Classic Homemade Lasagna Recipe
Lasagna recipe made the classic way with a slow-simmered beef and sausage meat sauce, creamy ricotta filling, and layers of melty mozzarella cheese.
This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy.
Lasagna is the dinner that gets everyone to the table without a single reminder, and this lasagna recipe is the classic baked version: a slow-simmered beef and sausage sauce, a ricotta filling loaded with parmesan and parsley, and enough mozzarella on top to go golden and blistered in the oven. It’s a 9×13 pan you cut into big square servings while the steam is still coming off it.
The part most people rush is the simmer. Giving that meat sauce a full 30 minutes on low does two things: it cooks the raw edge off the canned tomatoes, and it thickens the sauce so the layers hold together instead of sliding apart on the plate. A thin sauce is the number one reason lasagna comes out soupy, and 30 quiet minutes on the stove fixes it before you ever start layering.
The other thing worth doing is letting it rest for 15 minutes after it comes out. I know that’s hard when the whole kitchen smells like garlic and browned cheese. But the cheese and sauce need those minutes to set, and a rested lasagna gives you clean squares instead of a delicious puddle.
Why You’ll Love This Lasagna Recipe
- A meat sauce with real depth. Ground beef and Italian sausage simmered together for half an hour taste far richer than a jar of sauce warmed through.
- Clean, sturdy layers. A thick sauce and a rested pan mean each square comes out looking like a slice instead of collapsing.
- Feeds a crowd for cheap. One 9×13 pan gives you 12 generous servings, which makes it one of the better dollar-per-plate dinners in the rotation.
- Make it now, bake it later. The whole pan can be assembled a day ahead and slid into the oven straight from the fridge.
Lasagna Ingredients
Use whole milk ricotta, not part-skim. The low-fat kind carries more water, and that water has nowhere to go once it’s sealed between noodles, which is how you end up with a watery middle layer.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 lb ground beef (85/15)
- 1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 15 oz whole milk ricotta
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup grated parmesan
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt, for the ricotta filling
- 4 cups shredded low-moisture mozzarella (16 oz), divided
- Fresh basil, for garnish
Recipe Variations
- Use 2 pounds of ground beef and skip the sausage. Add 1 teaspoon of fennel seed, crushed, along with the Italian seasoning. Fennel is what makes Italian sausage taste like Italian sausage, and it is not in Italian seasoning, so more of that blend will not stand in for it.
- Swap half the ricotta for small-curd cottage cheese if that’s how your family grew up eating it. The filling comes out looser and a little tangier.
- Add wilted spinach to the ricotta layer. Squeeze it bone dry first or it will water down the middle of the pan.
How to Make Lasagna
- Brown the meat: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and cook the onion for 4-5 minutes until soft. Add the ground beef and Italian sausage and cook for 8-10 minutes, breaking the meat apart, until no pink remains and both reach 160°F. Drain off the grease.
- Bloom the garlic and paste: Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, until the paste darkens and smells sweet instead of raw.
- Simmer the sauce: Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Bring to a low simmer and cook uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce is thick enough to mound on a spoon.
- Boil the noodles: While the sauce simmers, cook the lasagna noodles in a separate pot of salted water for 1-2 minutes less than the package says. Drain and lay them flat on a sheet pan or a lightly oiled counter so they don’t stick together.
- Mix the ricotta filling: Stir together the ricotta, egg, parmesan, parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl until smooth. The egg is what keeps the filling from running out the sides once it heats up.
- Layer the pan: Spread 1 cup of sauce across the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Add 4 noodles, half the ricotta mixture, a third of the remaining sauce, and 1 cup of mozzarella. Repeat with 4 more noodles, the rest of the ricotta, another third of the sauce, and 1 cup of mozzarella. Finish with the last 4 noodles, the remaining sauce, and the last 2 cups of mozzarella.
- Bake covered, then uncovered: Heat the oven to 375°F. Cover the dish with foil (spray the underside so it doesn’t stick to the cheese) and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 20-25 minutes more, until the edges bubble and the top is golden and spotted brown.
- Rest and slice: Let the lasagna sit for 15 minutes before cutting. Scatter fresh basil over the top and serve.
Recipe FAQs
Can I Assemble This Lasagna Recipe Ahead of Time?
