Make-Ahead Meat Lasagna & Chicken Parmesan Plate

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The full Italian-American combo plate at home: a deep pan of no-boil lasagna layered with a long-simmered beef-and-sausage sauce and lemon-bright ricotta, plus crisp panko chicken cutlets blanketed in the same sauce and melted mozzarella. The lasagna is built to be assembled a day ahead, and the mandatory 20-minute rest out of the oven is what gives you tall, clean squares instead of a slump on the plate — you fry the chicken during that rest so both halves hit the table hot.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb ground beef, 85/15
• 8 oz bulk Italian sausage, mild or hot
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 cup dry red wine or beef broth
• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn

• 15 oz whole-milk ricotta
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

• 12 sheets no-boil lasagna noodles
• 12 oz low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella, shredded
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup water

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lb), halved horizontally into 4 cutlets
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 1/4 cups panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil, for frying
• 6 oz low-moisture mozzarella, shredded

Instructions

1. Make the sauce: heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium. Add the onion and carrot with a pinch of salt and cook 6–8 minutes until soft and just beginning to color. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
2. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the ground beef and Italian sausage. Break the meat into small crumbles with a wooden spoon and cook 8–10 minutes, letting it brown rather than steam — you want browned bits stuck to the pot.
3. Push the meat aside, add the tomato paste to a bare spot, and toast it 1 minute until it darkens. Pour in the wine and scrape the pot clean, simmering until nearly evaporated, about 2 minutes.
4. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, dried basil, red pepper flakes, sugar, 1 1/2 tsp salt, and black pepper. Bring to a bare simmer, partially cover, and cook 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the sauce is thick enough that a spoon dragged through it leaves a trail. Stir in the milk and fresh basil, then taste and adjust salt. You should have about 8 cups. Measure out 1 1/2 cups and set it aside for the chicken.
5. Make the ricotta filling: stir together the ricotta, egg, 3/4 cup Parmesan, parsley, 1/2 tsp salt, pepper, nutmeg, and lemon zest until smooth.
6. Assemble the lasagna: stir the 1/2 cup water into the remaining meat sauce (no-boil noodles need that extra moisture). Spread 1 1/2 cups sauce over the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Lay 3 noodles over the sauce, leaving a little space between them for expansion.
7. Dollop and spread one-third of the ricotta over the noodles, scatter with 2 1/2 oz mozzarella, then spoon over 1 1/4 cups sauce, spreading to the edges. Repeat twice more. Top with the last 3 noodles, the remaining sauce (make sure every bit of noodle is covered, especially the corners), the remaining mozzarella, and 1/2 cup Parmesan.
8. Cover the dish tightly with foil sprayed with oil so it does not stick to the cheese. Refrigerate up to 48 hours at this point, or bake right away.
9. Bake at 375°F on a rimmed sheet pan: 45 minutes covered (55 if it went in cold from the fridge), then remove the foil and bake 15–20 minutes more until the top is browned in spots and the sauce bubbles thickly at the edges. The center should read 165°F.
10. Set the lasagna on a rack and rest 20 minutes, uncovered. This is not optional — it is the difference between a square and a puddle. Use the rest time to cook the chicken.
11. Season the cutlets on both sides with 1 tsp salt. Set up three shallow dishes: flour, beaten eggs, and panko mixed with 1/2 cup Parmesan, garlic powder, and oregano. Dredge each cutlet in flour, then egg (letting excess drip off), then press firmly into the panko on both sides.
12. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high until it shimmers and a crumb sizzles immediately, about 350°F. Fry the cutlets in two batches, 3 minutes per side, until deep golden and cooked through (165°F). Drain on a wire rack, not paper towels, so the crust stays crisp.
13. Arrange the cutlets on a foil-lined sheet pan. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the reserved sauce over the center of each, leaving a border of bare crust exposed, and top with the 6 oz mozzarella. Broil 6 inches from the element for 2–3 minutes until the cheese is melted and blistered.
14. Cut the rested lasagna into 6 squares with a thin sharp knife, lifting each out with a small offset spatula. Plate a square alongside a chicken cutlet, warm any remaining sauce and spoon a little over the plate, and finish with torn basil and extra Parmesan.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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