Julie Clark
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Homemade Lasagna Recipe
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Looking for a classic lasagna recipe? You’ve found it! This easy homemade lasagna transform your family’s Italian night. We’ll give you hints and exact ingredients to use for the best lasagna your family has ever had.
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Homemade lasagna is one of those recipes that I had often made, but had really never perfected and hadn’t documented what I liked and didn’t like about each recipe trial.
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 and while we had small kids, I made it all the time. In fact, I made it so much that Braden ended up not liking lasagna. Really? Not liking lasagna is so foreign to Matt and me. But in order to keep smiles on kids faces, I got away from fixing lasagna as one of our regular entree recipes over the past 10 years.
Fast forward to last spring when I was requested to serve a lasagna dinner to Maddie and her friends before prom. I had about 3 days notice for this special occasion (nothing like teenagers and their last minute planning!) and suddenly panicked that I didn’t have a tried and true lasagna recipe. One that I knew hungry teenagers would love.
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. It’s not necessarily an easy lasagna recipe, but it is the best lasagna recipe.
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 sheets. The cheese is creamy.
- Method: This makes a large pan of lasagna. I use a deep dish lasagna pan or a deep 9×13″ baking dish.
What Are the Lasagna Ingredients?
There are a few key ingredients that I like to use in my lasagna:
- Sweet Italian Sausage. Search the stores until you find this exact thing. 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. I always used to 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 is the way to go. 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 ricotta which allows for two thin layers which cooks 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 yourself. This will give you the creamiest, cheesiest lasagna around.
- Provolone, Romano and Parmesan Cheeses. I personally love the flavors each of these Italian cheeses bring 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 deep dish pan 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 the 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.
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
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 the homemade lasagna (after step #3 above), cover the lasagna with plastic wrap 2-3 times to seal well. Freeze for up to 6 weeks.
Allow the 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.
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.
- Add the tomatoes, paste, sauce, water, sugar basil, fennel, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and parsley. Stir well.
- 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.
- In a small bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, egg and nutmeg.
- In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan and Romano cheeses.
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 mixture over the noodles.
- Top with 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese.
- 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.
- 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.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
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.
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
One comment about the mechanical aspects of this recipe. When soaking the lasagna noodles, do so by adding them to the hot water, not pouring hot water over them. My first attempt failed because my noodles were all stuck together. Adding one at a time to the hot water allows water to fully coat each noodle, keeping their starches from gluing togehter.
Just made this with light life sausage and beef crumbles…..crossing my fingers that my meat eating friends and I enjoy it!
Can this recipe be frozen? Making it now (it smells sooooooo good) and planning for baby #2 next spring. Wondering if this can be in my “make ahead and freeze” Arsenal before baby comes?
The idea of soaking the noodles in hot water is excellent. Going back I could kick myself for every time over the years that I overcooked the noodles and tore them while layering them into the pan. Can’t wait to try out this recipe with my fresh basil, tomatoes and oregano from the garden! It’s lasagna season! Woohoo!
My boyfriend ate a lot of pancakes growing up and now doesn’t like pancakes, so I totally “understand.” Myself? I only have one true dislike and that’s Italian sausage. I wish so much I liked it because I know it’s such a key ingredient in lasagna, but alas, I guess I will be using a beef and pork mixture. Homemade meat sauce really makes a big difference, I love it. Great recipe!
This is one of the most delicious lasagna recipes I have ever made!!! I make my own pasta/noodles, so that only added to the special-ness. Rich and hearty, full of flavor, so much cheese my head almost exploded!!!! Mangia, mangia!!!!!
Love your recipe. I made it according to recipe except I substituted zucchini sliced long ways on a mandolin for the lasagna noodles and Southern hot sausage for the Italian sausage.
I live alone so, when I buy sausage or bacon, I fry the whole pound and put it in resealable snack bag a serving each and freeze it, so I always have sausage.
I gave the rest of the lasagna to a friend who has three kids. She said they came back for seconds. They don’t like vegetables but she never told them the noodles were zucchini.
Because members of my family love a really meaty lasagna, I add ground beef, pepperoni slices, italian sausage and sometimes small pork meatballs. I also sometimes buy a small block of a hard Italian cheese and grate it fresh on top.
I love snacking on the cooked noodles while I finish making my lasagna! mmmm!
For me lasagna always tastes best when prepared with fresh ingredients.
Homemade sauce is my secret!!
I use Italian sausage and fresh ingredients from my garden. Make my own Sauce recipe from my Noni! Cool for an hour to let ingredients set!!
I like to add ground pork to my sauce.
My hints for a delicious lasagna aren’t anything trail-blazing. My best lasagnas usually incorporate homemade béchamel and tomato sauces, a well-seasoned cheese and spinach mixture for the filling, and freshly grated mozzarella. I’ve never tried using soaked noodles, but it sounds like a great time-saver and I’ll definitely give it a shot–thanks for the idea! And thanks for the chance to win this gorgeous Lagostina pan! (I already follow them on Facebook; in fact, I followed a link from their page to this post.)
We always use fresh mozzarella. 🙂
Ah…sweet Italian sausage and a lot of fresh herbs, just what I like. And mine is never the same twice, either. A few tips. If I don’t have ricotta, I whisk an egg into cottage cheese and use it instead. Also, I often make a vegetable lasagna at the same time, so EVERYBODY feels special. My tip for making a good vegetable lasagna is to cook the veggies in the sauce first. Once I have the base simmering for 30 minutes (toms, garlic, onions, herbs, wine), I add big carrot rounds first. When they begin to soften(5 minutes-ish), I add… Read more »