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.
Love this recipe! I’ve made it so many times. It’s a great hit with everyone.
super easy. super good. super recipe. thank you.
such an easy and extremely tasty lasagna. . it’s my go to
Ingredient part doesn’t mention Parmesan Cheese. How much Parmesan should I use?
This recipe uses ¼ cup of parmesan in the ricotta mixture and ¼ cup on top with the mozzarella. I hope this helps Darcy!
I substitute for oven ready noodles and a pound of ground beef and a pound of sausage a bit extra Italian seasoning, salt & pepper due to extra meat. Second time making it and it’s as delicious as the first.
Thank you for sharing” Lilly
Loved the lasagna. I used sage sausage (Jimmy Dean) which was a great flavor addition. Instead of tomato sauce, I used a small jar of mild salsa (or medium or hot according to your taste).
For the tomatoes, I used Fire Roasted tomatoes. Best lasagna around
I am not huge on Italian food, but my boyfriend is Italian and I really wanted to cook something for him. I am a beginner, so I had my mom help who is a really good cook. We even made sauce from scratch, which is something my mom has never done. It turned out absolutely delicious! I had my boyfriend over for dinner and he loved it. We brought some to his parents who also thought it was amazing. It was a lot of work but nothing too difficult. It really paid off! Thank you for this recipe, I’m sure it won’t be the only time I make it.
made this lasagna and it was delicious! I love cooking but for some reason never made a lasagna before. this was a hit with my family. I’m wondering: could this same cheese mixture be used successfully I’m manicotti or stuffed shells? thank you!
The filling is similar to my stuffed shells (but with more for added flavor!) so I think it would work. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
Good lasagna
delicious!! I used 46-48 oz of pasta sauce and really liked it. I froze half of it unbaked. is there a way to cook it directly from freezer or does it have to thaw first?
I have been making this recipe for years and it’s always a hit. I modify it a bit depending on my mood. I typically don’t need the extra salt and add more tomato than it calls for so it’s not too thick. There’s always extra sauce that I freeze and save for impromptu spaghetti. Although this isn’t a traditional lasagna it is delicious and my family and friends love it.
I wanted to try a new and different meal for Easter instead of the traditional ham we always served and chose this recipe. My family absolutely loved this lasagna recipe. It was rich, full of flavor and down right delicious! It will be my go to lasagna recipe from now on.
Hello-If I am making to take to a friend, do I just put it all together, including the cooked noodles, meat, etc., and then tell them to put in the fridge, till they bake? Also, how long to bake, if coming from fridge? Thanks so much!!
Hi Shannon, I would make it all the way until it’s ready to bake. I would suggest removing it from the fridge at least 30 minutes before baking and it still may need a little extra time to bake. I hope this helps!
This sounds easy and delicious and I want to make this for Easter but can I make it ahead of time without freezing. If so, do I bake it first or leave it unbaked and bake it before eating it. Thank you!
Yes, this can be prepared two days ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator. You can cook it either before or after (I personally would prefer it to bake fresh to serve). If it’s chilled from the fridge, it will need extra time to cook and I would suggest removing it from the fridge at least 30 minutes before baking. Enjoy Dianna!
Wonderful recipe! I know when making it fresh, you put the top layer of cheese on for the last bit of the bake time, however I have a question when freezing – do you put the top layer of cheese on before freezing?
Hi Leah, I would freeze it without the cheese on top and add it towards the end as directed in the recipe.
I can’t find the ingredient amounts?
To find the ingredient amounts you can scroll to the bottom to the recipe or hit “jump to recipe” in the top bar. I hope this helps Jones!
Mmmm. I literally got drunk and made this and it turned out sooo good.
If you are taking to someone else to bake later, do you put all the cheese on top or have them bake and add the cheese as noted in the recipe? Trying to make sure I provide proper instructions for parents :)
I would have them bake and add the cheese as noted in the recipe for best results.
I’ve made a lot of lasagna in the past but this recipe tops them all. So easy and delicious. Directions were very easy to follow. I will make it again and again and again! Thank you Holly
Have made this multiple times with oven ready noodles. I just add extra tomato sauce. Delicious! I make this to divide into containers for my trucker hubby to take on the road.