The contenders:

• The Pioneer Woman’s “Best Lasagna Ever”
• All Recipes “World’s Best Lasagna”
• Emeril Lagasse’s Lasgana Recipe

The nitty-gritty:

Each lasagna was scored on a scale of 1-10 (where 1= that’s food? and 10= the best lasagna that has ever entered my mouth) for overall score,  the boyfriend/husband test, and the leftover test. We also provide other comments.

The Pioneer Woman’s Best Lasagna Ever:

Overall score: 8

The boyfriend/husband test: 8.5

The leftover test: 9

Comments: At first I thought this lasagna couldn’t compete with another recipe I usually make, especially after I sat down to eat it right out of the oven. It was good, but I am used to way more spices in my “go-to” lasagna recipe. However, Josh (picky husband) LOVED it! Over the next few days, it tasted so much better. I think this lasagna definitely needs time to let the flavors meld together because it tasted AMAZING when they finally did. Next time, I will pre make it, put it in the fridge for 24 hours, then bake. Thanks Pioneer Woman!

Allrecipes World’s Best Lasagna:

Overall score: 6

The boyfriend/husband test: 5

The leftover test: 6

Comments: This recipe would have been really good if it didn’t have so much sugar (2 tablespoons) and salt (1 tablespoon) in it. It tasted WAY too sweet for lasagna, we didn’t like it very much. Next time, I would omit the sugar and salt, then it would be much better.

Emeril’s Lasagna Recipe:

Overall score: 5

The boyfriend/husband test: 7.5

The leftover test: 6

Comments: I slept in til 9 today. So why am I so tired? Can cooking actually do this to a person? Maybe I’m just a cooking-lazy grad student, and my main basis for comparison is microwaving an Amy’s frozen meal, but this recipe was a LOT of work. From finding all the fresh cheeses, to a trip across town for veal, to the prep work, the cooking of the sauce, the simmering of the sauce, the cleaning, putting together the cheese mix, the assembling of the lasagna, and finally, the baking. Not to mention a crazy dog running around demanding my attention all throughout this process. It’s not even 9pm and I’m ready for bed. In addition, this was expensive. I already had some of the dry spices and tomatoes on hand, and I still spent over $50. For.one.recipe.

This lasagna was alright. Mike and I agreed that we liked the complexity of the different flavors of cheeses, but they completely overpowered the meat. The amount of time, effort, and money that went into making this lasagna left me disappointed with the result. And I wasn’t tempted to take it to the lab for lunch the next day, which says a lot. Furthermore, both of us were left feeling really heavy and gross.

The winner:

Let’s give it up to the…

The Pioneer Woman’s “Best Lasagna Ever”!

Congratulations on your Award for the “Real Best” Lasagna Recipe!

Special Diets:

While we can’t guarantee the results, here are some ideas you can use to customize the winning lasagna to your dietary needs:

• Gluten free: Use gluten free lasagna noodles. ( And don’t forget to check that all your other ingredients are, in fact, gluten free!)
  
• Vegetarian: Omit the meat! Consider substituting veggies such as carrots, onions, celery, squash, or zucchini if your sauce is lacking substance.
• Lower fat: Use turkey sausage and ground turkey instead of the beef and pork versions. Use lower-fat cheese.

Sidenote: Mom got a digital camera, much better for taking photos than her cell phone. It’s the small things that matter most!

Leftovers:

When you’re all finished trying this delicious lasagna, here are some ideas for using up your leftover ingredients:

• Fried lasagna roll-ups
• Easy tomato-vegetable soup

Do you go all out when cooking? Or are you more like Megan, who finds it irritating when a frozen meal has to be–gasp– taken out mid-microwave and stirred?