Welcome to project pasta.

Any eager home cook knows there’s nothing more satisfying than a lengthy cooking project that’s then showered with the “oohs” and “ahhs” of dinner party guests, families, or partners. And although cooking shortcuts and hacks are all the rage these days, there’s something primal about a kitchen project that requires time, effort, and technique. There’s also something meditative about it, particularly when the rest of life feels chaotic.

For our first installment of You Can Do This, a recurring series walking readers through every step-by-step of a big cooking project, we were inspired by the idea of spending a whole weekend devoted to an entirely homemade lasagna. The balance of bouncy, rolled-out pasta sheets; a savory, long-simmered Bolognese sauce; and fluffy dollops of ricotta (that you made yourself, look at you!) gets equally layered into a final product both impressive to look at and to bite into. Here, you’ll fine recipes for the pasta, sauce, and cheese alongside tips on how to pull this project off with aplomb — and what to do with that leftover ricotta (if you haven’t already eaten it all by the spoonful).

It’s time to get project cooking. We hope you’re excited to join us. — Kat Thompson, Eater at Home associate editor