Homemade Lasagna is a family favorite and a great way to feed a crowd.
In this classic lasagna recipe, sheets of pasta are layered with a cheesy filling, a rich meaty tomato sauce, and more cheese and then baked until bubbly and browned.
While there are a few steps, this lasagna recipe is relatively easy to make and has so much flavor.
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This Is Our Go-To Lasagna Recipe Because…
- This recipe has been called the best by many and has thousands of 5-star reviews!
- It uses simple ingredients that you likely have on hand, and it packs big flavor!
- This is an easy lasagna recipe. It requires just one pan, one bowl, and a 9×13 baking dish.
- It reheats well and can be made ahead of time. You can freeze lasagna either before or after baking.
Lasagna Ingredients
- Cheese Filling: For this classic lasagna recipe, the cheese filling has ricotta and parmesan with seasonings. You can make homemade ricotta cheese or replace it with cottage cheese.
- Meat: I use both Italian sausage and ground beef for great flavor. If using all beef, add ¼ teaspoon of fennel seeds and some Italian seasoning to the meat mixture for flavor, or make my homemade Italian sausage.
- Sauce: To keep this sauce quick, I use pasta sauce or marinara sauce (it’s easy to make from scratch with crushed tomatoes and canned tomatoes if you’d prefer). If using store-bought sauce, I love Rao’s for flavor.
Spinach (variation): Spinach is optional but delicious in lasagna. For spinach lasagna, thaw 10oz of frozen spinach, squeeze out the moisture, and add it along with the cheese layer.
How to Make Lasagna
While homemade lasagna may have a few steps, each step is easy – and I assure you it’s worth the time; the perfect Italian meal!
- Boil pasta: In a large pot of salted water boil lasagna noodles per the recipe below.
- Prepare meat sauce: Cook sausage and beef with onion and garlic. Drain well, add the pasta sauce (I love this brand) & simmer it for a few minutes to thicken.
- Combine cheese mixture: Stir the cheese mixture together in a bowl.
- Layer & bake: Layer the meat sauce and cheese mixture with lasagna noodles and bake until the top of the lasagna is golden brown.
How to Layer Lasagna
- Spread about a cup of meat sauce into a 9×13 pan. Add a layer of noodles.
- Top the noodles with some of the ricotta cheese mixture. Repeat the layers, ending with a layer of noodles and sauce
- Cover with foil and bake. Remove foil, top with mozzarella and parmesan, and bake for another 15 minutes.
Once you have prepared the meat sauce and the cheese mixture, you’re ready to layer. This is the order of layers:
- sauce – noodles – cheese
- sauce – noodles – cheese
- sauce – noodles – cheese
- noodles – sauce (bake) – cheese
Serve with a big slice of homemade Garlic Bread and garnish with fresh basil or a couple of tablespoons of parsley. Finish the meal with a Caesar salad or Italian salad.
Holly’s Tips for the Best Lasagna
Here are my tips to ensure this is the best lasagna recipe you’ve ever had!
- Choose a quality pasta sauce.
- Bake this lasagna recipe for one hour.
- Cover it with aluminum foil for most of the cooking time so it doesn’t dry out.
- Add the cheese during the last 15 minutes of cooking so it becomes browned and bubbly.
- Let it rest at least 15 minutes before cutting.
Make Ahead
Lasagna can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated for up to 2 days before baking. It can also be frozen before or after baking.
To Freeze Lasagna
Lasagna is one of the best meals to make ahead and freeze. Double or triple the recipe and store it tightly wrapped in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake as directed. If the lasagna is cold from the fridge, it may need an extra 20 minutes or so of cooking time.
How To Reheat Lasagna
If you’ve frozen leftovers, pop them in the oven at 350°F covered until reheated. This should take about 30 minutes! Of course, leftovers are perfectly heated in the microwave too!
More Baked Pasta Recipes
Did you enjoy this Homemade Lasagna? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Ingredients
- 12 lasagna noodles uncooked
- 2 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Tomato Sauce
- ½ pound lean ground beef
- ½ pound Italian sausage
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 36 ounces pasta sauce *see note
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt more to taste
Cheese Mixture
- 2 cups ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook until al dente (firm) according to package directions. Drain, rinse under cold water, and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet or Dutch oven, brown the beef, sausage, onion, and garlic over medium-high heat until no pink remains. Drain any fat.
