Overnight Lasagna Explained

• Lasagna isn't a difficult dish to make, but boiling the noodles first adds an extra 20 to 30 minutes to the prep time. You've also got the tedium of dealing with slippery, sloppy noodles and extra dishes. Enter overnight lasagna. With overnight lasagna, you skip the step of pre-boiling the noodles. Simply layer the dried noodles directly into the pan with the sauce, cheese and meat. Cover the lasagna and tuck it into the refrigerator overnight. As it sits, the noodles become soft as they absorb moisture from the sauce. The next day, you're ready to bake and serve it.

Which Noodles to Choose

• At the grocery store, you'll find several types of lasagna noodles from which to choose: traditional dried, no-boil, oven-ready and fresh. Traditional dried noodles are the best choice for overnight lasagna. Oven-ready noodles have already been parboiled and dried, so they can be baked in lasagnas without cooking them first. However, leaving the oven-ready variety in sauce overnight may cause them to become too soft and sticky. Fresh lasagna noodles may also prove to be too soft.

The Brands

• Any brand of traditional dried noodles will work for overnight lasagna, but Italian brands tend to be thinner than those made in the U.S., according to Jack Bishop, author of "Lasagna." These thinner noodles create a tender, flavorful lasagna that's never sticky or pasty. Because the noodles are thinner, you can use more layers. Italian brands can be found in most grocery stores and are comparable in price to other products.

Tips for Success

• Putting together an overnight lasagna is fast and convenient, and you can bake it when you need it. For the best results, use more sauce than you normally would, and thin the sauce slightly by adding 1/2 to 1 cup of water as the dried noodles absorb more sauce and moisture than they would if they had been boiled first. A lack of additional moisture may potentially dry out your lasagna. Cover every inch of the noodles with sauce to ensure the pasta cooks evenly.