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.
Find more of my recipes on TikTok
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.
5xstars the best
Finally an old school recipe. Awesome. Needed a little reminder of all the ingredients. I already know this is real lasagna.
Wonderful flavor for the sauce and simple for any level of cooking skills. It’s not often I want to lick the pan after making the sauce. I used ready to bake noodles to save some time.
This was a very delicious recipe. It’s a definite keeper! My husband asks for lasagna every year for his birthday and I decided to try something a little different. I used this as a base for my recipe and added some fresh veggies in with the sauce mix. My husband loved this recipe. Thank you for sharing!
This was really delicious. I used 2 jars of spaghetti sauce instead of making the sauce from scratch but followed the rest of the recipe.
I had to sub out many ingredients and it still came out outstanding. I used savory Impossible protein instead of beef. I used cottage cheese instead of ricotta just because that’s what I had on hand. I used a Mexican shredded cheese mix instead of mozzarella also because that is what I had at home. I had no parsley. I had no Italian spices. Like I said, it’s still came out delicious and I would totally make it again.
It is easy and has the right balance of meat, cheeses and seasonings. It also remains moist after reheating left overs. It’s perfect!
Amazing! To me, it’s all about the sauce and this one doesn’t disappoint!! I personally add 1/4 tsp of red chili flakes to the sauce mixture to add a little heat to the sweetness of it.
Family favorite!
This is now the family favorite recipe for lasagna. I always double it for plenty of tasty leftovers.
One of my favorite recipes, it’s easy and personally I think the ricota mix makes all the difference, it’s just perfect. The only think I don’t add is the sausage.
I used this as my baseline for making for my first lasagna. I had less noodles (used a smaller pan) also added spinach to the ricota level… and no in my sugar since I needed to add a large amount of store bought sauce too. But thank you…… it came out wonderful. I’ll be making Lasagna again.
stay adventuorus, Craig
This is my favorite lasagna recipe! Prep time was definitely longer than 20 minutes for me though.
Very good! I subbed a bit of the water for a few glugs of red wine, doubled the garlic, halved the sugar. Excellent recipie to alter to taste!
It’s excellent recipe 😋 i did it , and my family love it so much, but the problem…. they want to eat it every week 😅 . Thank you so much ❤️
“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.
Made it for my husband and 4 boys. Ate a double recipe in one sitting. They were dropping ass all night! Nothing says “compliments to the chef” like a house full of toxic mustard gas 👼😊Awesome recipe.
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!!
Ha anyone made this recipe, then frozen it to be served a few weeks later?
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
I omit the sausage. It is still divine!
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!
I agree.
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!
I always freeze it in my container and put a layer of aluminum foil on top before I put my lid on my container. Freezing smaller portions help me also. I use plastic Chinese restaurant take out containers and find they make great freezer containers as long as you use the foil. They sell them at Walmart, I just noticed as well which is also great. Hope this helps! Happy cooking!! 😊
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.
The sauce recipe is very similar to what I have always made for many of my dishes. I used to just throw a lasagna together without measing anything and the family loved it. I decided to follow this recipe very close and the family went crazy over it and asking if I did something different. So, I will definitely be using this recipe in the future. Thank you for posting!!
Tried recipe as written – using fresh ricotta and parm (used regular kraft shredded mozz) and it was delish. whole family loved it, ‘specially the sauce!
Oh my god! I faught taking a piece BEFORE the 15 minute “rest time” – and lost. So eating it, scalding my mouth, I thought, “not bad (& OUCH!)”..
But later on.. if I hadn’t KNOWN I was the one who made it, I would’ve NEVER believed I cooked it! It was/is DELICIOUS!!! And that’s coming from someone who’s eaten at more than a few “Two Guys from Italy” restaurants in the San Fernando valley! (Very authentic, home style Italian cooking)
Thank you so VERY much.
