This is hands down The Best Lasagna Recipe Ever! Easy, cheesy, meaty and so so delicious! It’s the quintessential recipe for feeding a large family or bringing to a potluck. Layer up the hearty meat sauce, different cheeses, and lasagna pasta and then bake until hot and bubbly.
THE BEST Lasagna Recipe Ever!
So happy to be sharing this epic Lasagna Recipe with you today! My family will lick their plates clean when this is on the dinner menu. This recipe is not dry, not soupy, cuts perfectly, holds together, and tastes amazing! This is the lasagna recipe that you need in your recipe box. Make this once and never need another lasagna recipe again. It’s meaty, cheesy, decadent and the perfect Italian dinner.
How to Make Lasagna
Lasagna is essentially a layered Italian casserole made up of three parts: meat sauce, cheese mixture, and pasta sheets. Here is the process of how to make and assemble your lasagna. For full recipe details and ingredient measurements, see the printable recipe card down below.
1. Make Lasagna Meat Sauce
Give yourself a good couple hours (or more!) to make the meat sauce because this is a big part of why this lasagna is so good!
- In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.
- Add in onion and sautè.
- Add in garlic and ground beef. Break meat apart as it browns.
- Pour in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, bay leaves, dried basil, sugar, Italian Seasoning and salt.
- Bring to boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer.
- Cook sauce 1-2 hours or until very thick. You may have to add more water as you go to ensure it doesn’t scorch which is totally normal.
2. Make Lasagna Cheese Filling
A classic Lasagna Recipe calls for ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan. While meat sauce cooks, stir cheeses together in a bowl with basil, parsley and salt & pepper. Set aside.
3. Cook Lasagna Pasta Sheets
Regardless of the brand of lasagna you’re using, be sure to check out the packaging and boil noodles for two-thirds of the recommended time. Since you will be baking the entire lasagna in the oven after you layer it, your pasta will continue cooking, so give it a place to go! Overcooked pasta does not make a good lasagna.
How To Layer Lasagna
Make your meal a full Italian feast with some of my most loved and favorite salad and side dish recipes!
Start with a bit of meat sauce in the bottom of a large casserole dish or a plain 9×13 and line the bottom with pasta. Top with the cheese mixture and meat sauce. Add another layer of noodles, cheese, and sauce and then top with more pasta, more sauce and a sprinkling of cheese. So, basically, here are your layers:
- Meat Sauce (just a little so the noodles don’t stick to the bottom)
- Noodles
- Cheese Filling
- Meat Sauce
- Noodles
- Cheese Filling
- Meat Sauce
- Noodles
- Meat Sauce
- Mozzarella Cheese
4. Bake Homemade Lasagna
Cover your layered lasagna with aluminum foil that has been lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and bake, being sure to pull the foil off the last few minutes of cooking to brown the top.
What Temperature Should You Bake A Lasagna?
Lasagna should be baked at 375° F. Some recipes might call for 350, some might go as high as 425, but I think 375 is perfect.
How Do You bake Lasagna?
1 hour/60 minutes total: 45 minutes covered with foil and 15 minutes uncovered.
Recipe Tips for Success
The best lasagna you’ve ever eaten is only steps away. Here are my golden rules for creating the best-finished product.
- Cook your meat sauce for a long time. This not only concentrates the flavors for a more flavorful meat sauce, but it reduces the amount of liquid. If you want to cut perfect slices and not have a soupy mess on your hands, cooking your sauce for an hour or two until its very thick is a big step in the right direction. Bonus points for making the sauce 12-24 hours in advance. Red sauces of any kind always taste better the next day…in my opinion. Reheat the sauce before layering it up in the lasagna for quicker baking time.
- Boil lasagna noodles for two-thirds of the time, according to package directions. Most lasagna pasta will cook for 9-11 minutes. I pulled mine out at around 7 minutes. I don’t want to cook the pasta all the way through because once they hit the oven for baking, they can get mushier than al dente. So, draining them early means they will soak up any extra liquid in the sauce and after the hour in the oven, your pasta will be perfectly cooked, not mushy and help hold those beautiful layers together.
