Julie Clark
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Homemade Lasagna Recipe
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Looking for a classic lasagna recipe? You’ve found it! This homemade lasagna will transform your family’s Italian night. We’ll give you hints and exact ingredients to use for the best lasagna recipe your family has ever had.
Matt is crazy for homemade lasagna (even lasagna soup!) and really never met one he didn’t like. Because I knew he loved it, in our early years of marriage I made it all the time. In fact, I made it so much that Braden ended up not liking lasagna. In order to keep dinnertime fuss-free, I got away from fixing lasagna as one of our regular recipes.
When I was requested to serve a lasagna dinner to Maddie and her friends before prom, I had about 3 days notice to find a tried and true lasagna recipe.
I quickly started researching and found the World’s Best Lasagna on Allrecipes.com. Sounds like the place to start, right? I scoured the reviews, taking copious amounts of notes on what people liked and didn’t like about the recipe. I gathered together what I thought would be my special version from my previous cooking knowledge and that is what I share with you today.
This lasagna was a hit that night of prom. Everyone loved it. And now I can officially say I have a lasagna recipe written down that to make over and over again. Even Braden agrees that it’s not that bad. 😊
About this Homemade Lasagna Recipe:
- Flavor: The flavor of this lasagna is like no other. The 5 cheeses, homemade sauce and combination of beef and sausage ensure that it tastes homemade and is delicious.
- Texture: Lasagna is loaded with texture thanks to the meat and lasagna pasta. The 5 cheeses make it creamy.
- Method: This makes a large pan of lasagna. Use a deep dish lasagna pan or a deep 9×13″ baking dish.
Key Lasagna Ingredients
There are a few key ingredients that I like to use in my lasagna:
- Sweet Italian Sausage. The “sweet” in the Italian sausage really brings out the flavor in this lasagna. I’ve tried this recipe with traditional Italian sausage and we didn’t like it as much. I find sweet Italian sausage in a local grocery store in the fresh meat case.
- Homemade Sauce. In my easy lasagna recipe I use jarred spaghetti sauce for my lasagna. There’s definitely a place for lazy day lasagna recipes, but when you want something really special, make from-scratch meat sauce. The key to this sauce is to make it a day in advance and allow it to cook together for about an hour and a half, or even allow it to simmer in the slow cooker for 4-6 hours. The fresh herbs, spices and tomatoes blend together beautifully if you just plan ahead and take a little time.
- Fresh Basil and Fresh Parsley. I never used to buy fresh herbs, but when you really want to make an impression, grabbing a bunch of green herbs from your produce case can really add a fresh flavor. Use some kitchen scissors or herb scissors to snip the herbs and enjoy their aroma as you do so.
- Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese. I’ll be honest. I’m not crazy about ricotta, but it is a must in traditional lasagna. This recipe calls for just 15 ounces of creamy ricotta cheese which allows for two thin layers. It blends right in with the other cheeses.
- Nutmeg. That’s right. This is a hint I got from reviewers on Allrecipes. Don’t skip it. It’s a little secret ingredient to a great lasagna.
- Whole Milk Mozzarella. Pick up a chunk of whole milk mozzarella and shred it at home with this handy rotary cheese shredder. This will give you the creamiest, cheesiest lasagna around.
- Provolone, Romano and Parmesan Cheeses. Each of these Italian cheeses bring a unique flavor to this lasagna recipe. Using these three cheeses along with the ricotta and mozzarella make this a five cheese lasagna recipe. We’re crazy for cheese!
What to Cook Lasagna In
Because there are so many layers in lasagna, I recommend a large casserole dish that is bigger than the traditional 9x 13-inch baking dish. I highly recommend the Cuisinart Classic Lasagna Pan.
Do I Have to Cook Lasagna Noodles?
I’ve tried this recipe three ways: boiling the noodles, not boiling the noodles, and soaking the noodles in hot water. My findings? If you like the noodles super soft, boil lasagna noodles in advance. It tasted very traditional to me. However…I’m ok with my noodles being a little bit al dente so would rather take the shortcut of not boiling the noodles.
