Meet your new favorite Classic Lasagna! This truly is the best lasagna recipe. The hearty layers of meat, cheese and pasta are so filling and flavorful. Make one pan for tonight and freeze one for next week!
Original recipe posted: October 2017 | Recipe updated: October 2020
Why This Recipe Works
October is my favorite month, which is a fairly new thing (so sorry, July). There’s only a week of it left and I will be so sad to say, Goodbye, see ya in eleven months.
Yesterday was the most perfect, dreamy, crisp-weathered fall day. I’ll think of it often in the coming months, as I’m slipping on ice and driving in blizzards.
One of the many things I love about October is its spectrum of permissible fare. I mean, we’ve got apple recipes and pumpkin recipes and soup recipes and comfort food recipes.
We’re starting to think Christmas cookies and Thanksgiving dinner and fall/winter dinner parties, too. Isn’t it great? If you are even half the food lover I am, I know you’re agreeing with me. Wink.
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Check out how to make the best comfort food for dinner, lasagna!
If you know me, you know I’m all about the comfort food. Chili and Meatloaf and Goulash and Chicken Pot Pie all make my heart sing. So it only makes sense that a good ol’ classic lasagna recipe belongs here, as well.
I recently posted about my new favorite Pasta Sauce recipe and I highly recommend using it in this lasagna. In a pinch, fine, use store-bought, but if at all possible please make the sauce yourself.
If using your Instant Pot is possible, then you also can make a perfect Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce that will knock your socks off! It is the piece of magic that will transform “Lasagna Recipe” into “World’s Most Delicious Lasagna Recipe.” Trust me.
Be warned, though, once you make the pasta sauce and pour it into jars, you’ll need to make the lasagna quickly. Everyone in your family will start asking, “Can I use this on my….fill in the blank…?” and you’ll need to push it behind the pickles and baking soda as you fight them off.
And if you’re looking to turn lasagna into a comforting soup, try this delicious Lasagna Soup!
Once the sauce is ready to go, this becomes the easiest lasagna recipe ever to throw together. Only 10 ingredients, which is pretty awesome for hearty lasagna.
How To Make The Best Lasagna
STEP 1
Bring a large saucepan filled two-thirds with water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook till al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
STEP 2
Note: If you’ve prepared the Best Ever Homemade Pasta Sauce, skip ahead to step 3.
In a Dutch oven or large skillet, cook the ground sausage and ground beef over medium high heat until no longer pink. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the grease and add the onion. (Add a drizzle of olive oil if the pan seems dry.)
Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until veggies are soft and fragrant. Add the spaghetti sauce to the beef and sausage mixture and let cook 5 minutes or until warm.
STEP 3
In a medium bowl, combine the Ricotta, 2 cups of the mozzarella, egg and Italian seasoning. Mix well.
STEP 4
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Layer in even layers as follows: 1/3 of the pasta meat sauce, 3 cooked noodles, 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture. Do this three times.
STEP 5
Top with any extra sauce, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
And when it comes out of the oven, swooning will occur. The smells, the colors, the textures, you’ll hardly be able to hold yourself together. Especially if it is still October because isn’t everyone extra giddy this month? Just me?
Recipe Notes
- Cottage cheese can be substituted for ricotta cheese if you don’t have it or prefer a different texture.
- You can often buy Italian sausage in mild or hot and I like to add a little spice to the recipe by using hot. When it is mixed in with all the cheese and tomato sauce, the final dish isn’t too spicy, just extra flavorful.
- This is the PERFECT dish to prepare for your next dinner party! See below for side dish options.
- To add a few more veggies into your lasagna, thinly slice a cup of zucchini or dice some spinach and fold it into the meat sauce.
- It is ok to under-boil the noodles by 2-3 minutes. They’ll do some cooking yet in the oven, so they can get mushy if they’re pre-cooked for too long.
What To Serve with Lasagna
Lasagna is the ultimate cheesy comfort food to prepare for dinner any night of the week. If it is on the menu for the day, read on for some delicious ideas about what to serve with lasagna!
- Easy Homemade Garlic Bread
- Chopped Salad
- Instant Pot Green Beans
- The BEST Homemade Dinner Rolls
- Roasted Vegetables
Best Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients
- 9 lasagna noodles
- 1 lb ground sausage
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 56 oz spaghetti sauce
- 16 oz Ricotta cheese
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese shredded and divided
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large saucepan filled two-thirds with water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook till al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
- In a Dutch oven or large heavy-duty saucepan/skillet, cook the sausage and beef over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the grease and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until veggies are soft and fragrant. Add the spaghetti sauce and let cook 5 minutes or until warm.
- In a medium bowl, combine the Ricotta, 2 cups of the mozzarella, egg and Italian seasoning. Mix well.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Layer in even layers as follows: 1/3 of the meat-sauce mixture, 3 cooked noodles, 1/3 of the cheese mixture. Do this three times.
- Top with any extra sauce, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Cottage cheese can be substituted for ricotta cheese if you don’t have it or prefer a different texture.
- You can often buy Italian sausage in mild or hot and I like to add a little spice to the recipe by using hot. When it is mixed in with all the cheese and tomato sauce, the final dish isn’t too spicy, just extra flavorful.
- This is the PERFECT dish to prepare for your next dinner party! See below for side dish options.
- To add a few more veggies into your lasagna, thinly slice a cup of zucchini or dice some spinach and fold it into the meat sauce.
- It is ok to under-boil the noodles by 2-3 minutes. They’ll do some cooking yet in the oven, so they can get mushy if they’re pre-cooked for too long.
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