THE ABSOLUTE BEST LASAGNA EVER!!! My husband couldn’t quit eating it and bragging on it.
My family’s favorite. For me I like more cheese so I double the cheese part, but everything else is spot on.
I thought I’ve been using this recipe for years but today when I opened it up I thought it was a bit different. Did this recipe used to say simmer for an hour and half? Also didn’t use to mix the ricotta with the mozzarella and there was a layer of sprinkled parm after each meat sauce layer. Everything else was exactly as I remembered it. Our family’s favorite!! Thank you!
Okay I have been tripping trying to figure out the exact same thing. I could’ve sworn the simmer time was an hour and a half and that it said to sprinkle the parm just like you said. I found this recipe a while ago, never saved it (like a noob) and have been scouring the internet to find it again and I thought this one was it but the simmer time was really throwing me off
I makes this all the time. I tweak it a little bit to my family’s taste, but not very much.
I prepared this lasagna according to the recipe – no alterations. Perfection! The seasoning is balanced, the ratio of cheese to sauce to meat is spot on, it bakes evenly, and the slices actually maintain their shape on the plate. This will be my go to lasagna from now on. Thank you, Amanda!
These ratings do NOT lie. The tastiest sauce, held its shape after resting, definitely my absolute favorite! Thank you
Our family favorite! I use unsalted tomato sauce and paste for lower sodium. All 6 of my kids love this!
Does this work in a store boat aluminum pan? I’m making lasagna for a family though Lasagnalove. Want to give them good. Just wondering about the pan size/recipe quantities.
Yes, I also do lasagna love with this recipe.
Hi Jason, I am doing a Lasagna Love drop off on Sunday and was wondering the same thing. Did you end up using a foil pan?
This was the best recipe, we used 1lb of hot Italian sausage and .5 lb of bison. Also added little more Italian seasoning. Family lived it and will make again!
Lasagna is a favourable dish in my family and I thought I was good at it until I used this recipe. It’s tuned out AMAZING!
I made this recipe tonight and it turned out amazing. I used our home grown tomatoes for the tomato sauce. Great recipe and husband loved it
My Family just raved about this lasagna. I’ll always use this recipe.
Can this be frozen and cooked later?
Best sauce. I´ll definitely keep using this recipe.
Can you use oven ready lasagne noodles?
Yes, I used for the first time the Barilla oven – ready lasagna pasta, 👍👍/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.🤓
This was a great recipe, but a little too salty. Also, I would add 3 cups of mozzarella cheese to the cheese mixture to make it creamier and less grainy. Otherwise, very flavorful and sets up well!
Did you use store bought shredded cheese? I find shedding my own, especially parmesan, makes a world of difference in the grainy factor.
Can this lasagna be frozen?
This sauce is the most authentic Italian
tasting. It is delicious and easy to make. It is the only sauce recipe I use for every pasta dish. The lasagna is easy and a crowd pleaser every time. The only lasagna and sauce recipe you will ever need!
This is the best lasagna recipe I’ve ever used. Absolutely delicious. I appreciate the work done by the author. It is definitely sweet and zesty.
Love this recipe, I’ve made it three times, but each time I have come up short of the meat sauce…can you, or anyone else help me with tweaking the recipe ( for sauce only) I’d ideally like half again of the sauce or 1 1/2 of the original.
Thanks !!!
Sandy
My family is still raving over how good this recipe was. They asked me about making more. I made one variation and used Italian cheese mixture which I found in the store.
Anyone try it with oven ready noodles?
Did mine with oven ready and came out great!
Wonderful recipe, a new family favorite!
It was my first lasagna and it was the best!
It tasted very professional. I was very happy with the result 👌🏽
I love this recipe!! It’s my go-to when I want AHMAZING lasagna (which I only eat this…lol) I’ve tried others, and they weren’t bad, but this one….so good!
