This lasagna recipe saved me from another night of wondering what the hell to make for dinner. Look, I'm not going to pretend this classic lasagna recipe is some ancient family secret,it's just really good lasagna that doesn't require you to speak Italian or own fancy equipment. Meat sauce, cheese, pasta, repeat until your pan is full with this easy lasagna recipe. The best part? Your kitchen will smell so good that neighbors might start showing up around dinnertime asking about this homemade lasagna recipe.
Why You'll Love This Lasagna Recipe
This traditional lasagna recipe turned me into the person who actually volunteers to bring dinner to potlucks instead of hiding in the dessert section.
What Really Happens:
People clean their plates and then scrape them for good measure when they try this best lasagna recipe. My pickiest eater - who normally picks apart anything with visible herbs - devours this Italian lasagna recipe without complaints. Even my mother-in-law, who has opinions about everything I cook, asked for this family lasagna recipe twice.
Way Better Than Store-Bought:
No weird preservatives or that strange aftertaste frozen lasagna always has in this homemade lasagna recipe. This traditional lasagna recipe actually tastes like the ingredients you put in it, not like cardboard covered in fake cheese sauce. Plus you can control how much garlic goes in this easy lasagna recipe, which in my house means way more than most people would consider reasonable.
Makes You Look Like an Italian Chef:
One pan of this meat lasagna recipe feeds eight people and costs less than ordering pizza for half that many. Everyone assumes you spent all day slaving over this classic lasagna recipe when really it's just assembly work.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Lasagna Recipe
- What You'll Need for Lasagna Recipe
- How to Make Lasagna Recipe
- Top Tip
- Ingredient Substitutions & Variations
- Storage and Reuse Instructions
- What to Serve With Lasagna Recipe
- My Nonna's Layering Wisdom
- FAQ
- More Recipes You'll Love
- Related
- Pairing
- Best Lasagna Recipe - 5 Layers of Italian Comfort Food
What You'll Need for Lasagna Recipe
Making this perfect lasagna recipe starts with getting your meat sauce just right. This lasagna recipe takes about an hour to prep and bake, which gives you time to clean up the kitchen disaster you're about to create.
Meat Sauce Layer
- Ground beef or Italian sausage
- Onion and garlic
- Crushed tomatoes
- Tomato paste
- Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper
- Red wine (optional)
Cheese Mixture & Pasta
- Lasagna noodles
- Ricotta cheese
- Mozzarella cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Large eggs
- Fresh parsley
Everything you need to make this lasagna is in the recipe card.
How to Make Lasagna Recipe
This lasagna recipe takes about an hour to prep and bake, which gives you time to clean up the kitchen disaster you're about to create.
Make Your Meat Sauce
- Brown ground beef or sausage in a large pan
- Add diced onion and cook until soft
- Throw in garlic and cook until fragrant
- Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and seasonings
- Let it simmer while you handle everything else
Cook Pasta and Mix Cheese
- Boil lasagna noodles according to the box directions
- Don't overcook them or they'll turn to mush in the oven
- Mix ricotta with eggs, half the mozzarella, and parsley
- Season the cheese mixture with salt and pepper
Start Your Layers
- Spread thin layer of meat sauce in bottom of 9x13 pan
- Add layer of noodles, then ricotta mixture
- Top with more meat sauce and sprinkle mozzarella
- Repeat until you run out of stuff, ending with cheese on top
Bake Until Bubbly
- Cover with foil and bake at 375°F for 45 minutes
- Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes until golden
- Let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting or it'll be a soggy mess
- Serve with whatever makes you happy
This Italian lasagna recipe should hold its shape when you cut it and not leak sauce all over the plate.
Top Tip
Don't skip letting this lasagna recipe rest after baking - I know you're hungry and it smells amazing, but cutting into it immediately turns your beautiful layers into a saucy disaster. Also, use a mix of ground beef and Italian sausage if you can swing it for this best lasagna recipe. The sausage adds way more flavor than plain ground beef in any lasagna recipe, and you'll taste the difference. Trust me on this one - I've made this homemade lasagna recipe with every possible meat combination trying to figure out what works best.
Ingredient Substitutions & Variations
Need to switch things up with this lasagna recipe? Ground turkey works fine instead of beef, though it's a bit leaner so add some olive oil to keep it from getting dry.
No ricotta? Cottage cheese actually works as a substitute - just drain it well first. Some people think this is weird but it tastes pretty much the same once it's baked.
For vegetarian lasagna, skip the meat and load up on mushrooms, spinach, and zucchini. Roast the vegetables first so they don't make your lasagna watery.
Want to go traditional Italian? Make a béchamel sauce instead of using ricotta. Takes longer but gives you that authentic creamy white layer like they do in Italy.
Going gluten-free? Rice lasagna noodles exist and work fine, just watch them closely while cooking because they turn to mush faster than regular pasta.
Part-skim mozzarella melts just as well as whole milk and won't make you feel like you need a nap after dinner.
Storage and Reuse Instructions
This lasagna is one of those dishes that tastes even better the next day after all the flavors have had time to get acquainted. Keeps in the fridge for about 4 days covered with foil.
Reheating without drying it out: Cover with foil and warm at 350°F for about 20 minutes. Microwave works for single portions but add a damp paper towel on top so it doesn't turn into cardboard.
Freezing is where this really shines: Make two pans, bake one now and freeze the other unbaked. Wrap it tight in plastic wrap then foil. Freezes for up to 3 months. When you want to use it, thaw overnight and bake as usual, maybe adding 10 extra minutes.
