This hearty homemade lasagna recipe is a comforting recipe that everyone loves. It’s the perfect dish for feeding a crowd or for potlucks. Made with noodles, two types of meat, three types of cheese, and a meaty sauce, it’s so satisfying and always hits the spot. Even the pickiest of eaters will finish their plate so this is truly the best lasagna recipe!
Even better, this easy lasagna recipe keeps well, reheats well, and freezes well. Leftovers keep for days, and it freezes for months! It’s the perfect recipe to prepare on the weekend so you can slowly enjoy it during the week. If you want to pair this classic recipe with the perfect bread recipe, then try my homemade garlic bread, garlic knots, or dinner roll recipe to soak up any sauce on your plate.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Sausage — use spicy Italian sausage or mild Italian sausage based on your preference.
Beef — I’m using lean ground beef. If you are not using lean beef, then you’ll have to make sure to drain the grease in the pot.
Onion and garlic — fresh onion and garlic will add so much flavor to the meat sauce. Onions also bulk up the sauce a bit compared to using powder.
Tomatoes — this recipe calls for tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and tomato sauce to create a deep and flavorful base for the meat sauce. The tomato paste, in particular, intensifies the umami tomato flavors.
Sugar — adding a tablespoon of sugar to the sauce will balance out the acidity of the tomatoes in the sauce.
Dried herbs — while dried herbs don’t go bad, over time, they lose their flavor. Make sure your Italian seasoning and dried basil are not more than a year old.
Cheese — you’ll need three types of cheese for the lasagna: ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan. Ricotta gives the filling its creamy texture. I recommend using whole milk ricotta cheese. The high moisture content of mozzarella cheese browns wonderfully for the top of the lasagna and melts perfectly for a cheesy bite. And when possible, I recommend grating your own parmesan cheese as pre-grated cheese tends to have a coating on it which prevents it from melting evenly.
Egg — the egg will help bind the ricotta filling and keep it from being runny.
Lasagna noodles — if you are able to, pick up more lasagna noodles than you need. Sometimes the noodles come broken in the box, so having a few extra on hand will be handy.
How to Make Lasagna
1. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and beef, and cook, breaking up any chunks with the back of a spoon while stirring occasionally, until browned.
2. Add the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring often, until tender.
3. Stir in the tomato paste, and cook, stirring constantly and then stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar, Italian seasoning, salt, basil, and pepper. Bring to a simmer before reducing the heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened.
4. In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, egg, parsley, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the lasagna noodles, and boil noo until al dente, according to the package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again.
6. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Spread 2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of the prepared dish. Layer 4 cooked noodles in an even layer, slightly overlapping if necessary.
7. Spread half of the cheese filling (about 1 cup) in an even layer over the noodles. Repeat the layers once more (sauce, noodles, cheese). Spread 2 cups of meat sauce over the cheese filling, top with the remaining 4 noodles, and spread the remaining meat sauce in an even layer over the top of the noodles.
8. Top with the sliced mozzarella and parmesan. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until the cheese is melted and the lasagna is heated through, about 15 minutes more. Increase the oven temperature to broil, and broil until the cheese is browned, about 2 to 3 minutes more. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Always allow the lasagna to rest before cutting into it, as doing so gives it time to set up so the cheese doesn’t slide off when you scoop out a serving.
- Total overview of the assembly: 2 cups meat sauce + 4 noodles + 1 cup ricotta mixture + 2 cups meat sauce + 4 noodles + 1 cup ricotta mixture + 2 cups meat sauce + 4 noodles + 2 cups meat sauce + mozzarella and parmesan.
- Do not skip rinsing the lasagna noodles. Rinsing and draining the cooked noodles will stop them from cooking in the residual heat.
- A delicious lasagna takes time. Make sure you thoroughly simmer the meat sauce and bake the lasagna fully. Your patience will pay off with the most perfect lasagna.
- You can use no-boil lasagna noodles or fresh lasagna noodles for this recipe without needing to cook them beforehand.