- Stir in the pasta sauce, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper. Simmer uncovered over medium heat for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Taste and season with additional salt if desired.
- In a separate medium bowl, combine 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup parmesan cheese, ricotta, parsley, egg, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Spread 1 cup of the meat sauce in a 9×13 pan or casserole dish. Top it with 3 lasagna noodles. Layer with 1 cup of the ricotta cheese mixture and 1 cup of meat sauce. Repeat twice more. Finish with 3 noodles topped with remaining sauce.
- Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove the foil and sprinkle the top of the lasagna with 2 ½ cups mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes or until browned and bubbly. Broil for 2-3 minutes if desired.
- Rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting.
Video
Notes
- Ricotta cheese can be replaced with cottage cheese.
- Use all beef (or even ground turkey) in place of sausage if needed. If using all beef, add ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning to the meat (and ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds if desired).
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Casserole, Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine Italian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Yummy, made this with ground venison and ground sausage venison was absolutely amazing.
lasagne recipe – So where does the egg come in
I see it listed but don’t see where you incorporate it
The cheese mixture ? ?
The egg is added in step 4.
Do I cook the noodles first? In the recipe it says uncooked, but the directions say to cook.
The noodles are cooked in step 1 Janice. Enjoy!
Excellent. Followed every step, except used a little over a pound of spicy sausage from Costco.
I forgot to drain the grease! What difference will that make?
It could have a little more oil in it, but will still cook just fine!
This recipe looks amazing! I usually use oven ready noodles. Could you tell me how to adjust the recipe to use oven ready noodles. My family loves lasagna. I look forward to making this recipe.
Oven-ready noodles should work just fine. I would check the package to see if the sauce needs any adjustments.
You need extra moisture for oven ready noodles. Add some extra tomato puree, juice, or water to the sauce.
Made a large batch ,followed the recipe accordingly …needs a kick so I froze it hoping to figure something to add when I reheat ! Ideas welcome
You could add some red pepper flakes if you want to add a kick. Or next time use some hot Italian sausage in the meat for some added spice!
…. that was supposed to say “oven” Dang autocorrect
I have this in my overnight for the second time in two weeks ❤ Wonderful recipe!
My family loves this lasagna. I use about a pound of hamburger and a pound of pork sausage. don’t be afraid to move forward even if you don’t have all the ingredients its still a awesome recipe
I’m sorry for asking this and the answer is probably right in front of my face, but What temperature do we preheat the oven to?
Hi Tammy! You can find this info in step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F.
we hate fennel seeds. any suggestions for something else? I’m making this tomorrow.
Hi Selena, you can leave the fennel seeds out and it will still be delicious. Enjoy!
I cannot rate right now but I will try the .only that concerns me is the ricotta cheese because my husband doesn’t like it what would you recommend instead. Thank you
You can substitute cottage cheese for the ricotta. Enjoy Lorraine!
Can I use no-bake lasagna noodles?
Hi Judy, we have only made this recipe as listed. But other readers have used no-boil used and had great results. I can’t say for sure but others have had to add ¼ to ½ cup of water to the pan to ensure the noodles are cooked. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
Great recipe, only piece I would change is do NOT rinse the noodles. They are starchy, which is a must to holding the lasagna together. Drain them well, then lay them out flat on several flat racks. They should be sticky and starchy when you build the lasagna, not rinsed and slippery. Thanks for the keeper!
This recipe is amazing. Made 2X and froze one. Highly recommended!!!! Heather
This recipe is a keeper! My whole family loved it. Now they want me to make it every week.
Is there a recipe for a 8×8 or 9×9 pan?
I do not have a recipe specifically for an 8×8 pan. But if you half this recipe it should fit in an 8×8 pan. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out Tamara!
Easy to follow recipe. Thanks, just what I was looking for.
Tonight is the first time I’ve made this lasagna. I used to make lasagna all the time but it’s been literally some years since the last one. I decided to double the recipe to make two lasagnas, one going to a friend that is in the middle of moving. Doubling this recipe turned out to be a little challenging making two equally built lasagnas. However, and here’s the best part, ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE LOVED THIS LASAGNA!!! They all said it’s the best they’ve ever had and even better than the pricey dishes at fancy restaurants! So, kudos to you at spendwith pennies! I am so glad I used your recipe!❤️