The Best Classic Lasagna Recipe – Homemade lasagna full of pasta, ricotta, a homemade meat sauce, and tons of cheese. This is the world’s best lasagna recipe!
I’ve been working on this meat lasagna recipe for over a year.
I set out to make the best traditional lasagna recipe. Every time I made it, I’d make little tweaks here and there until I thought it was just right.
I think I finally nailed it!
How to make lasagna:
- Make the meat sauce
- Make a ricotta cheese mixture
- Boil the pasta
- Assemble the lasagna
- Bake
- Cool
- Enjoy
How to layer lasagna:
- Spread a thin layer of pasta sauce in the bottom of a baking dish
- Make a layer of cooked lasagna noodles
- Spread an even layer of the ricotta cheese mixture
- Spread an even layer of meat sauce
- Repeat those layers two times
- Top it with a final layer of noodles, sauce, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese
How to bake lasagna:
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes
- Remove the foil and bake for 15 more minutes
- Let the lasagna rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing
Wondering what to serve with this amazing lasagna recipe? Try these.
- Cream Cheese Italian Pinwheels from Amanda’s Easy Recipes
- Salad with Homemade Garlic & Herb Vinaigrette
- Zesty Tomato Broccoli Salad – From Inspire a Creation
- Homemade Garlic Bread – From Recipe Tin Eats
You may also like:
- The Best Classic Meatloaf Recipe
- The Best Classic Chili Recipe
- The Best Classic Buttermilk Banana Bread Recipe
Watch the step by step video for The Best Classic Lasagna recipe below.
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Best Classic Lasagna Recipe
The Best Classic Lasagna Recipe - Homemade lasagna full of pasta, ricotta, a homemade meat sauce, and tons of cheese. This is the world's best lasagna recipe!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Video
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage
- 1 medium onion -chopped
- 2 garlic cloves -minced
- 1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
- 1 (15 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 (6 oz.) cans tomato paste
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 3 teaspoons salt -divided
- 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning -divided
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves -divided
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley -divided
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese -divided
- 15 oz. (1 ¾ cups) whole milk Ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese -divided
- 1 large egg
- 12 lasagna noodles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Make the meat sauce. Add beef and sausage to a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon. Add the onion and garlic. Cook until meat is browned, about 6-8 minutes. Drain the fat from the meat. Return the meat to the skillet.
- Add the tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, water, sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon basil, and the black pepper. Stir until well combined. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer the sauce for 30 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the minced parsley.
- As the sauce cooks, make the ricotta mixture. In a large bowl, add 1 cup mozzarella, the ricotta, ¼ cup parmesan, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the egg, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, and ½ teaspoon basil. Stir until well incorporated.
- Cook the pasta al dente, according to it’s package directions.
- Assemble the lasagna. In a 13x9 inch baking dish, add a very thin layer of meat sauce (about ¼ cup). Layer 3 lasagna noodles, ⅓ of the ricotta mixture, and 1 ½ (level) cups of meat sauce. Repeat the layers twice.
- Add a final layer of the remaining noodles, meat sauce, 1 cup mozzarella, and ¼ cup parmesan.
- Cover with foil that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil. Bake 15 more minutes.
- Let the lasagna cool for 15-20 minutes before cutting.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/12th of the recipe | Calories: 463kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 1420mg | Potassium: 812mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1115IU | Vitamin C: 14.9mg | Calcium: 274mg | Iron: 3.7mg
Check out all of my great ground beef recipes.
“Wow” was the first word that came out of my husband’s mouth after he made the first bite. This is coming from the man who always orders lasagna if it’s offered at a restaurant. I also substituted sausage meet for frozen spinach and it worked great.
Friends & family request this dish every time we gather. It’s delicious! Never any leftovers.
Trying this recipe for the first time, and I have a suggestion about pan size. I have a 17 1/2= X 11 3/8″ pan. I have to hope doubling the recipe won’t be too much for the pan. If the recommended pan size could be adjusted with the recipe size alterations, it would be pretty handy. On the plus side, I know what to do with any ingredients that don’t fit!
will this recipe work well with no cook lasagne noodles?