Pro move: I always make extra meat sauce and freeze it separately. Makes throwing together another lasagna way easier when you're not starting from scratch.
This usually disappears pretty fast at my house, but leftovers make great lunches if you're lucky enough to have any.
What to Serve With Lasagna Recipe
This lasagna is rich enough that you don't need much else, but a simple salad cuts through all that cheese nicely. Caesar salad is the obvious choice, though I usually just throw greens together with whatever dressing is in the fridge.
Garlic bread is basically mandatory - either make it from scratch or grab those frozen ones from the store. No judgment here, we're all just trying to get dinner on the table.
A glass of red wine pairs well if you're feeling fancy, though I'm usually too busy making sure nobody burns themselves on the hot pan to think about wine pairings.
My Nonna's Layering Wisdom
My friend whose nonna actually grew up in Naples finally told me why my lasagna always looked like a hot mess instead of those perfect Instagram photos.
She Gave It to Me Straight: "You're rushing the layers and using too much sauce - lasagna needs structure." Her family made this every Sunday for decades before food bloggers even existed. Don't just dump sauce everywhere or you get soggy pasta soup instead of distinct layers.
The Real Method: Let each layer set for a minute before adding the next one, and use just enough sauce to coat, not drown. Her nonna's approach for generations: thin sauce layers, proper cheese distribution, patience with the assembly process.
What Actually Worked: Watched her make this probably six times before I caught on that she was pressing each layer down gently with a spatula. Helps everything settle properly instead of sliding around when you cut it.
This Italian lasagna recipe works because it follows the basic physics of layered cooking that Italian grandmothers figured out long before anyone overthought it. Her family perfected this classic lasagna recipe through generations of Sunday dinners.
FAQ
What are the main ingredients in a classic lasagna?
The basics are ground meat, tomato sauce, lasagna noodles, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, and parmesan. Some people add eggs to the ricotta mixture to help it set better. That's pretty much it - nothing fancy or hard to find.
What are the proper layers for lasagna?
Start with a thin layer of sauce on the bottom so noodles don't stick, then noodles, ricotta mixture, meat sauce, mozzarella. Repeat until your pan is full, ending with noodles, sauce, and cheese on top. For classic lasagna recipe success, keep the layers thin and even.
What are the correct layers for lasagne?
Same thing as above - Italians spell it "lasagne" but the layering method doesn't change. Some traditional recipes use béchamel instead of ricotta, but the basic pattern stays the same. For traditional lasagna techniques, the key is consistent layer thickness.
How to make a good lasagna easily?
Don't overthink it. Cook your components separately, then just layer them in order. The oven does most of the work. Let it rest after baking so it holds together when you cut it.
Can you make lasagna ahead of time?
Yeah, assemble it completely and refrigerate up to 2 days before baking. Just add 10-15 extra minutes to the cooking time since it's starting cold. For make-ahead lasagna tips, this actually improves the flavors.
Food Safety: Always cook ground meat to 160°F and don't leave assembled lasagna at room temperature more than 2 hours before baking or refrigerating.
More Recipes You'll Love
This lasagna recipe works great for Sunday dinner prep! When I'm making this hearty Italian dish and want something easier for busy weeknights, our lasagna soup recipe gives you all the same flavors in a bowl without the layering hassle.
For when you want lasagna vibes but need individual portions, our lasagna rolls recipe takes the same ingredients and makes them way more manageable to serve. And our cottage cheese pancakes recipe is perfect for using up leftover ricotta if you bought too much for the lasagna.
Smart cooking means having recipes that work together instead of everything being completely different types of food.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Lasagna Recipe :
Best Lasagna Recipe - 5 Layers of Italian Comfort Food
Equipment
- 1 9x13 inch baking dish To layer and bake the lasagna properly
- 1 Large skillet or pan To brown meat and make sauce
- 1 Large pot To cook lasagna noodles
- 1 Mixing Bowl To combine ricotta cheese mixture
- 1 Aluminum foil To cover lasagna while baking
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef or Italian sausage mix of both gives best flavor
- 1 medium onion diced (yellow or white onion work fine)
- 3 cloves garlic minced (fresh garlic essential)
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes good quality makes difference
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste adds depth to sauce
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning dried herb blend
- to taste salt and pepper season throughout cooking
- 12-15 sheets lasagna noodle don't break them
- 15 oz ricotta cheese whole milk ricotta preferred
- 2 large eggs helps ricotta set properly
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese shredded (save some for topping)
- 1 cup parmesan cheese grated (freshly grated melts better)
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped (adds color and freshness)
- ¼ cup red wine optional, deglazes pan nicely
Instructions
- Brown ground beef or sausage in a large pan. Add diced onion and cook until soft. Throw in garlic and cook until fragrant. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and seasonings. Let it simmer while you handle everything else.
- Boil lasagna noodles according to the box directions. Don't overcook them or they'll turn to mush in the oven. Mix ricotta with eggs, half the mozzarella, and parsley. Season the cheese mixture with salt and pepper.
- Spread thin layer of meat sauce in bottom of 9x13 pan. Add layer of noodles, then ricotta mixture. Top with more meat sauce and sprinkle mozzarella. Repeat until you run out of stuff, ending with cheese on top.
- Cover with foil and bake at 375°F for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes until golden. Let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting or it'll be a soggy mess. Serve with whatever makes you happy.
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