Mashed Potato Lasagna
Mashed Potato Lasagna layers creamy mashed potatoes, rich homemade meat sauce, alfredo sauce, and bubbly Monterey Jack cheese for the ultimate comfort food casserole.
Servings: 6 servings
Equipment
- deep 9x9 square pan
Ingredients
- 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 1½ cups freshly shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Meat Sauce
- 1 pound ground beef
- salt and black pepper, for seasoning beef
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 15 oz can crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
- 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
- ¼ cup water
- a few dashes hot sauce Texas Pete, Crystal, etc
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
Alfredo Sauce
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1 cup heavy cream
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Prepare the Potatoes
- Place the peeled and quartered potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water.
- Bring to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes, or until completely fork-tender.
- Drain the potatoes very well, then roughly mash with a potato masher. Leave some texture rather than mashing completely smooth.
Make the Meat Sauce
- While the potatoes are cooking, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking the beef into small crumbles as it browns.
- Add the diced onion while the beef is still cooking. Continue cooking until the beef is browned throughout and the onion is softened and translucent.
- Carefully remove any excess grease from the skillet using folded paper towels and tongs.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for about 1 minute.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce, crushed tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Fill the empty tomato sauce can or jar with ¼ cup of water, swirl it around to rinse out every last bit of sauce, then pour it into the skillet along with hot sauce, sugar, Italian seasoning, and salt.
- Bring the sauce to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for several minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat.
Make the Alfredo Sauce
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant.
- Pour in the half-and-half and heavy cream. Season with salt, pepper.
- Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, whisking frequently.
- Add the Parmesan and whisk until melted and the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from the heat. The Alfredo will continue to thicken as it rests.
Assemble the Layers
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place a deep 9x9 pan on a foil-lined baking sheet.
- Spread half of the potatoes evenly across the bottom of the pie dish.
- Spoon about ⅔ cup Alfredo sauce over the potatoes, spreading it evenly.
- Spread half of the meat sauce over the Alfredo.
- Repeat with the remaining potatoes, another layer of Alfredo sauce, and the remaining meat sauce.
- Cover the top evenly with the shredded Monterey Jack cheese.
Bake
- Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted, bubbling around the edges, and lightly browned on top.
- Let the casserole rest for 10 minutes before scooping and serving.
Notes
- This recipe fills a deep 9-inch pie dish. If using a standard pie dish, you may have a little extra meat sauce or mashed potatoes depending on the depth of your dish. You can alternatively use a 9x13 pan but the layers will be thinner so I recommend 9x9.
- Keep the potatoes rustic. Roughly mashing them instead of whipping them smooth gives the casserole more structure and texture.
- Brown the beef well. Give the beef some time against the skillet before constantly stirring so it develops better flavor.
- Cook the tomato paste briefly. Letting it cook before adding the tomatoes removes the raw flavor and deepens the sauce.
- Homemade or store-bought Alfredo works. Homemade gives you the richest result, but refrigerated Alfredo is an easy shortcut when time is tight.
- Freshly shred the cheese. Monterey Jack melts much smoother and creamier when shredded from a block.
- Use a sheet pan underneath. The casserole is filled almost to the top and may bubble over while baking.
- Don't skip the resting time. Ten minutes allows the sauces to settle into the potato layers so each scoop holds together better.
- Make ahead. Assemble up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerate tightly covered. Add a few extra minutes of baking time if starting cold.