This Lasagna-Cooking Method Adds So Much Flavor (With No Ingredients Added)

Lasagna goes far beyond the bounds of a classic bolognese, and we've got 14 recipes to prove it. However, even the most unconventional recipes use the oven as the primary cooking method for this beloved casserole. Well, you can ditch the oven for the smoker to create a lasagna with infinitely more flavor. So, instead of purchasing nuanced ingredients to bring depth to your next lasagna recipe, swap cooking methods.

As the name implies, smokers impart a smokiness into whatever you put into them, offering a low and slow cooking method that maximizes flavor infusion. Plus, you also get tasting notes from whichever type of wood you use to create the smoke. A smoky element is the perfect complement to the savory saltiness of cheese and umami richness of the tomato sauce and meat in lasagna. And it won't take much longer to smoke lasagna than it does to bake it. 

You'll assemble the lasagna according to a traditional recipe while you bring your smoker up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the lasagna uncovered in the smoker for an hour. Similar to checking the doneness of meat, you'll know when the lasagna is ready when it has an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Considering you have a smoker, a meat thermometer is a staple tool you probably already have on hand. Be sure to let the lasagna rest for at least 15 minutes to redistribute all the tasty juices that have bubbled to the top while cooking.

While the lower temperature of the smoker infuses a delicious smokiness into lasagna as it cooks, it doesn't do a good job of getting that crispy browned cheese topping. So, if you want to put a little more effort into your smoked lasagna, start the cooking process at a low 200 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. Then you can increase the temperature to a much hotter 375 degrees for 45 minutes, covering the lasagna with foil to seal in all the moisture. And to achieve the crispy, charred top, remove the foil and cook the lasagna uncovered at 450 degrees for another 20 minutes.

A conventional smoker will have you working overtime to control the increase in temperatures. That's where the benefits of a pellet smoker come into play. A pellet smoker offers a highly advanced mechanism that uses saw dust pellets to control the temperature of the smoker with much more precision. They may be more expensive, but they take nearly all the effort out of smoking and make it much easier to adjust smoking temperatures; check out customer picks for the best pellet grills. If you thought a smoker was an unconventional cooking method for lasagna, we've found a way to make it a campfire treat. You can roast lasagna over an open fire with the help of a Dutch oven.