Everyone in my family loves it when I make it!! Definitely a hit at our house!!! 😋
I made this for my family tonight and everyone of them told me this was the best lasagna they ever had. I made one with the meat and one without. Both were fabulous!
Super easy and tasty fam fav!
Didn’t have all ingredients but loved it!! Can’t wait to try with all the ingredients.
The best lasagna recipe I have ever made. It was excellent!
Delicious, just a tad more ricotta, and mozzarella 🙂 have made this recipe 3 times and will continue to
Super yummy!
I forgot to add that we added another pound of sausage in the recipe.
I made this for the first time last night. My family all loved it! I made a few alterations. I added more cheese and didn’t measure out the salt and pepper. I mean this recipe is BOMB! HIGHLY recommend and WILL be making again!
So making this for my family for the first time. Everyone has to try the meat sauce before it was even in the actual lasagna! Everyone says how amazing it is and I’m about to run a piece to my wife at work! Thank you so much, by the way, it’s my first time ever making lasagna and I’m pretty stoked!
I have never made lasagna before, so I scoured the internet for a “traditional” recipe, one that would remind me of my childhood. This is it. It was so easy to make and my family was impressed. I loved it! The only modification I made was that I added another cup of mozzarella to the top, for just that extra cheesy layer. I will definitely make this again.
It was very good and the recipe was easy to follow. Thanks for sharing!
Hi! Also from the STL. I prepared this recipe for Christmas. Best lasagna I ever made! My husband was so satisfied! Thanks for a happy holiday, cheers!
Easy recipe. It tastes great. Didn’t cost much to make. My family loved it
you did nail it!! I’ve made quite a few lasagnas before and they were always good but never IT. This was IT!! My family said “above restaurant quality” so thank you:) delish!! My now go to recipe.
Love this recipe!
I’ve made this twice now both times to raves…it is a very good recipe, not like another recipe that my wife said tasted like “Chef Boy Ardee” (not good)
Excellent! My mother-in-law said it was the best lasagna she’s ever had! I only had one can of tomato paste so I used a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes instead of the 15 oz size. It turned out great. I am saving this to my favorites folder.
As others said, the cheese mixture as outlined in this recipe wouldn’t cut it. I used 32 oz of ricotta and 1.5 cups of mozzarella. That seemed to be just right.
For my and my husband’s taste, this was way too tomato forward. We mostly tasted sweet tomato. The taste of the meat is completely lost in the tomato sauce. We bought really good quality beef and sausage, but you couldn’t tell that.
After eating a slice, I just taste salt and sugar. There was too much of both in this recipe.
The order of the steps made the cook time longer. The step to cooking the lasagna noodles should occur closer to the direction to simmer the meat sauce. It takes a while for that quantity of water to boil. I figured this was a no-boil recipe since I didn’t see the direction to boil earlier. I was wrong.
The lasagna was not bad, but definitely not the best that I’ve tasted. I probably won’t make it again.
Yes I agree it definitely needed more ricotta cheese. I shred a carrot for the sweetness instead of sugar.
Made this recipe today as a part of our Thanksgiving dinner. It was absolutely delicious. Other than running short on the meat sauce and ricotta, this recipe gets two thumbs up from me. Thanks for sharing.
I realized after I put this all together, the sauce is missing that touch of fennel. Next time and it will be beyond perfect!
How much fennel do you add?
Really good recipe!
The absolute best lasagna recipe ever. I’ve made this for the family at least 5 times now, 6th on the stove now. It is absolutely amazing. I usually have to substitute the sweet italian sausage for the mild italian sausage because my market is always out so I add another two tablespoons of sugar. I follow this recipe exactly as written (besides the sausage and sugar modification). One thing I would like to mention regarding the instructions. It says to preheat the oven to 350 as step one but then says to cook the sauce for 30 minutes so your oven will be on all that time. I usually wait until I’m ready to assemble to turn the oven on.
one of my favorite dishes. i love it
Thank you for sharing this recipe. My husband loves lasagna but I had never made it; until I came across this recipe! It was delicious! The only thing I did was double the meat sauce, because my husband likes sauce.
