Wake Up Bland Lasagna With An Ingredient Already In Your Fridge

Have you ever wished you could eat lasagna for the first time again? Turn back the clock and rediscover those molten layers and hearty flavors. Although not entirely possible, you can still make that dream come true simply by shaking the recipe up a bit. Try elevating lasagna with unexpected ingredients and experience this dish in a brand new way. Lemon, in particular, is the perfect fix for bland lasagna.

Lasagna is, by no means, flavorless, even in the most simple recipes. Amping up the richness won't always work when you try to revamp it. What you need instead is the lemon's contrasting brightness and the way its acidic edge slices right through all the heaviness. One ingredient after another, it lifts the entire dish from within. The tangy cheese finds a companion in the sparkling zest, one that balances out its rough edges. Meanwhile, the sauce sheds the usual intensity in favor of the juice's light zing, with savory meat popping up every now and then, reminding you of lasagna's cozy essence. Still, at the heart of those lasagna recipes you keep coming back to, you will find the comforting depth that makes them so beloved in the first place.

To use lemon as a flavor booster for lasagna, you just need to sprinkle the zest between layers of pasta and sauce, preferably alongside the cheese. If that seems too little, you can mix the zest straight into the cheeses, with eggs and a bit of seasoning to make the filling extra-indulgent. The sauce is no exception. Whisk a few squeezes of lemon juice into the sauce you're simmering on the stovetop for a lemon-infused lasagna. Make sure to pick out cheese varieties that won't clash with the lemon. Ricotta is a foolproof combination, but mozzarella and parmesan also pair marvelously.

Lemon can also be the gateway to creative potentials you never considered. Following Giada De Laurentiis's lemon sheet pan lasagna recipe, you can swap out regular red tomatoes for yellow datterini tomatoes. This switch brings summer straight to the lasagna as the lemon's bright flavor finds a home alongside the vibrant sweetness of yellow tomatoes. Considering lemon's penchant for white sauces, white lasagna is a must-try as well. Add lemon juice to your preferred vegetables, whether they are roasted mushrooms or braised leeks, then pair them with a béchamel sauce. For an even more unique take on lemon white lasagna, check out Tasting Table's lemony spinach pistou lasagna recipe.