A recent survey compiled with the help of Google keyword planner has revealed that the most popular Italian dish using pasta in the United States is lasagna. Over the course of 12 months, it seems that Americans Googled lasagna over 650,000 times per month on average. This is two times as often as they did the next pasta dish, which happens to be spaghetti carbonara.

However, it turns out that many of us are making some big mistakes when we make lasagna at home. According to Cooking School Italy and their national director, Andrea Rocchetti, “ lasagna is all about balance. Premade sausages are often too sweet, too salty, or missing depth. That shortcut can flatten the flavor of an otherwise beautiful dish.”

Instead of taking shortcuts when you are making lasagna at home, she suggests elevating the ingredients that you are using. While we can all agree that a homemade sauce is always the best way to go, you can opt for a plain tomato sauce, which will allow for the flavor of the tomatoes to shine. Once you choose that sauce, it’s recommended that you mix in a spoonful of fresh basil pesto. While fresh basil leaves can be a great addition to a pasta sauce, it’s the added depth of garlic and pine nuts in a classic pesto that really elevates your sauce.

Another suggestion for your lasagna is to use beef that is high-quality and lean. You want your beef minced, so that it doesn’t overwhelm or weigh down your dish. (We admit that we sometimes opt for ground sweet Italian sausage meat instead, which is what they say not to do.)

If you really want to chef up your lasagna, consider elevating your sauce by doing something a little more traditional. That means creating a Bolognese or Ragu. In order to do that you would want a Sofrito of celery, carrots, and onions. Adding this to the tomato sauce and minced beef will change everything about your lasagna. It adds more flavor and more depth.

Over the years, we have opted to make our sauce from scratch, which has definitely helped to elevate our lasagna. But we also take shortcuts with things like the meat, so this is a great reminder that sometimes we should be keeping things simple in order to elevate a dish we already love.

Honestly, you can’t go wrong with a lasagna made from scratch. And however you make your lasagna, it’s all about what you enjoy. But if you want to channel an Italian chef, these tips might go a long way in creating a dish that you will become obsessed with.