I have something to say about this recipe. This is actually a problem I have with many recipes, and I honestly don’t know if it’s me or what. Probably part of it is me. The prep time is listed as 20 minutes. 3 HOURS LATER I’m putting the lasagna in the oven! Not even exaggerating. I began at 8:15pm and did not put it in the oven until 11:15pm. Now, I’m no gourmet chef, but this is not my first rodeo in the kitchen. I looked at that prep time and knew it would take me 45 minutes at a minimum (because it always takes me a lot longer than any prep time ever listed in the history of recipes).
I pretty much don’t really care if it tastes good or not. I’m exhausted and it was not fun. I had zero interruptions. I didn’t have everything laid out before I started – and that may account for why it takes me so long – but I had easy access to everything and I just kind of got things out as I went. Still, 20 minutes versus 3 hours? I think the author here dramatically underestimated the real time for prep here. This is lasagna, after all. I followed the recipe almost exactly as listed with the exceptions being I didn’t use fresh parsley and I used minced garlic from a jar (not that the recipe states to mince it by hand).
I’m open to suggestions. Please, give me some tips to cut down on prep time!!
First time lasagna maker and it came out great! Thank you.
Excellent recipe!
This recipe is delicious. I put thin layers of meat sauce but always seem to barely have enough meat sauce for the top., It doesn’t seem to matter which recipe I use.
The flavor is great but the ingredient amounts are off. Ended up with scant cheese and meat layers instead of generous
Would make again but add some red wine to meat sauce to make more and additional cheese
I added a bit of ground red pepper and used layers of asiago, parmesan, mozzarella and cheddar on top of the sauce in each layer, and used more ricotta and fresh basil from the garden, and this is by far the best recipe I’ve tried for lasagna! Even the picky three-year-old loved it after not wanting to try it!!! Printed and saved for future use!!
Turned out perfectly, thank you for posting!
Made this last night! Delish and I’m kinda picky with lasagna! I think I’ll use the sauce recipe for spaghetti too! I used the oven ready lasagna noodles, increased the ricotta mixture, thanks to other comments. Not a huge fan of sausage but I did use about half of the listed recipe amount. Also 1 cup mozzarella on the top really meant 3 right? That’s how I read it. Lol. Thanks for my go to lasagna recipe!
Really good, but not enough ricotta or sauce. I am in the mountains so maybe that had something to do with it. Next time I’ll make a little more of both but still was a hit at my house! Served with garlic bread and salad 🙂
I made this today. The ricotta mixture is delicious. Thank you. I need to add a little more sauce to mine next time. I also added zuchinni (cut quite small) to the meat sauce mixture. It was very good. Thank you
Amazing recipe…..need to increase the amount of the ricotta cheese though
Can I use no boil noodles?
I usually just cover Noodles with boiled water,let stand 30 minutes and blot with Bounty.
Plz clarify if I use dry noodles do I still need to soak in water
I prefer not to what r ur suggestions ? Thx u
Amanda. Did you use no-boil noodles? If so, any tricks and how did it turn out. I’m going to make this with the kids tonight.
Great recipe! plan on making this my go to lasagna recipe THANKS!
Excellent recipe! Made it as directed last time. Using diced tomatoes and dried parsley tonight because I can’t find crushed tomato or fresh parsley right now. I also read through the comments and I’m making a bigger batch of the ricotta Parmesan mixture.
It was the best recipe I ever made following these instructions then only thing I didn’t have was the Italian seasoning. But it was the best
I followed this recipe and it came out super delicious!
This is by far the best lasagna recipe I have ever made. The meat sauce is just the right blend of flavors.
Thank you Amanda for spending the time you did to develop the recipe. I won’t be using any others from now on.
Can’t wait to try your meatloaf too.
