Rolls of lasagna sitting atop a cheesy bechamel sauce, stuffed with a delicious blend of 5 cheeses, topped with more cheese, hence Triple Cheese Lasagna!

Lasagna tends to take a long time to make. I’m not gonna lie, this Triple Cheese Lasagna is no exception. It definitely is a food of love thing, one that will have you spend quite a chunk of time in the kitchen. In fact, it probably takes even longer to make than most lasagnas out there.

I guess the fact that I make my spaghetti sauce from scratch is somewhat to blame. Or maybe it’s because I chose to lay my lasagna rolls on a luxurious bed of gooey, cheesy bechamel sauce? Or perhaps the tangy ricotta, spinach and bacon cheese mixture that I chose to stuff the noodles with is the true culprit?

Whatever the case may be, I can guarantee you that this is another one of my diabolical creations that’s worth every single second spent working on it as well as every single calorie that will inevitably enter your body once you’re done with all the hard work.

All those who were fortunate enough to sample this crazy cheesy delicacy declared that it was bar none the best darn lasagna they’d eaten in their entire life.

I can’t say that I disagree. I can even declare that from now on, this will be my official go-to lasagna recipe.

And I’m ready to bet that once you’ve tried it too, you’ll be repeating the exact same thing!

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Step-by-step instructions & pictures

Start by making the Italian Sausage and Olive Spaghetti Sauce recipe, following the recipe exactly as it appears on the page.

You won’t be using quite all of it to make this lasagna but trust me, you’ll be glad to have leftovers…

While the sauce is simmering, place the spinach in a large stock pot set over medium heat.

Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach is completely wilted, about 3 minutes. Let the spinach cool until you can safely handle it with your bare hands, at which point you’ll want to squeeze it in small batches between the palms of your hands to remove as much excess water as you possibly can.

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Make the cheesy bechamel sauce

While the spinach is cooling, you could start working on the cheesy bechamel sauce. If you want to use the bacon drippings to make your sauce, which you really should because it will add tons of yummy flavor to your sauce, start by cooking the bacon in a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat, until it’s nice and crispy. Then, remove the bacon to a plate with a slotted spoon but leave the fat in the pan.

If you’d rather not use the bacon drippings, you could simply use butter instead.

Then, make the bechamel sauce:

1. Add the flour, salt and pepper to the bacon drippings (or melted butter) and whisk until well combined.
2. Continue cooking while whisking constantly until the flour turns slightly golden, about 2 to 3 minutes.
3. While whisking, add the cold milk in 3 to 4 parts, whisking until the milk is well incorporated and the sauce is thickened between each addition.
4. Add the Vermouth (or white wine) and whisk until fully incorporated.
5. Throw in the grated cheeses and mix delicately until all cheeses are fully melted and the sauce is thick but smooth and creamy. Adjust seasoning, if needed, and set aside.

For step-by-step pictures and instructions, see this post (don’t worry, the post will open in a new tab so you can get right back to this one when you’re done!) 

I think that we probably should get our noodles going, now.

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and par-cook the lasagna noodles, until they are just soft and pliable. You do not want to fully cook them, as they will finish cooking in the oven later. Just a couple of minutes will do the trick here. As soon as they become pliable, retrieve them with a pair or kitchen tongues and place them side by side on a clean dish towel so they have a chance to dry.

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Now let’s make the ricotta stuffing:

If you haven’t squeezed the spinach dry yet, go ahead and to this right now.

And really, you want to squeeze with all your might. You want that spinach to be as dry as can be, otherwise it will release all kinds of water in your lasagna, making your dish undesirably watery. So put those muscles of yours to good use and SQUEEZE!

Then, place the ricotta cheese, spinach, crispy bacon, salt, white pepper and freshly grated nutmeg in a large mixing bowl.

If you didn’t have whole nutmeg, I suppose it would be okay to use the pre-ground stuff. It doesn’t taste quite as good, but it would still be a better option than leaving it out entirely. Nutmeg really adds a touch of “je-ne-sais-quoi” to that stuffing. You should definitely not ditch it. Just a pinch will do it.

Alright, let’s mix all the ingredients until they are well combined.

Oh, and before I forget: I think that now would be a good time to preheat your oven to 375°F.

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Putting it all together

Divide the ricotta mixture between the lasagna noodles, spreading it lightly with your fingers and ensuring that it practically covers the entire noodle, save for about an inch at one extremity.

Say, did you manage to cut your mozzarella into sticks, yet? If you’re in need of a little visual help, here’s how it goes:

Basically, you’re wanting to cut 3 thick slices of cheese that are roughly 3/4″ thick, and then cut each one of these slices in half lengthwise, so you end up with 2 long rectangles per slice, or 6 long rectangles total. You’ll then need to cut each one of those rectangles in half crosswise, so you end up with a total of 12 shorter mozzarella sticks of roughly  3/4″ x  3/4″ x 2″

No need to take your ruler out and start measuring! The sticks don’t have to be that exact size… just something close to it.

Alright, now place those mozzarella stick over the “naked” end of each noodle, and then sprinkle about half of the Mixed grated cheeses over the ricotta mixture.

Make sure not to use all of the grated cheeses, you’ll want to save some to sprinkle over the finished lasagna later, along with that cup and a half of grated mozzarella.

Time to roll our lasagnas: starting at the end with the mozzarella stick, roll-up each of the noodles and then place them seam side down on the dish towel.

Spread the cheesy bechamel sauce in an even layer at the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ lasagna baking dish and then arrange the lasagna rolls side-by-side, 3 down and 4 across, right on top of that bechamel.

Top with as much of the spaghetti sauce as you can fit. Make sure you fill all those cracks nice and good!

Sprinkle the rest of the mixed grated cheeses from earlier as well as the cup and a half of grated mozzarella all over the top of your lasagna.

Bake in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until the lasagna starts to bubble and the cheese is all melted and nice and golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes before serving. I know it’s hard, but if you didn’t let it rest, it would just disintegrate into a big pile of mush. Plus, you’ll probably end up burning your tongue, with all that melting cheese!

Give it a few minutes, it’ll only be that much better.

See, the wait wasn’t so bad, was it?

Pass your plate!

Hungry yet? What do you say we cut into this baby?

Oooooh yeah! Just look at that beautiful heart of ooey, gooey melting cheese!

And what about the avalanche of cheese that’s happening in the pan?

This is what I call cheese heaven!