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.
I’ve made this so many times I’ve memorized the recipe!! I double the amount of ricotta because my family likes it extra gooey but it’s ALWAYS a hit. Thank you for sharing, it can seem like making a lasagna would be daunting but you’ve made it super easy!!
Hi. I have never written on a site like this so I hope it’s ok to ask a question before trying the recipe. I am going to make your Lasagna for tomorrow night’s Sunday Family dinner and I was wondering if it’s something you’ve made ahead of time before baking? I was wanting to put it together tonight but bake it tomorrow at like 5pm. If you have, let me know your suggestions. Otherwise, I will just make it and bake it all tomorrow. Thank you for your time.
This can absolutely be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated for up to 2 days before baking. If it is cold from the fridge, you may need to add a little bit of cooking time. I recommend removing it from the fridge at least 30 minutes before baking. Hope you enjoyed it!
Just wondering why the tomato paste? I make my own sauce from scratch. Just worried about how it would taste.
It adds flavor, you can leave it out if you’d like.
This was a great recipe! I followed it exactly. I found that there wasn’t quite enough sauce so I’d use more next time.
Is it possible to use gluten free noodles for the homemade lasagna?
Debbie, this does work well with gluten free noodles.
Yes! I’ve made it with gluten free noodles twice and I can’t tell a difference but I didn’t boil noodles before. Just make sure you have them
Completely covered with sauce and it comes out perfect!
I tried this recipe for the first time. It turned out perfect! I definitely will add it to my family’s favourites. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Why add tomato paste to the sauce? Can you leave out?
I add it for flavor, you can leave it out.
I love this lasagna! I make it once a month for Sunday dinner. My husband and kids beg for it and our kids are PICKY!
Another wonderful recipe from Holly! Thanks so much for putting this together and sharing it; simple and very yummy!
I did have to chuckle when I went shopping for ingredients. The last time I purchased ricotta, it was still available in 16 oz containers; love it when the volume decreases and the price increases!
I had never made lasagne before. At age 68, I thought it was about time for me to try. Found this recipe and we both LOVED it! I added an orange pepper. Happened to have Ragu sauce in the pantry. Yay! It is delicious. Next time, I will get out the mini-chopper because chopping the onion, garlic, and pepper was a bit tedious.
Wow – best ever!
We used homemade noodles (setting 4 on Kitchenaid and cutting 8, 4.5″x13″ noodles), 4% cottage cheese, and a homemade Italian sausage but otherwise followed the recipe to the T for 600 ft altitude. Refrigerated uncooked and used the next night. Fabulous.
Made it again to take to the mountains and froze it a week prior to cooking. Once again, awesome. Only adjustments we made for altitude (9700 feet) was to increase sauces by 8 oz, bake for an hour before adding cheese and then had to use broiler at end to brown top. If ever doing at high altitude again would increase sauce by 12 oz and have initial baking for 1 hr 15 minutes…
Thanks for the recipe!
One correction to the high altitude – we bumped the oven temp up to 375. We also moved it straight from the frig to the oven which also explains the longer cook time requirements.
I haven’t made this yet and would like to in the next few weeks. I’m new to cooking and get confused easily. When you put the sauce on the ingredients area, is it the Marinara recipe you made in place of the whole sauce recipe there or do you take the Marinara you make and add all that to it? (meaning the meat, seasonings, onion, etc) Or do you just take thre Marinara sauce and add the meats to it? I just dont want to screw up the recipe!
Myckaela, saute the meat, onions, and garlic until no pink remains. Then add the pasta sauce, tomato paste and seasonings. Simmer.
Made it tonight and shared it with friends. I’m saving this recipe. Delicious! Thank you
Looking forward to recieving my e cook book, thank you so much.
Is there a recommendation assembling this the day before and baking the next day? Thank you!!
Emily, 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 you don’t plan on freezing just assemble and keep in the refrigerator covered overnight. If the lasagna is cold from the fridge, it may need an extra 20 minutes or so of cooking time.
if I’m making the pasta sauce from the marinara recipe. the recipe for the marinara/pastA sauce is exactly the amount I need for the lasagna or do I take 36 oz out and freeze the remaining marinara sauce for next time?
You will want to use 36 oz as mentioned in the recipe. If you like a saucy lasagna you may want to increase the amount to 48 ounces.
Great recipe, great, clear instructions!
For freezing, do you recommend baking first or leaving unbaked?
thank you!
Hi Leslie, this dish freezes well both baked and unbaked. If freezing unbaked, 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. If freezing baked, just pop it in the oven at 350°F covered, until reheated which should take about 30 minutes! I hope this helps!
Great info and pictures! Easy to follow
It’s a perfect mix of homemade and quick!
was an excellent recipe. Haven’t made lasagna for decades.
Had company so was good time to feed more than 2 people. Had all ingredients on hand except had to buy mild Italian sausage links. Used 2 and froze remainder.
Absolutely delicious! We’re not big on sauce so I cut back a 1/4 cup and then we love cheese so I added some extra mozzarella with the beef layers. Yummmm I haven’t made Lasagna in over 10 years and this will be my go to probably every month for the rest of my life lol. Thank you!