The meatloaf recipe was really good my family enjoyed it and that’s what brings me over to this lasagna recipe..
The best lasagna ever! I did add shredded zucchini to the meat mixture once the meat was browned. Also I used diced roasted tomatoes instead of crushed tomatoes. I was told that this lasagna rates right at the top with my meatloaf! I make REALLY good meatloaf…
Good lasagne, but skip the salt. I added salt as listed in the recipe and it was too much.
Excellent and easy to make. We substituted Italian Sausage spaghetti sauce for the Italian sausage and tomato sauce.
How much jarred sauce did you use? I was thinking of simplifying it and using jarred sauce too. Two regular sized jars?
Made this for mother’s day yesterday and my family loved it. I didn’t use sausage but it tasted wonderful. My new go to recipe.
Where does the egg go?
Add egg to ricotta mixture.
I LOVED this recipe. I skipped the Italian sausage because I didnt want to go to the store during the peak of the pandemic and I put in fresh herbs from the garden in the sauce. This was so delicious! It was eaten completely. Then my family said, “you HAVE to make that again.” And I did. A week later because we could not stop thinking about this lasagna! Thank you for sharing!
Cant and would not make this up. I can confirm after making this and so can many others in my household that this is the best lasagna they have ever had. MUST TRY!
Could you tell me the size of the baking dish you used ?
Thank you.
Instructions say 9×13
Is ricotta 1 3/4 cups or just 3/4
My very first lasagna. I had rave reviews from my family and neighbors.
Thanks. I guess this is, indeed, the BEST classic lasagna recipe.
Just made it tonight for Easter dinner
It is the Best lasagna)))
I never made lasagna by myself before, but this recipe is so easy to make and it’s amazing !!!
Thank you so much!
I just finished making this sauce! I have tried many recipes…..this one is by far THE BEST! Thank you !!!
Used this recipe tonight and loved it! My husband is a lasagna lover and this was perfect for him. Our only change next time is going to be doubling up on the ricotta mix because there seemed to be not enough to do all the layers and have a sufficient amount on each layer.
I agree on the ricotta mix amount also. I tried to be as liberal as possible on the layers and it wasn’t enough. I’d boost it to 2 1/4 ricotta and 1 1/4 mozzarella at least. Cheeser the better! 😉
I agree and it is yummy
Lasagna is a perfect make ahead dish. If you chill it in the refrigerator on Thursday, you can bake it on Saturday for company. You can also freeze it (baked or unbaked) up to a month or even A little longer, and then reheat/bake whenever.
Hello, do you prepare it and leave in the fridge and then not put in oven until 2 days later? Did not know you could do this??
Anyone else do this?
Yes, make two days ahead and leave in refrigerator until ready to bake!
How many days ahead, can you make this recipe before baking?Thank
This was delicious! I was super impressed with how it came out. The flavor was better then any lasagna I’ve tried in restaurants.
My entire family loved this lasagna! Restaurant quality. I’ve always used jarred sauce, but taking the time to make this sauce made all the difference. I omitted the sausage but still it was very flavorful.
Made this tonight for company! I was a little nervous trying a new recipe out on guests but it turned out really great! Will definitely make again!
I made this recipe for the first time for dinner guests. I followed the directions to a t with the exception of I substituted wine for water and after I removed the tinfoil I raised the temperature to 375 degrees. Absolutely everyone thought this was the best lasagna they’ve ever had. I was so happy that it turned out as good as it did. I liked it so much we’re getting together with friends later this week and I’m making the same dish. Thank you for your recipe.
This is the BEST Lasagna recipe I have ever followed. The final product was so good that we want to eat the whole batch. I thought I cut too big of pieces for the women that were at the dining room table. But I was wrong it wasn’t big enough. The ate the whole piece and wanted more. I followed the recipe to the t. with one exception instead of the half a glass of water I put a half a glass of red wine. I will definitely make this again.
