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.
In the section where the ingredients are listed out by category I think the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese should’ve been included in the cheese mixture… That was a little confusing.
Based on feedback, the recipe has been updated to show it in the cheese mixture section.
Hi, Great recipe! I agree with Kim and was also confused. I think the cheese mixure should mention the addition of some of the Parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Thank you.
Based on feedback, the recipe has been updated to show it in the cheese mixture section.
I need recipes
Is pasta sauce the same as tomato sauce?
Pasta sauce is different as it is seasoned and flavored with herbs. Marinara sauce would work well in this recipe.
This is a staple in my home. We use Beyond Meat instead of ground beef. I freeze a few pieces each time I make it, and save them for rainy day lunches. Thanks for this great recipe. :)
This was easy and excellent lasagna. I reduced the onion to ½ finely chopped, increased meat to 1 ½ lb good quality ground beef (no sausage), used Trader Joe’s no boil lasagna noodles (they are shorter in size but I just improvised), and served it with extra sauce on the side, leftover in the jar. Spray foil for initial baking with non-stick cooking spray. I prepared it a day ahead, and baked with foil cover 7 minutes longer than recipe instructions. Do broil for 1 ½ minutes at end, and wait 15-20 minutes before serving as it makes a difference. I love this recipe!
either I bought extra short lasagna noodles or recipe is mistakingly calling for a 9×13 casserole dish. The lasagna noodles fit perfectly in a 10×8 casserole dish. I still used my 9×13 dish but layered with 4 (not 3) noodles lengthwise and then cut noodles to fit the bottom of pan horizontally
Still baking in oven and it smells wonderful!!
Outstanding recipe!! Doubled the recipe to freeze for leftovers. We love garlic so doubled plus the garlic amount added red wine with the sauce. Hand grate the Parmesan and Mozzarella
I made this last night for my family of 4. Everyone loved it! I used sausage for all of the meat rather than a mix. And I got some lasagna noodles from Aldi that did not need to be boiled first. I just added 1/2 cup of milk to the lasagna before covering it with foil and baking.
I will definitely add this to our dinner rotation. Thank you for posting.
Yum
I prefer creamy as a posed to chunky, i stick with ricotta over cottage cheese
Very tasty
when do you put the crushed tomatoes in?
There are no crushed tomatoes in this recipe Glenna, did you mean pasta sauce?
You are going to need more than 12 noodles for this recipe. I also bolstered up the sauce with onion and celery (not just onion) which helped. 3 lasagna noodles is not enough for a layer the size dish she recommends. But the flavors are good! Good recipe overall with a few tweaks needed!
Directions for freezing if wanting to use this as a future meal?
Directions for freezing are in the post. To freeze tightly wrap 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.
Great recipe! Tried it out and my lasagna came out great :)
I followed this recipe to the letter, and… its honestly the best lasagna I’ve ever made or eaten. This is it.
I followed this recipe to the letter, and… its honestly the best lasagna I’ve ever made or eaten. This is it.
Can I use the ready to bake Lasagna? No cooking required?
I have and it still turns out great, Alma!
I have and it turns out great. I put the noodles straight from the box into the dish. The liquids from the sauce soften the noodles.
This turned out great! It is very easy to make and tasted really good. Will be my go to recipe for lasagna! Great way to feed a crowd.
Hi! If I am making a pan and want to freeze it, do I leave off the cheese you recommend adding on 45 minutes into cooking or do I put it all on before freezing?
Thanks
Sara
Hi Sara, when I freeze this lasagna I leave the cheese off until the final 15 minutes as directed in the recipe.
Made this for dinner tonight and my family loved it… it was easy to make and delicious!
This recipe is a keeper. Thank you for sharing it.
This lasagna is delicious.I made for a group gathering christmas dinner and everyone loved.I made it double and instead of italian sauceage and groud lean beef, I used beef and pork mince.Thanks.