Yes. The no cook noodles work fine. I’ve used them in several lasagna recipes.
Yes, I made this recipe twice and used oven ready each time. They were perfect!
Best lasagna recipe
I’m Making For My Lasagna At My Recipe
Made some changes to seasonings but just to my taste 1st time was right off the recipe then made changes for my taste but it’s great. Thanks.
Made it again and this time I didn’t have any ground beef so I used one of my steaks (ribeye) used my meat grinder on it and andouille sausage now I’ve been asked only to make it that way from now on, I used the small cutter on my grinder for both and did then together, then just took the grinned meat right to the pan after that followed the receipt and man it was awesome. I know this adds to the price, but for me I can live with it.
Lol
GREAT RECIPE I WILL USE THIS ONE FOREVER!!
Amazing!!!! Just absolutely stunning!
My moms always made lasagna “hot dish” and I finally made it with her once and we did this recipe and I swear it was almost as good as my grandmas, that’s a real compliment too
Is there another meat other then pork that i can add
I have made it with just the hamburger meat and it is still really good
Amazing recipe! I’ve made it twice.
Hands down! By far the best lasagna recipe ever. My only hack to it, I roll out the cheese portions between parchment paper and freeze them. Sized to your pan, adds a perfect layer of cheese.
Everyone’s Mom made lasagna, so, the best this could ever be is the second best lasagna. It’s that.
This is the best lasagna! I make it for family and friends and I always get requests for more.
Excellent recipe! Not only does it taste like it came from an Italian Bistro but your house will have the aroma of my Italian Grandma’s kitchen!
Awesome lasagna
It was a little daunting at first but it was easy and it taste great this was my first lasagna thanks
This lasagna had the most flavor and best taste of any lasagna I have made! Adding fresh basil, parsley and mozzarella made this recipe stand out. The sauce had so much flavor. I don’t usually include italian sausage with my “meat” lasagna, but it definitely made sauce more flavorful! I will use this recipe as my goto ALL THE TIME from now on!
Tasted great, I’d double up on the ricotta mix, 1/3 per layer was a little thin for me. Meat sauce was amazing!
My Mother made Lasagna for Christmas Eve as per Family Tradition. She passed last year so I’m making it this year. It was exactly like hers. I’m not crying you are. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Very good receipe ,” thank you” coworkers said it looked like it came from a restaurant and tastes great…I didn’t boil my lasagna, I used them dry it worked perfectly I followed your directions except I added 1 cup of water
to the pan before baking.
I’m looking forward to receiving more recipes as I’ve begun trying the classics for the first time. Bring it on.
I’ve made this recipe 2x and both times I’ve had great responses from the taste testers. It was absolutely delicious. My go to recipe for potluck dinners, holidays, and get togethers.
I’ve been using this lasagna recipe for 5 years. I make lasagna at least twice a year in mini loaf pans and freeze them for easy eating later.
Can I use fresh lasagna sheets?
What’s the secret to freezing and then thawing/heating lasagna so the original texture is preserved? Please be detailed and explicit, as I struggle with trying to freeze prepared food to eat at a later date but I don’t know where I go wrong. It sounds like you’ve got it down pat!
Good idea
Can you prepare this lasagna in advance, cover it, store in the refrigerator and bake the next day? Thank you!
Yes! Flavors will develop more overnight…
I have not made this YET but plan to tonite. My husband does not like italian sausage or any sausage in lasagna, any recommendations on tweaks to get the sausage flavor? I plan to use more ground beef but need help on flavor.
Yes, just don’t use any Italian sausage. Stick with only ground beef! You could just add a little extra ground beef in replacement. (I also don’t like sausage in lasagna)
To add flavour to your sauce without adding the sausage try adding pork ribs and let them simmer in the the sauce four a couple hours. Remove and save for another meal at a later date.