Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

@allot, again~ Just enjoy the process. You're doing it for people you care about. It will take some time. If that worries you, invite a friend over, pour a glass of wine and Enjoy the process. After all, when it comes down to it, as much as we love the end product, we ENJOY the process. Let us know how it turns out. I'm sure it will be Fabulous!

@allot~No worries. It happens sometimes. And some of us think it's fun. We've been around for awhile, we've got each other's backs/stoves, this is where we became friends and we might sometimes be somewhat annoyed by (oh, I Really don't want to say idiots), others with uneducated and/or intolerant views of other, perhaps knowledgeable, cooks/chefs.
Please forgive all of the /'s. They seemed pertinent when I used them.

@joyyyyyyyyyyy~Did I spell everything right? GO TEAM!

RAH RAH REE, KICK 'EM IN THE KNEE!
RAH RAH RASS, KICK 'EM IN THE OTHER KNEE!

Competitively

@ allot and mollykate... thanks. you wont be sorry. I generally make a double batch making sure to use whole milk, generous salt and pepper as well as a smidge of nutmeg. Off the heat I add in a few handfuls of good aged romano, give it a wisk and call it good. I let it cool for a good 15 minutes before I assemble the layers so it doesnt overcook the pasta.

@ ChefRobert...dude, Im not sure who you think you are dealing with, exactly. You can add "chef" to the beginning of any name you want and that doesnt make them one. You most certainly DO NOT need ricotta for a lasagna and bechamel is most certainly NOT better suited just for mac n cheese. (Uhhhh, any facebookers out there want to re-itterate this comment by my foodie pics on my catering/personal chef page??? I believe there are quite a few photos to substantiate my comment). THAT being said, the texture of bechamel is far more appealing than that of ricotta. You can make ricotta in 10 minutes but why in the hell would you want to? Its wet. Its gross. Its generally flavorless. Bechamel makes a delightfully creamy addition between the layers and when ladled on the final noodles as the topping, browns and gets that oh so cheesy deliciousness that everyone loves.

Also, while I enjoy TK very much, there are no onions in sauce. EVER. Can I get an amen from the dagos and waps in the room? We are straight off the boat, baby.

Bechamel rules. Onions and ricotta do not. Period.
Love,
ChefChelleyD01

p.s. @ Joyyyy...yes. it is, only we prefer to be Varsity...never the JV.

Or maybe it could be where you throw the lasagna down on people who have pissed you off?

Is that where you throw all the lasagna on the floor and then competatively piss on it?

@Chefrobby I have made all kinds of lasange (I would be willing to bet I am a bigger lasagne snob than you can imagine LOL) the reason why I am speaking ever so on topically is because someone posted a recipe with ricotta in it. I did not post the recipe. Lasagne again is a personal thing.
I don't have to throw out the name of someone else's recipe to prove mine.
It is proven. I stand firmly behind it and also as Chelle says beshamella.
Money on cheese is not an issue we can afford cheese LMAO

Also this sentence from your post "just have faith in knowing that he would'nt publish any bad recipe in his books" Oh give me a break, you never found a problem with a recipe because it was published in a book?
I must be older or have more cookbooks than you. I find them all the time.
Oh how very nice. Funny thing happened on the way to the food blog, cookbook authors constantly show on their websites their flubs. So although again I love your hero worship, it is divine, put up a shrine to the guy and get over it. Also if the cheese is expensive for you we can take up a collection.

I heard one of Lynn Rossetto Casper (@Splendedtable)'s pet peeves is that people spell lasagnA not lasagnE (lasagne is correct)

and just noticed Jerzee spells it "lasagne".
it adds authenticity :-)

Haha! Apparently it IS a pissing contest for Someone. Stick with Jerz and Chelle. And Gator Pam. You won't go wrong.

A quote from ChefRobert~" I don't blindly follow him, but I have faith in him."

Isn't that what faith is?

In my experience, using no boil noodles and letting the lasagna rest for about 15 minutes after coming out of the oven clears any liquidy issues up. Plus, letting it rest allows it to cool off enough to be edible. Good luck, lasagna is comfort food at its best, your friends will be thankful!

Bechamel is better for thickening macaroni and cheese than for use in lasagna. You really need soft cheese for the traditional flavor of lasagna. I think the problem with the watery-ness commonly associated with using ricotta results from improper preparations or maybe just cheap ricotta. Everyone has their own way, but that's just my humble two sense.

@allot - I haven't put spinach in the ziti yet, but it would probably be good. I would just make sure to get all the moisture out that you can and add it after the pasta cooks in the sauce. I don't make much lasagna, but when I do baked ziti where the noodles are boiled in water and not the sauce, I sometimes get the sauce separation issue, so I've stuck with the SE recipe method to avoid that, and I feel like getting the excess moisture out of the spinach would be key along those lines.

As for your lactose intolerant friend, you could scoop some of the baked ziti mixture into a smaller, separate baking dish before adding cheese and cream to the rest of it in the big pot and cook them in the oven together. It shouldn't be too much extra work and will probably be just as delicious.