Cooking the annual New Year’s Eve lasagna de carne “was always Mami’s territory—until the year I had no choice but to take over,” writes author Elizabeth Acevedo in this essay. In a time of uncertainty in her family, she learned to make the lasagna to “grasp onto a bit of comfort and routine.” This Dominican lasagna packs a wallop of flavor from herby sofrito, which cooks with the ground beef until toasty and caramelized. Stick to regular dried lasagna noodles; they offer a toothsome texture that no-boil noodles can’t match.
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What you’ll need
Blender
$40 At Amazon
13x9" Baking Dish
$20 At Amazon
Oven Thermometer
$7 At Amazon
Ladle
$27 At Amazon
Parchment Paper
$3 At Amazon
Rimmed Baking Sheet
$32 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
8 - 10 Servings
Ingredients
Meat Sauce
½
1
1
4
2
5
5
2
1
½
¼
1
1
2
1
2
1
Assembly
3
½
8
1
12
Preparation
Meat Sauce
Step 1
Purée bell pepper, onion, tomato, cilantro, parsley, olives, garlic, Italian seasoning, capers, cumin, black pepper, and 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a blender until sofrito is mostly smooth.
Step 2
Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high. Cook beef, tomato paste, bay leaves, and sofrito, breaking up meat and stirring often, until liquid is evaporated and meat is starting to brown, 20–25 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in marinara sauce. Season sauce with salt if needed.
Do Ahead: Sauce can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill.
Assembly
Step 3
Place a rack in upper third of oven; preheat to 350°. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add garlic and Italian seasoning. Cook noodles, stirring often, until very al dente, about 4 minutes (noodles will finish cooking in oven). Drain noodles and stack flat in layers, separated by parchment; discard garlic.
Step 4
Lightly oil a 13x9" baking dish. Spread a heaping cupful of sauce in dish. Lay a single layer of noodles over sauce. Spread 1 cup sauce over noodles. Season ricotta with salt and pepper; evenly spread half of ricotta over sauce. Scatter one third of mozzarella over top. Repeat layering process. Finish with remaining sauce, followed by remaining mozzarella. Cover with a lightly oiled piece of foil; set on a rimmed baking sheet (to catch drips).
Step 5
Bake lasagna until bubbling around the edges, 40–45 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 425°. Uncover lasagna and continue to bake until top is golden brown, 15–18 minutes more. Let sit 15 minutes before serving.
Do Ahead: Lasagna can be baked 3 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Reheat in a 250° oven.
Leave a Review
Reviews (24)
Back to TopThis sauce is delicious….it was better the second time I made it and browned most of the the hamburger better!! Has anyone made this with Oven-Ready Lasagne noodles? Thank you
Gramma
LV,NV
11/20/2023
I switched it up a bit and used 1lb of bulk italian pork sausage, 1lb of ground beef and 1lb of ground veal. I also grated fresh nutmeg and added a tax egg to the ricotta.
NoRegrets
Boerne, Texas
10/5/2022
My husband and I liked the lasagna. I followed the recipe exactly except for adding a few more noodles. I liked the meat to cheese ratio; many standard lasagna recipes are too cheesy for my liking. My teenagers were surprised by the smell (one kid thought we were having a Mexican dish based on aroma coming out of the kitchen) and they immediately tasted the cilantro.
Jenn L
NYC
1/17/2022
Fabulous recipe. All the proportions were right and the taste was wonderful.I added a 5 oz bag of shredded parmesan. I'm sending two portions over to my dear friends to celebrate New Years day.
Marion
Laguna Beach
1/1/2022
The meat sauce is really good. I feel there just isn't enough for the recipe. The same with the mozzarella, too little for the layers. If I make again I will adjust to have more sauce. Thank you for the recipe.
Josh
Minneapolis, MN
12/26/2021
Overall super yummy recipe! Easy to follow and a new twist on classic Italian flavors. It took my husband two days to figure out there was cilantro in it. I added a layer of cooked spinach to the recipe, super nostalgic ingredient for me. Will be making again.
Bree Hanson
Los Gatos, CA
12/9/2021
This recipe is terrific and will become the NYE special. My son was diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenic 30 years ago and chose to take his life in 2000. It was, and continues to be traumatic for our family, however, I believe this lasagna will be a small savior added to our memory bank. Thank you, Elizabeth.
Anonymous
12/5/2021