A trick to no boil lasagna is to soak the noodles in hot water for 30 minutes. You can do this easily while you are preparing the sauce, shredding the cheese or getting the ingredients out to put the lasagna together. The hot water softens the noodles ever so slightly and they finish cooking while the lasagna is cooking.
And there’s no need to buy no boil noodles. Buy the more economical lasagna noodles and use our tips.
Here’s my own personal trick
If you put the lasagna together while the sauce is piping hot from simmering for several hours, the noodles will do that little bit of cooking just while the casserole sits, waiting to be baked. Sneaky, right?
And with that, I’ll give you my exact timeline for make ahead lasagna.
Make Ahead Lasagna Recipe
Here’s the timeline for how I make this lasagna.
- Make the sauce. The day before I want to cook and serve the lasagna, I make the sauce.
- While the sauce is cooking, mix together the cheeses and cook the noodles if you’d like.
- Put the lasagna together. Allow the lasagna to sit for 30 minutes or so until the sauce cools, then cover the pan with plastic wrap and slip it into the fridge to sit overnight. If you cover with aluminum foil, the acid in the sauce may eat away at it as it sits. For that reason, I prefer plastic wrap.
- Remove the lasagna from the refrigerator 45 minutes before baking, then bake as the recipe states.
I love preparing lasagna this way because it keeps the mess out of the kitchen the day I want to serve the lasagna and the flavors have time to meld together.
This also gives the noodles time to soften (as long as you put the lasagna together while the sauce is hot) and they’ll finish cooking during the baking.
It’s the perfect company casserole, really. No messy kitchen the day you need it clean for company!
How to Freeze Lasagna
After you assemble this lasagna recipe (after step #3 above), cover the lasagna with plastic wrap 2-3 times to seal well. Store in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.
Allow the frozen lasagna to thaw in the fridge at least 24 hours before baking. Also, pull it out of the fridge 1 hour before baking to take some of the chill off.
Make it a meal.
Serve this lasagna with cheesy garlic bread and a simple salad or side of veggies. I recommend Italian green beans!
Other Lasagna Recipes
You may also love our Mexican lasagna with noodles.
Homemade Lasagna Recipe
If you're looking for the best homemade lasagna recipe, give this a try. Hints and exact ingredients to use for a delicious lasagna.
Servings 15
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours
Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
- 1 pound ground chuck 80/20
- ½ cup diced onion
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 12 ounces tomato paste
- 15 ounces tomato sauce
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ cup freshly chopped basil
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 15 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- dash nutmeg
- 1 pound whole milk mozzarella shredded
- 9-10 slices provolone cheese
- ½ cup freshly grated romano cheese
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- This makes a large pan of lasagna. I use a deep dish lasagna pan or a deep 9×13" baking dish.
- In a large saucepan, cook the sausage, ground beef, onion and garlic until cooked through. Drain the fat. 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, 1 pound ground chuck, ½ cup diced onion, 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- Add the tomatoes, paste, sauce, water, sugar basil, fennel, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and parsley. Stir well. 28 ounces crushed tomatoes, 12 ounces tomato paste, 15 ounces tomato sauce, ¼ cup water, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, ½ cup freshly chopped basil, ½ teaspoon fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Simmer, covered, over low heat for 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally.*
- Place the lasagna noodles in a pan of hot water and make certain they are completely covered. Allow them to sit for 30 minutes to soften, then drain the water. 12 lasagna noodles
- In a small bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, egg and nutmeg. 15 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese, 1 large egg, dash nutmeg
- In a separate small bowl, mix together the Parmesan and Romano cheeses. ½ cup freshly grated romano cheese, ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Let’s put together the lasagna!
- Spread 1 ½ cups of meat sauce on the bottom of the lasagna pan. Place 4 lasagna noodles over the sauce.
- Spoon half of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles. Top with 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese. 1 pound whole milk mozzarella
- Spread another 1 ½ cups of sauce over the mozzarella, then sprinkle with ⅓ cup of the Parmesan mixture.
- Lay another 4 noodles over the cheese. Top with the remaining ricotta mixture.
