. Layer it up with a red meat sauce, noodles, ricotta, and other cheeses (you can use cottage cheese instead of ricotta, similar to the last recipe).
To get some extra veggies in there, you can also throw in some frozen spinach to your cheese layer. If your house has picky eaters, you can substitute different meats, meat sauce variations, or cheeses according to your liking.
Get the full recipe and directions from Spend with Pennies.
5. White Spinach Lasagna Al Forno
If you are stuck in a rut making the same old red sauce, this lasagna recipe is for you. This recipe tells you how to make a white sauce with cheese, also known as a mornay sauce.
A mornay sauce is essentially an elevated version of bechamel sauce. To make the decadent white sauce for this lasagna al forno, combine milk, flour, and butter, and then make it into a mornay by adding cheese.
Fun fact, the bechamel sauce was not the same as we know it today before the French chef Auguste Escoffier simplified the recipe in the 19th century. (You can read more about the bechamel sauce here.)
Lastly, for this white spinach lasagna, you will combine the spinach and ricotta to make the third layer component. Assemble the lasagna with a thin layer of white sauce on the bottom of your dish.
Next, add a layer of noodles followed by a layer of your ricotta cheese mixture, and repeat. Bake this lasagna al forno for 20 minutes at 400 Fahrenheit.
Get the full recipe and directions from The Baker Chick.
6. Instant Pot Lasagna
We all love easy and delicious recipes, and this one will probably be a huge hit for your family. When you’re out grocery shopping, one difference between this recipe and others is that you’ll need to buy oven-ready noodles.
Some oven-ready noodles may take a little longer to cook in your pressure cooker, so just check to make sure they are fully cooked before serving the dish.
You will still layer your noodles, meat sauce, and cheeses just like a typical lasagna. One other difference between this and other lasagna dishes is it has a heartier meat sauce so the lasagna can retain its shape.
Get the full recipe and directions from Pressure Cook Recipes.
7. Vegan Baked Lasagna
For anyone who’s been needing a good vegan lasagna, your search ends here! The benefit of using these ingredients is that it’s full of protein and other nutrients, hearty, and easy to make.
Begin by cooking red lentils then make cashew-tofu ricotta. The recipe also calls for tofu, which is what will give the dish a ricotta-like texture.
Once that’s made, assemble the layers: mariana and lentils, uncooked vegan lasagna noodles, cashew-tofu ricotta, and spinach. Feel free to sprinkle vegan mozzarella cheese on top, then bake your vegan lasagna al forno at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour.
Get the full recipe and directions from Nora Cooks.
Who knew there were so many delicious variations of lasagna al forno? We hope that you are able to try some of these recipes and add some variety to your next dinner party or weekday meal.
No matter the size of your family, lasagna is a comforting dish that brings people together. Comment below and share your favorite lasagna al forno recipe!
If you like this post, we think you’ll really like our 11 Best Lasagna Tips post.
