Party Lasagna

Meaty, cheesy and saucy, this classic lasagna from my Aunt Jeannie’s recipe box will be the life of your party.

Lasagna. Simply saying the word aloud is fun. And, what other food conjures up all the warm fuzzies of a familiar and indulgent dish that’s almost always enjoyed in the company of your favorite people? It’s meaty, it’s cheesy, it’s cozy comfort food at its best. What’s not to love?

All this (and more) is why lasagna is the perfect dish to serve when you are hosting a gathering and need a surefire, people-pleasing dish to build a menu around. Not to mention, it pairs well with wine!

My Aunt Jeannie was hip to this scene years ago, hosting her first “lasagna party” back in the 70s in her tiny apartment with her co-worker friends from the Red Owl in Bemidji, Minn. In later years, she and my late uncle Lynn used Valentine’s Day as the opportunity to invite their close group of friends over for an annual get-together centered around her legendary lasagna. Jeannie would double the recipe and the others would volunteer to bring the rest—salad, bread, desserts and likely some adult beverages—to round out the party menu.

Even though the cast of characters has changed (only slightly) and the location has moved on from Jeannie’s apartment, the lasagna parties have continued through the years and now span five decades.

The Dish: Party Lasagna

This is classic lasagna, featuring the expected layers of pasta, cheese and meat sauce. However, one of the reasons I love this recipe is that it’s not overly complicated like some lasagna recipes. There is no chopping of onions or garlic, it uses common ingredients (no fancy cheeses necessary) and it has a no-nonsense assembly so you don’t have to second-guess how high to stack the lasagna layers. Plus, it’s absolutely scrumptious like a good lasagna should be.

When I asked Jeannie why this lasagna is so good for a party, she laughed and said she is not a very good cook but this is one recipe she can feel confident that will always turn out! I think she is exaggerating a bit about her cooking skills (she is an excellent cook!), but I am also a firm believer that there is no shame in being a one-trick pony when it comes to having a special, tried-and-true dish that you have perfected through time and know will be a hit with your guests.

“Everyone seems to love lasagna, plus I like being able to make it the day before so I can clean up the mess and not have to worry about it the day of the party,” said Jeannie.

She adds that this particular recipe is fairly easy to make, can feed a crowd and can be made ahead of time—which I declare are the three essentials for successful party planning.

Where did this recipe come from?

Jeannie got the recipe for lasagna from a Betty Crocker Recipe Card Library. The oversized boxes, which were popular in the 70s, came in colors like green or gold and featured hundreds of recipes. Jeannie remembers several of her friends received these boxed sets as they were striking out on their own, signing up to receive packets of recipes periodically throughout the year. Jeannie doesn’t have her original recipe card library anymore but was tickled to find a white one (pictured below) at a thrift shop recently.

Looking back at the recipe card for the lasagna, Jeannie says she still follows the same recipe for the most part but has adjusted it slightly through the years, e.g., using all ground beef (instead of a mixture of beef and Italian sausage) and making a few other tweaks to make it her own.

Jeannie’s lasagna tips and party pointers:

• What pairs well with lasagna? Keep it simple with garlic bread, a salad and dessert.
• When guests ask if they can bring something, say “YES!” Jeannie fondly remembers her late friend Betty’s homemade cheesecakes which were always a hit at the lasagna parties.
• Prepare the lasagna the day before, refrigerate it overnight and put it in the oven just before your guests arrive. That way you don’t have all the mess to deal with on the day of the party.
• Jeannie says sometimes she may use a tad more ground beef or extra cheese and the lasagna always turns out. “It’s pretty hard to screw up!”
• Save a step with no-boil noodles! Jeannie says they have always worked well for her—particularly if you make the lasagna ahead and the noodles have some time to soak in some of the liquid and soften up.
• While a can of whole tomatoes from the grocery store would work just fine, Jeannie prefers to use a quart of her own garden tomatoes that she processes. Jeannie processed more than 20 jars of tomatoes this year!
• Stick to three layers of pasta to optimize the amount of meat sauce, cottage cheese mixture and mozzarella cheese in your layers. Jeannie uses nine noodles total…three noodles per layer.

Jeannie saves the best advice for last.

“Enjoy a glass of wine while you wait for the lasagna to get brown on top. Then, have another glass of wine once you remove the lasagna from the oven and wait for it to cool when it will be easier to cut,” said Jeannie.

Cheers to my Aunt Jeannie for sharing this recipe for her beloved lasagna and inspiring me to host my own lasagna party! Who’s in?