Your Heartiest Homemade Lasagna Is One Canned Ingredient Away

If there's one thing winter weather will have you craving it's lasagna — a hearty, layered Italian dish consisting of melty cheese, tender noodles, savory ground meat, and, of course, saucy marinara coating each divine layer. Knowing you've got a pan of this crowd-pleasing dish baking in the oven will certainly keep you warm and toasty. But what if it's getting a bit boring? You may have tried another saucy ingredient that will level up homemade lasagna, but if you're looking to expand outside of the box, there's a version of this bubbly casserole that only cowboys can claim.

Your heartiest homemade lasagna starts with Tex-Mex inspired flavors that inspired the common name of cowboy lasagna. This Southwest take on the classic dish uses canned green chiles to really amp up the sauce. The base bones of this dish remain the same, like using lasagna noodles, ricotta cheese, ground beef or Italian sausage, and of course marinara. But the key differences lie in the seasonings and one key accessible ingredient. 

While the traditional recipe typically calls for classic Italian spices like garlic, oregano, and basil, cowboy lasagna calls for the seasonings you would use in a big batch of chili. Those in turn give you all the flavors of a hearty, smoky chili but in a pan of creamy, melty, bubbly layers. Among those, meaty, flavorful canned chili is what can easily bring that rich depth of flavor your cowboy crew craves. You can simply open the can and add its contents to the mix, but a touch of cooking can elevate things further.

If you want to avoid the mistakes everyone makes when cooking lasagna, there are few things to keep in mind, especially for this cowboy version. Since lasagna is so much more than the sum of its parts, taking the time to properly prepare and source each component of the dish is the key to unlocking maximum flavor. The sauce you make to pour between each layer will tie every forkful together and it is crucial to get just right. It will need to be the perfect consistency, not too watery and not so thick it won't spread evenly. Cooking the canned chili down a bit will help to create that ideal consistency and concentrate even more flavor into the layers. You might also add a can of green chiles for light heat and extra dimension.

Plus, the seasonings you choose to add to your sauce will bloom the longer it's cooked and bring even more depth to every bite. Meanwhile, consider the cheese. Mild ricotta works well for both traditional and cowboy lasagna. The standard recipe calls for melty mozzarella to top each layer but the cowboy version will benefit from using sharp cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese — similar to what you would use as a fixin' for chili. With lasagna yielding enough for a crowd, there's bound to be leftovers. And the best way to reheat lasagna is certainly not what you think.