Joanna Gaines' Lasagna Recipe Has a Surprising Twist

April 2024 · 3 minute read

Joanna Gaines has become a woman of many talents. The former HGTV star is not only a home designer, but she also has a new cooking show on discovery+ called Magnolia Table. The Fixer Upper star and her husband, Chip Gaines, have taken on plenty of new adventures since they rose to fame in 2013.

Now, Joanna is showing off her culinary talents — and she has a surprising twist on a classic lasagna recipe.

Joanna Gaines’ ‘Magnolia Table’ has been met with mixed reviews from fans

Joanna Gaines is loved for her upbeat, easygoing attitude and her relatable personality. Her kids often make appearances on her shows, and she doesn’t shy away from how important her family is. Though some people love that Gaines isn’t a professional chef, others think she’s overstepping by creating a cooking show.

“Personally I loved her as a designer … Flash forward to this cooking show, and it’s terrible … it just doesn’t seem to fit with [their] original theme of hardworking, down-home folks,” one person wrote on Reddit.

But in a separate Reddit thread, others stood up for her. “I liked [the show]. Something different. Can’t take the competition shows and endless [Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives],” someone commented.

Joanna Gaines’ lasagna is cooked in a Dutch oven

Regardless of how some feel about the cooking show, Gaines is doing her own thing and enjoying it. She’s already released two seasons of episodes on discovery+, and she’s highlighted family traditions as well as her own techniques for cooking.

One surprising twist to a classic dish is seen in Gaines’ lasagna recipe — she cooks it in a Dutch oven. Though it’s not the first time it’s ever been done, it adds a twist on the typical 9×13 baking dish in which lasagna is often cooked.

Joanna Gaines’ Dutch oven lasagna recipe

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground chuck (preferable 80% lean)
1 1/2 cups white onion, diced
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Four 14.5-ounce cans stewed or roasted
diced tomatoes, undrained
4 garlic minced cloves
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
One 8-ounce block cream cheese, softened
8 ounces ricotta
2 large eggs
4 cups shredded mozzarella
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
Four 4-ounce mozzarella balls, roughly cut into 1-2 inch chunks

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325. Add beef and onion to a large Dutch oven, and cook over medium heat until the beef is browned and thoroughly cooked, about 6 minutes. Drain the extra fat. Add garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add tomatoes, garlic, and basil. Use a wooden spoon to break up the tomatoes.

Bring the mixture to a boil on high, then simmer 20 minutes on low. Add 2/3 of the meat mixture to a large bowl and set aside. In another large bowl, add cream cheese, ricotta, eggs, and half the shredded mozzarella.

Spread the meat mixture that remains in the Dutch oven along the bottom, and top it with 4 lasagna noodles, breaking them to fit if needed. Top with 1/3 of ricotta mixture and 1/3 of the cut mozzarella. Repeat in two more layers, adding remaining ricotta mixture and cut mozzarella in even increments. Top the lasagna with the other half of the shredded mozzarella. Place the lid over the Dutch oven, then bake in the oven for 90 minutes. Then, uncover and bake until the cheese browns on top, about 15 more minutes. Let stand 30 minutes before serving.

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