- Lay 9-10 slices of provolone cheese over the ricotta, then top with 1 ½ cups meat sauce. 9-10 slices provolone cheese
- Sprinkle ⅓ cup Parmesan mixture over the sauce.
- Top with 4 more noodles, the remaining sauce, 2 cups of mozzarella and the remaining Parmesan mixture.
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Bake immediately for 25 minutes (covered with foil**) and then an additional 30 minutes with the foil removed.
- OR…cover the unbaked casserole and refrigerate to save baking until the next day. If you choose to do this, remove the lasagna from the refrigerator 45 minutes before baking, then bake the same as above.
- Allow the lasagna to cool for 15 minutes before slicing.
Video
Notes
*You can also allow this to simmer on low in the slow cooker for 4-6 hours if you don’t have time to watch it on the stove.
**Spray the foil with cooking spray prior to covering the pan to prevent the cheese from sticking to the foil.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Vegetarian Lasagna: Skip the meat and add vegetables such as zucchini and spinach.
Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
The calories shown are based on the lasagna being cut into 15 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 piece of lasagna. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**
Nutrition
Calories: 545kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 112mg | Sodium: 1254mg | Potassium: 781mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1120IU | Vitamin C: 12.9mg | Calcium: 465mg | Iron: 3.4mg
Best lasagna I’ve ever made! I had hot Ital. sausage on hand and mixe that with the beef. Family loved it.
Can you make this recipe two days ahead & store in refrigerator uncooked, instead of just one day ahead?
Most amazing lasagna that I have made and enjoyed! Made exactly as-is. Prepped the night before and put in fridge as instructed. Husband and guests raved.
Any thoughts on substitution of the sweet italian sausage for a pork allergy? I would love to make this for a new mom, but she has a pork allergy. Just another lb of ground chuck and season with some spices that are found in the sweet italian sausage?
This is the best lasagna recipe. I wanted to find a homemade sauce recipe, I got lucky and found this one. Made it for a Christmas gathering and with only a couple of changes and it was perfect. I have been making Lasagna for years and this was the best I have ever made. Everyone complimented me on how good it was.
I added a little cottage cheese in with my ricotta along with fresh parsley salt and pepper. That was the only change.
This is the very best lasagna recipe I’ve ever made!!! I made it tonight for Christmas Eve and my family couldn’t stop raving about it. First thing my husband said was to make it again! 🙂
I followed the recipe exactly!
Thanks for sharing it!!
I just made this recipe for the night before Christmas Eve and my family loved it. I used my own sauce with just meat, pork and veal. I never would have tried nutmeg and provolone but the lasagna was cheesy, saucy and delicious.
Made this for dinner tonight and we loved it I will make this every time
For sure yummy thanks for the rescipe
I’m going to try your recipe on Christmas Eve! I’m going to make it the day before then cook in a casserole style crock pot on the day of dinner. Any suggestions when using a slow cooker? Thanks!
Is the sausage links or ground? I want to bake for Christmas Eve. Can I cook today and reheat then?
This is the BEST lasagna I have ever made! I followed the recipe exactly! This is my second time cooking it! Not a drop of leftovers! My family begged me to make it again! (Just made it last week!) Thank You for a great recipe!!
Ok I tried this recipe and it is amazing!!! To substitute my herbs I could not find parsley so i used a stronger been instead and that was cilantra. Everything else I used and ground beef with Italian sausage.
I have been looking for this recipie to cook for my gal. My question is: Have you ever thought of putting goat cheese in along with the other cheeses?
What are your thoughts?
Thanks.
Is this made in one 9×13 pan? I’m bringing lasagna for a huge family get together tomorrow and just want to make sure I have enough. It sounds like a wonderful recipe and I can’t wait to make it!
Wanted to make a homemade lasagna for my new husband and this recipe was amazing!! I used ground turkey instead of beef ( I do not eat red mead), and we did not use the Sausage but it was still so good!! Most online recipes are mediocre but not this one!
Don’t have fresh basil, only chopped freeze dried. Would you still use half a cup??