Braises & One-Pot Mains
Homemade Lasagna, From Eight Layers to Short Ribs
A roundup of lasagnas made at home, from a first-time baker's from-scratch effort to a chef-recipe attempt with béchamel and reserved fat.
Eight Layers of Fresh Pasta
One home cook built a lasagna with eight layers of fresh pasta, alternating with rich Bolognese and creamy béchamel. A commenter observed, "That's a lot of layers." The towering, from-scratch creation makes every layer count.
Short Ribs Make an Indulgent Upgrade
Instead of ground beef, one version folds tender short ribs into the layers. The slow-cooked meat adds a deep, gelatinous richness that stands up to the cheese and sauce, making the lasagna feel like a special-occasion dish rather than a weekday staple. It's the kind of elevated comfort food that suits a Sunday dinner where you have hours to let the meat break down.
Matty Matheson's Recipe, Attempted at Home
A home cook took on the lasagna recipe of chef Matty Matheson, known for his bold, over-the-top cooking. The result, photographed in a baking dish, shows the kind of dense, cheese-heavy layers that demand patience. Recreating a chef's recipe at home is an adventure, and this one looks like it paid off — a rich, satisfying pan that justifies the time spent layering and baking.
Béchamel and Reserved Fat, Straight From the Sauce
The cook made everything from scratch, including the béchamel that forms the creamy white layer beneath the pasta. Then came the signature move: the fat rendered from the meat sauce was reserved rather than skimmed off. The cook drizzled that saved fat around the plate, leaving an orange ring that is pure rendered meat fat—an extra flourish added just for fun. By turning a byproduct into a finishing element, this lasagna gets a final meaty accent that a béchamel-only layer wouldn't supply.
Beef and Italian Sausage, With Garlic Bread
A rustic take combines ground beef and Italian sausage for a double-meat punch, served alongside toasted cheesy garlic bread and a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon. The sausage brings fennel and spice that the beef lacks on its own, while the wine's tannins cut through the richness. It's a full meal built for a cozy dinner, not just a slice on a plate.
Grilled Vegetables Meet a Meaty Sauce
This lasagna layers grilled vegetables — which get a smoky char before baking — with a hearty meat sauce. The vegetables add a textural contrast and a smoky depth that raw or steamed veggies wouldn't bring. It's a way to sneak more vegetables into a dish that's usually all meat and cheese, without losing the comforting, saucy character.
First-Time, From-Scratch Lasagna
A first-time lasagna maker built the dish completely from scratch, noodles included. A photo captures the carefully assembled layers. Making lasagna completely from scratch is no small feat.
The Towering Slab That Brought Questions
One homemade lasagna was so large that a commenter had questions, starting with why it was so big and how anyone would eat it. The photo shows a massive slab on a cutting board, cut into a square that would feed several people. It's a playful reminder that lasagna can be a spectacle — a dish that's meant to be shared, and occasionally to provoke disbelief.