Yes. Layer the whole pan, cover it tightly, and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Bake it straight from the fridge and add about 15 minutes to the covered baking time.
Do I Have to Boil the Noodles First?
Regular noodles need it. No-boil noodles work too, though add an extra 1/2 cup of water to the sauce since they pull moisture out of the pan as they soften.
Why Did My Lasagna Come out Watery?
Usually the sauce was still thin when you layered it, the ricotta was part-skim, or you cut in before it rested. Simmer until the sauce mounds on a spoon and give the pan its 15 minutes.
Can I Use Jarred Marinara Instead of Making the Sauce?
You can. Brown the meat, drain it, and stir in two 24-ounce jars, then simmer 10 minutes to thicken. The flavor is flatter, so add the garlic and Italian seasoning anyway.
How Many People Does a 9×13 Pan Feed?
A 9×13 pan cuts into 12 generous squares, so with garlic bread and a salad it feeds 10 to 12.
Cooking Tips
- Shred the mozzarella off a block. Bagged shredded cheese is dusted with starch to keep it from clumping, and that starch is what gives baked cheese a grainy, slightly rubbery top.
- Wipe a little olive oil on the noodles after draining. They’ll stay separate while you build the layers instead of fusing into one sheet.
- Set the baking dish on a sheet pan before it goes in the oven. A full 9×13 lasagna almost always bubbles over, and cleaning a sheet pan beats scrubbing the oven floor.
Storage and Freezing
To store: Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days. Cut squares store better than a half-eaten pan since the edges dry out less.
To freeze: Lasagna freezes well, baked or unbaked, for up to 3 months. Wrap it in plastic and then foil, and thaw overnight in the fridge before baking or reheating.
To reheat: Cover squares with foil and warm at 350°F for 20-25 minutes, or microwave 2-3 minutes under a damp paper towel so the edges don’t turn leathery.
How to Serve Lasagna
Lasagna wants garlic bread and something green next to it, so a simple romaine salad with vinaigrette or a plate of roasted broccoli does the job. If you want these same flavors on a weeknight instead of a Sunday, our Lasagna Soup gets you close in about 45 minutes. Leftover squares also pack well for lunch the next day.
Loved This Recipe?
Lasagna takes a couple of hours and repays every minute of it, which is why it stays on the rotation year after year.
Leave a star rating in the comments below, it helps other people find this recipe. Made it? Tag @allwellfed on Instagram, I love seeing this one in other people’s kitchens.
Classic Homemade Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 lb ground beef 85/15
- 1 lb Italian sausage casings removed
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes optional
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 15 oz whole milk ricotta
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup grated parmesan
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt for the ricotta filling
- 4 cups shredded low-moisture mozzarella 16 oz, divided
- fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
- Brown the meat: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and cook the onion for 4-5 minutes until soft. Add the ground beef and Italian sausage and cook for 8-10 minutes, breaking the meat apart, until no pink remains and both reach 160°F. Drain off the grease.
- Bloom the garlic and paste: Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, until the paste darkens and smells sweet instead of raw.
- Simmer the sauce: Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Bring to a low simmer and cook uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce is thick enough to mound on a spoon.
- Boil the noodles: While the sauce simmers, cook the lasagna noodles in a separate pot of salted water for 1-2 minutes less than the package says. Drain and lay them flat on a sheet pan or a lightly oiled counter so they don’t stick together.
- Mix the ricotta filling: Stir together the ricotta, egg, parmesan, parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl until smooth. The egg is what keeps the filling from running out the sides once it heats up.
- Layer the pan: Spread 1 cup of sauce across the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Add 4 noodles, half the ricotta mixture, a third of the remaining sauce, and 1 cup of mozzarella. Repeat with 4 more noodles, the rest of the ricotta, another third of the sauce, and 1 cup of mozzarella. Finish with the last 4 noodles, the remaining sauce, and the last 2 cups of mozzarella.
- Bake covered, then uncovered: Heat the oven to 375°F. Cover the dish with foil (spray the underside so it doesn’t stick to the cheese) and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 20-25 minutes more, until the edges bubble and the top is golden and spotted brown.
- Rest and slice: Let the lasagna sit for 15 minutes before cutting. Scatter fresh basil over the top and serve.