- If the lasagna is near the very top of the baking dish, you can spray the aluminum foil with some non-stick spray before laying it over the top to help prevent the cheese from sticking to the foil.
- Make sure you cover all the noodles with sauce and cheese. Any exposed pasta will dry out in the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can assemble the lasagna in advance and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before baking. You can also freeze it before or after baking. Alternatively, you can also make the meat sauce ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container until ready to assemble and bake. This recipe is perfect for doubling and freezing half for dinner later on.
You can reheat leftovers in the oven or the microwave. Cover the baking dish with foil if reheating in the oven and reheat at 350ºF until the lasagna is hot throughout. If reheating from frozen, then thaw the frozen lasagna to room temperature before reheating.
Wrap the unbaked lasagna tightly before freezing in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of foil to prevent freezer burn, then freeze for up to 3 months. When you are ready to cook, thaw in the refrigerator, and then bake as directed. You may have to add 10 to 15 minutes to the baking time as the lasagna’s cold from the fridge.
You can also freeze lasagna after baking it for up to 3 months by freezing the entire lasagna or individual servings. Again, tightly wrap it before freezing.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Lasagna recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Lasagna
Equipment
- Casserole dish
- Large Pot
- Large Dutch oven
- mixing bowl
Ingredients
For the Meat Sauce:
- ¾ pound Italian sausage casings removed (338g)
- ¾ pound lean ground beef (338g)
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 (6-ounce/170g can) tomato paste
- 1 (28-ounce/794g can) crushed tomatoes
- 1 (15-ounce/425g can) tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the Cheese Filling:
- 1 (15-ounce/425g container) ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the Assembly:
- 12 lasagna noodles (284g)
- 16 ounces fresh mozzarella sliced (450g)
- ¼ cup grated parmesan (26g)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
For the Meat Sauce:
- Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and beef, and cook, breaking up any chunks with the back of a spoon while stirring occasionally, until browned, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add the onion and garlic, and cook stirring often until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, and cook stirring constantly for 1 minute. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar, Italian seasoning, salt, basil, and pepper. Bring to a simmer.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes.
For the Cheese Filing:
- In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, egg, parsley, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
For the Assembly:
- While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the lasagna noodles, and cook until al dente, according to the package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again.
- Lightly grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Spread 2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of the prepared dish. Layer 4 cooked noodles in an even layer, slightly overlapping if necessary. Spread half of the cheese filling (about 1 cup) in an even layer over the noodles. Repeat the layers once more (sauce, noodles, cheese).
- Spread 2 cups of meat sauce over the cheese filling, top with the remaining 4 noodles, and spread the remaining meat sauce in an even layer over the top of the noodles. Top with the sliced mozzarella and parmesan. Cover with aluminum foil.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until the cheese is melted and the lasagna is heated through, about 15 minutes more. Increase the oven temperature to broil, and broil until the cheese is browned, about 2 to 3 minutes more. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- Always allow the lasagna to rest before cutting into it, as doing so gives it time to set up so the cheese doesn’t slide off when you scoop out a serving.
- Total overview of the assembly: 2 cups meat sauce + 4 noodles + 1 cup ricotta mixture + 2 cups meat sauce + 4 noodles + 1 cup ricotta mixture + 2 cups meat sauce + 4 noodles + 2 cups meat sauce + mozzarella and parmesan.
- Do not skip rinsing the lasagna noodles. Rinsing and draining the cooked noodles will stop them from cooking in the residual heat.
- A delicious lasagna takes time. Make sure you thoroughly simmer the meat sauce and bake the lasagna fully. Your patience will pay off with the most perfect lasagna.
- You can use no-boil lasagna noodles or fresh lasagna noodles for this recipe without needing to cook them beforehand.
- If the lasagna is near the very top of the baking dish, you can spray the aluminum foil with some non-stick spray before laying it over the top to help prevent the cheese from sticking to the foil.
- Make sure you cover all the noodles with sauce and cheese. Any exposed pasta will dry out in the oven.
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