This was my first try at making lasagna and it was a huge success! I had a few neighbors over fir dinner last night and they all loved it! I followed the recipe to the tee, but added 24 oz of pasta sauce and it was perfect! Thanks for sharing this fabulous recipe! It may be my new signature dish!
I made this receipe to a T .. minus the ricotta, just because I don’t like it.. and it was amazing .. this will be my go to lasagna recipe
So good! Will definitely make this again.
If cooking from frozen do you thaw first or cook frozen. And if so do you adjust the cooking time?
So divine!
I tried this recipe when we had guests last night and it was a hit! Very delicious!
Loved it! I made one fresh and froze one for another day. Both were so delicious. This is now our family lasagna recipe I will pass down to my kids.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Love this recipe, I even use the meat sauce to make spaghetti.
Fantastic, so simple and really delicious 😋
This is the best lasagna recipe i’ve tried! I’ve made it several times and It come out perfect every time – not too greasy, not too watery – just perfect !
My family raved about this lasagne recipe. It was delicious and easy to put together.
Love this recipe! Will make more sauce at later date to freeze & always have on hand. The ricotta cheese mixture will be perfect for stuffed shells or manicotti, it was so flavorful. I doubled the recipe & made 2 small containers (1) to freeze & (1) for the in-laws & (1) 9×13 for company that’s in the freezer.
First, let me explain that I don’t cook. But, I retired, so I have to do something. So my husband suggested I made lasagna. How hard can it be? After spending an afternoon, collecting ingredients, studiously following the recipe, baking it, letting it cool. I presented him, with what we both decided was the best lasagna ever. So now, I suppose I’ll have to make it again! Seriously, it was better than any restaurant lasagna we’ve ever had!
Bravo!
ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT THIS IS THE BEST LASAGNA RECIPE EVER! I’M AFRAID TO EVEN TRY ANOTHER. THE LASAGNA IS RESTAURANT DELICIOUS! IF I HAD ONE THING TO ADD, IT WOULD BE TO INCREASE THE RICOTTA MIXTURE BY A THIRD JUST FOR FIRST TIMERS WHO MAY RUN OUT SPREADING IT ON THE LAYERS; OR THOSE WHO LIKE THE EXTRA CHEESE TASTE. WILL DEFINITELY USE AGAIN AND AGAIN!!!
Best lasagna ever! Hands down ! I have never had any better even in Italian restaurants! Easy to prepare. Had my family over for Sunday dinner and they just loved it too! My new lasagna recipe !! Thank you !
Looked Amazing and tastes superb, thank you !
I love your recipe. It is fantastic!!!!
Thank you.
Where does the one egg come in?
Mix it with the cheese
In with the cheeses:
In a large bowl, add 1 cup mozzarella, the ricotta, 1/4 cup parmesan, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, **the egg**, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, and 1/2 teaspoon basil.
As the sauce cooks, make the ricotta mixture. In a large bowl, add 1 cup mozzarella, the ricotta, 1/4 cup parmesan, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the EGG, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, and 1/2 teaspoon basil. Stir until well incorporated.
I made the lasagna for guests, but they were delayed for dinner and may not arrive I am hoping this will freeze for when my son comes. Any suggestions about freezing?
It may be far too late, but lasagna freezes beautifully. Cut your pieces (otherwise the whole pan takes *forever* to defrost), then wrap in wax paper & tin foil (or a freezer bag). You can reheat slowly in an oven, or pretty quickly in a microwave.
I prepared this recipe last Saturday. We invited our neighbors over to join us for dinner. Everyone loved it. My neighbors said it’s better than what you can get at the Italian restaurants. My wife loved it too. My only adjustments to the recipe were to use Herbs of Provence (Didn’t have Italian Spices) fresh basil instead of dry (only had fresh on hand), no parsley and fresh Mozzarella. It took about an hour of preparation time before I had everything in the oven but it was well worth it.
