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
- 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese shredded and divided
- ¾ teaspoon salt more to taste
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
Cheese Mixture
- 2 cups ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 large egg beaten
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 the remaining mozzarella cheese and 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.
So you need 1 onion for meat and one onion for marinara sauce ?
If making marinara sauce from scratch, you would need 1 cup onion for the sauce and 1 onion for the meat mixture. If using 1 large onion, it should be enough for both.
Can you make this the day before and then bake it?
Absolutely! 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
I just made this and due to not eating pork, I substituted it for shrimp and the ground beef and it made the whole entree a 5 star meal. I will be making this again and again in the future and making the whole thing was super easy. I would most definitely recommend this simple recipe to anybody. The Ricotta cheese is what stood out the most!
Taste good, restaurant quality – jonatwo
Fire – stevenza
slurp slurp – eric
This lasagna is sooo good. I just use ground beef because I’m lazy but it’s still super good. I can now make it by memory. We LOVE it, add some homemade garlic bread and you’re in heaven.
Do you think oven ready lasagna sheets would work with this recipe?
Many readers have successfully used oven ready noodles with no other changes! Let us know how it goes!
Can I prepare this – freeze it – and bake it later?
Yes, you can also find this info in the post!
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
Great recipe. My whole family love it! Thank you
I made this lasagna today with 100% beef and it turned out perfect! I am so grateful for this easy and delicious recipe. Thanks a million!
Delicious!!
Sooooooo gooooood! This is only the 2nd time in my life making lasagna abs this recipe doesn’t disappoint! It is soooo freaking good, it tastes like I’ve been making it for years. It’s so well balanced and hearty.
Its super easy and yummy, thank you
Oh my wow! I love cooking but for some reason haven’t found a lasagna recipe I’ve loved (maybe because the frozen ones are just so easy) but this is my new go-to from now on! I used a 40oz jar of Raos Marina and the sauce amount amount was perfect! Perfect balance, my husband said it was his favorite lasagna he’s ever had. Huge winner!
I am so happy to hear you loved this recipe Alley!
Do you use Italian sausage links and cut the casing off ?
Depending on what I have on hand, yes that works perfectly. My store also sells bulk Italian sausage.
Super good!
Delicious
This has become my families favorite Lasagna. I do the full pound or more of hamburger and Italian sausage.
Hi, Can I put this in the refrigerator overnight and cook it the next day? Thank you
Anie, yes you can! 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.
Okay. Thanks a lot! Also Will it be okay to put 1 pound of ground beef instead of half ground beef and half italian sausage? If so, can I use the ground beef with 10 or the one that has 15-20% fat? Thanks again!
You can absolutely use just ground beef. If using all beef, I would add ¼ teaspoon of fennel seeds and some Italian seasoning to the meat mixture for flavor as it would be missing the seasonings from the sausage. Either lean or regular ground beef should work just fine.
Excellent recipe, however recommend having both 1 pound of ground beef and 1 pound of the Italian sausage.
This was my first time making lasagna, and it turned out beautifully! A huge hit with my family. I’ll be making this again and again.