Classic Homemade Lasagna

5 from 9 votes

This classic homemade lasagna recipe is all-out comfort food! It has three kinds of cheese and an irresistible tomato and meat sauce for an Italian-American favorite at home.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1 20

Resting time15

Total Time1 55

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian American

Keyword: lasagna recipe

Servings:

Author: Natasha Bull

Ingredients

Meat Sauce:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound Italian sausage see note
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 cup beef broth
6 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes optional
Pepper to taste

Cheese layer:

1 large egg
2 cups shredded mozzarella
15 ounces whole milk ricotta
1 cup freshly grated parmesan
1/4 cup (packed) fresh parsley chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Other:

12 uncooked lasagna noodles
2 cups shredded mozzarella for topping the lasagna
Garnish: fresh basil, chopped parsley optional, to taste

Instructions

In a pot/Dutch oven, sauté the onion in the olive oil for 4 minutes over medium-high heat, then stir in the ground beef and sausage meat, breaking it up with your spoon as you go along, and cook until the meat is browned (about 8-10 min.). Spoon out most of the fat, but leave a few tablespoons in for flavor. Add in the remaining meat sauce ingredients. When it starts to bubble, reduce the heat (medium-low to low), cover the pot with the lid slightly open, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sauce should be quite thick.
While the sauce is cooking, gather the remaining ingredients. Add the egg to a fairly large prep bowl and beat it with a fork. Add in the rest of the cheese layer ingredients and stir until combined.
Preheat your oven to 375F and move the rack to the top third of the oven.
When the meat sauce is about 15-20 minutes from being done, boil a large, salted pot of water for the lasagna noodles. Cook the noodles al dente (about 7-8 minutes) - be careful not to overcook. Stir them occasionally to prevent sticking. Once they're done, drain them (do not rinse). When they're cool enough to handle after a couple of minutes, lay them out individually on a sheet of parchment paper so they don't stick together.
To assemble the lasagna: spread about 1 cup of the meat sauce evenly on the bottom of a deep 9x13 casserole dish. Add 4 noodles to the bottom of the casserole dish (they will overlap a bit). Spread half of the cheese mixture over top, and then spoon about 1/3 of the meat sauce on top of that. Add another 4 noodles, the rest of the cheese mixture, another 1/3 of the meat sauce, and then the final layer of 4 noodles. Spoon on the rest of the meat sauce, then top with the remaining 2 cups of mozzarella cheese.
Cover with foil and then bake for 30 minutes. Take the foil off and continue baking for another 20 minutes. Optional: broil for a few minutes to make the cheese extra browned (watch it closely so it doesn't burn!).
Let the lasagna sit for 15 minutes. This is important as it helps it set. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and basil if using. Cut into squares (I use my chef's knife and then a spatula to scoop it out) and enjoy! Season with extra salt & pepper if needed.

Notes

Some of the prep time is counted within the cook time for this recipe as some prep steps are completed while the meat sauce is cooking.
Use either ground sausage meat or buy sausages and take the meat out of the casings.
I caution against making substitutions on any of the major components (type of canned tomatoes, other liquid quantities, cheeses, meats, etc.) as it may change how the lasagna works out (texture, flavor, etc.). Small changes like adding more garlic are fine.
Serves 8-12 depending on portion size and what else it's served with.
See blog post for more tips including process photos, storage info, etc.

Nutrition