This was delicious! It was perfectly balanced between the cheese, meat sauce, and pasta. The cheese layers were flavorful, and the meat sauce was tasty and not too sweet. Thank you for sharing this recipe, I didn’t have any leftovers after cooking it!
This is like the best lasagna in the world. Everyone that’s tried it is in love with it. Even my brothers who were never fans of lasagna couldn’t stop eating it! This will be the way I make lasagna for the rest of my life. 😃
Best lasagna ever! I am not a fan of lasagna in general but my husband loves it. When I found this recipe & I wasn’t too sure I wanted to make it due to the ricotta cheese BUT I figured I’d give it a shot – I am SOOO glad I did! We both love it. Give this recipe a try, it will not disappoint!
My husband isn’t a fan of ricotta so I always replace it with cottage cheese..never will I use ricotta again. The cottage cheese is to die for!
The best I’ve ever eaten thanks
I made this recipe like two months ago for my husband and his parents and it was a huge hit. Well we just found out my mother-in-law has cancer and we are getting together for Easter and having a big BBQ with all her kids and everyone else in the family. She lives right next door to me and she walked over to my house and asked me to make the lasagna that i had made two months ago. She said it was her favorite and really wanted it. I told her of course I’ll make it for you. So glad I saved this recipe.
You are a very lucky daughter-in-law that hubbies Mom was comfortable enough to ask for your dish! I and I am sure other readers will appreciate your excellent recipe. Very similar to mine.
Heart felt well wishes to you and your family may you all have many more lasagna dinners together.
Many blessings and best wishes for your mother in law thx for sharing 🙏👏💖😇
Can you freeze this dish? I’d like to prepare it and portion it into individual servings and freeze for an easy weeknight meal.
This was a GREAT RECIPE!
It took me a lot longer to prep than 20 minutes (1.5hrs)
I would suggest using more tomato sauce and tomatoes. I used fire roasted diced tomatoes.gave it added texture and flavor. I used Mozzarella cheese in slices, made it easier to spread ricotta and meat sauce between layers without moving noodles around. I like lots of noodles so I made a 4 layer Lasagna. Thin additive layers in between.
I will definitely make this again!
Great recipe and video type! Thank you! Make it my day playing the video type back & again until I done it with my Lasagna😋my family couldn’t stop eating that Lasagna!!! It’s was too Delicious, that was my first try. And did work.🤗
This recipe turned out pretty well for me. I knew I was using a full two pounds of meat, so I had already adjusted the sauce with extra tomatoes and an extra can of tomato paste, but I didn’t think about adjusting the cheese. I think for my next attempt I’m going to double it and see what that does, since my household likes good, thick layers to chomp through.
This was my first time making lasagna, this is the best lasagna I have ever had! I will totally be making this again!
I made this recipe yesterday as I plan on taking it today for a friend and her family. I had plenty of meat sauce. In fact I had a little left over! It’s funny how some people ran short.
I agree on making it ahead. Now my pots are all clean and I’m ready to go visit. I can tell just by looking that this will be a great recipe I use over and over. Thank you for sharing!
Only used 9 noodles otherwise you run out of sauce. Really delicious though, family loved it!
It’s perfect. Followed the recipe exactly.
Made this tonight for dinner and it was a HUGE hit. My daughter (who rarely finishes half of a meal) cleaned her entire plate. By far the best lasagna recipe I’ve found. Will be using this recipe from now on!
I love this lasagna recipe! and so does my husband.
Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
My 83 year old father enjoyed this dish so much he cried, I dont think it was his dementia because he asked for another helping.
That is so cool. He was sooo happy. I’m going to make this tonight and i doubt the kids will cry but i’m sure they’ll love it. Thanks for sharing!!