Don’t use fresh mozzarella. While I big puffy heart eyes love fresh mozzarella, I feel the added moisture isn’t worth the taste. Instead, reach for a block of sturdier mozzarella cheese and grate it yourself. If you think this is sacrilegious and would prefer the fresh mozzarella, be sure to cut it into thin slices and press it in between paper towels to get out as much moisture as possible. And please please please don’t use the pre-grated mozzarella cheese. - Let your Lasagna rest 15-20 minutes. Again, when trying to achieve those perfect slices, you have to let everything settle and rest before digging in. It will stay plenty hot, but the rest time really gives your lasagna those last few minutes to soak up that moisture and let the cheese firm up a touch. Garnish with dried or fresh basil.
What to serve with Homemade Lasagna
- Homemade Garlic Bread
- The Best Caprese Salad
- Hasselback Cheesy Garlic Bread
- Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Rolls
- Caesar Salad Recipe without Anchovies
- See a full list of side dishes for lasagna
Ingredients
for the meat sauce-
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound ground beef 93/7
- 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
- 1 cup water
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
for the cheese layer-
- 8 oz mozzarella cheese grated
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
remaining ingredients-
- 1 pound lasagna noodles
- 4 oz mozzarella cheese grated, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
make the meat sauce-
- In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add in onion and saute 2-3 minutes. Add in garlic and ground beef. Break meat apart as it browns.
- Once meat has browned completely, pour in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, bay leaves, dried basil, sugar, Italian Seasoning and salt.
- Bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Cook sauce 1-2 hours or until very thick. You may have to add a little extra water as it reduces down to prevent scorching. This is normal.
make the cheese filling-
- While meat sauce cooks, make the cheese layer: stir cheeses together in a bowl with basil, parsley, salt & black pepper. Set aside.
boil the noodles-
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Salt generously and cook lasagna noodles 2/3 of the suggested cook time found on the package (about 7 minutes). Drain and place noodles in a large bowl of cold water.
layering the lasagna-
- Spread 1/2 cup prepared sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Layer in 5-6 noodles across the bottom to completely cover. Spread half of the cheese mixture overtop of the noodles and then one third of the sauce.
- Top with another layer of noodles, the second half of the cheese mixture and another third of the sauce.
- Final layer is the last of the noodles and the last of the meat sauce. Sprinkle with grated mozzarella cheese.*
- Cover lasagna with greased foil. Bake at 375° F for 45 minutes with foil on.
- Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes or until cheese has browned and everything it hot and bubbling.
- Remove from oven, cover lightly with foil, and rest 20-30 minutes before cutting and serving.
- Sprinkle with dried basil or parsley flakes, cut into squares, and serve.
Ingredients
for the meat sauce-
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound ground beef 93/7
- 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
- 1 cup water
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
for the cheese layer-
- 8 oz mozzarella cheese grated
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
remaining ingredients-
- 1 pound lasagna noodles
- 4 oz mozzarella cheese grated, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
make the meat sauce-
- In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add in onion and saute 2-3 minutes. Add in garlic and ground beef. Break meat apart as it browns.
- Once meat has browned completely, pour in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, bay leaves, dried basil, sugar, Italian Seasoning and salt.
- Bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Cook sauce 1-2 hours or until very thick. You may have to add a little extra water as it reduces down to prevent scorching. This is normal.
make the cheese filling-
- While meat sauce cooks, make the cheese layer: stir cheeses together in a bowl with basil, parsley, salt & black pepper. Set aside.
boil the noodles-
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Salt generously and cook lasagna noodles 2/3 of the suggested cook time found on the package (about 7 minutes). Drain and place noodles in a large bowl of cold water.
layering the lasagna-
- Spread 1/2 cup prepared sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Layer in 5-6 noodles across the bottom to completely cover. Spread half of the cheese mixture overtop of the noodles and then one third of the sauce.
- Top with another layer of noodles, the second half of the cheese mixture and another third of the sauce.
- Final layer is the last of the noodles and the last of the meat sauce. Sprinkle with grated mozzarella cheese.*
- Cover lasagna with greased foil. Bake at 375° F for 45 minutes with foil on.
- Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes or until cheese has browned and everything it hot and bubbling.
- Remove from oven, cover lightly with foil, and rest 20-30 minutes before cutting and serving.
- Sprinkle with dried basil or parsley flakes, cut into squares, and serve.
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