I made this tonight. My store didn’t have 15oz cans of crushed tomatoes, only 28oz, so that’s what I used. I had the perfect amount of sauce, per the instructions. My impression is that if I had used a 15oz can like the recipe calls for, I believe there would have been not enough sauce for the last layer. I cooked the noodles to just shy of al dente and now the lasagna is relaxing in the fridge to bake tomorrow. The sauce is delicious (I did adjust seasoning and salt per my taste-as-I-go, but doesn’t everybody?) and I’m looking forward to sharing it with a group tomorrow night! Thank you for the great recipe!
Made this tonight for Christmas Eve dinner and everyone LOVED it! Amazing recipe.
I’ve made this recipe a few times. Instead of a full puns of hamburger, I use 1/2lb hamburger, 1/2lb veal and 1/2 lb of the sweet Italian sausage. Best recipe ever!! I definitely suggest adding a little more sauce so you have a little extra for the last layer.
Made this today and it was a big hit! Great recipe, will use again and again!
Good morning! I am getting ready to make this but wondered if I can assemble it today for company tomorrow?
I see you posted this question a few days ago so I guess I’m a little late. However I always make my lasagna a day in advance and bake it the following day. In my opinion, as well as my family, it tastes even better!! It gives all the flavors time to blend together for a delicious meal with the added bonus of all the pots used to prepare it were washed after it was prepped!
This was absolutely delicious! I followed the recipe exactly and the only problem I had was that a regular baking dish is not deep enough to do all of the layers…you need a deeper lasagna dish. Also, although I baked it five minutes longer than recommended, it was not quite hot enough for me….certainly cooked and everyone raved about it but it could have used another five minutes.
Followed this recipient and it came out perfect! What a great aroma this dish left throughout the house as it was baking in the oven. After it rest for 25 minutes the taste was awesome!
IT turned out great! I did a few things according to taste and preference but this was a great recipe!
You can never go wrong with a classic lasagna. Served with some garlic bread and a Cesar salad – does it get any better? Love the homemade meat sauce!
You ain’t lying. That is a great combination with a red wine.
It’s been a while I made some Lasagna. This looks delish. Full of flavors and textures.
Looks so yummy! A hearty meal the entire family will surely love.
There is nothing like classic lasagna! Love it. I am a fan of using the flat noodles that you can put in without boiling first, though. Just one less pot to clean.
You know, generally speaking the best recipes are the classics. This looks amazing! I love the mix of hamburger and italian sausage.
Good, except that if you follow the recipe and use 1-1/2 cups sauce for the first, second and third layers, there’s none left for the top layer. Zero. Just came back here to see if maybe I missed something, but I didn’t. I’ll salvage the top layer with some Newman’s Own I have in the fridge and bury it with enough mozzarella and parm that probably nobody will notice, but be forewarned, and additional 8oz or so of tomato sauce would do this recipe good. Otherwise, quite tasty.
Agreed. I thought the original amount wasn’t enough. Instead of 15oz of crushed tomatoes I used 28 oz San Marzano crushed tomatoes. Lots of sauce left over. 🙂
There was an old version which used UNCOOKED lasagna noodles which I loved at the time, and wonder if this can be tweaked to make it without cooking noodles? Such a nice shortcut. The meat sauce looks very familiar and tasty, with added fennel seed.
I added 1 1/2 cups of milk to my ricotta mix to compensate for the uncooked noodles.
I went to target and bought oven ready lasagna noodles to avoid the extra time of cooking them
Great tip!
You can if there’s enough liquid in the dish and you don’t fill it to the very top so that the dry pasta can expand. I do it and add about a half a cup more crushed tomatoes to the sauce bi also don’t add the cheese to the top and nail the lady 15 min.
Made this tonight…. a total hit! Thank you!!
Everything about it was delicious! Totally adding this to the rotation.
Just delicious! What a classic comfort food.
I love this recipe! It’s simple enough a newbie like me can make it and my kids and husband love it
Love a good hearty lasagna recipe – This one is so perfect for a tasty weeknight dinner!