Classic Lasagna Recipe
on Nov 19, 2018, Updated Oct 06, 2024
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This Classic Lasagna Recipe is made with the best traditional ingredients like sausage, homemade sauce and lots of cheese. It’s freezer friendly, too!
Few things are more comforting than sitting down to a pan of Homemade Lasagna. It’s a great recipe to make early in the week and eat the leftovers for lunch or when friends or family are coming to dinner because it feeds a crowd (and just about everyone loves lasagna). I also love this lasagna recipe because it freezes really really well.
I have tried lots and lots of lasagna recipes, and this is my family’s all time favorite version because it’s just classic lasagna made with a rich meaty sausage and tomato sauce and loaded with layers of cheese. Add a little salad and some bread sticks, and it’s a meal that no one can resist.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Rich and Hearty: This lasagna is packed with layers of ground beef, Italian sausage, rich tomato sauce, and plenty of cheese, making it a hearty, satisfying meal.
- Perfect for Feeding a Crowd: With its generous portions, this recipe is perfect for gatherings, family dinners, or leftovers for the week.
- Comfort Food Classic: This lasagna is traditional comfort food loved by all ages.
Ingredients
For the sauce
- Olive Oil
- Onion
- Salt and Pepper
- Garlic
- Meatloaf Mix or Italian Sausage
- Heavy Cream
- Tomato Puree
- Diced Tomatoes
- Fresh or Dried Basil
For the lasagna assembly
- No-Boil Lasagna Noodles
- Whole-Milk Mozzarella Cheese
- Ricotta Cheese
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Fresh or Dried Basil
- Egg
- Salt and Pepper
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities
How to Make Classic Lasagna
Step #1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven until shimmering. Add the onion, salt, and pepper and cook until the onion is softened. Stir in the garlic, then add the meat mixture and cook until browned. Add the cream and reduce, then stir in tomatoes. Remove from heat and add the basil.
Step #3. Spread one cup of sauce over the bottom of a 13 x 9 pan. Lay 3 noodles in the pan. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over them, then 1 cup of cheese, then 1 cup of sauce. Repeat 2 more times. Top with remaining parmesan.
Step #2. Preheat the oven. Combine the ricotta, 1 cup of parmesan, basil, egg, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
Step #4. Cover tightly with foil. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover then continue baking until top is browned and sides are bubbling, 25-35 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can prepare the lasagna ahead of time and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours before baking. Alternatively, you can freeze it for up to three months.
Make sure to drain the cooked ground meat and sausage well. If using ricotta, you can also drain it slightly before using, and avoid overloading the lasagna with sauce. It’s also important to let it rest after baking so it has time to absorb some of the liquidy stuff.
The recipe typically uses a combination of ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese, but you can substitute cottage cheese for ricotta or mix in other cheeses like provolone for added flavor if you’d like.
Yes, you’ll just have to add the step of boiling them according to the package directions before assembling your lasagna.
Expert Tips
- This recipe makes a big lasagna so make sure you have a 9×13-inch or slightly larger pan. I like to keep these foil pans in my pantry if I’m making a lasagna for the freezer. I don’t have to worry about tying up my dishes or getting them back if that lasagna makes it to the home of a friend.
- This recipe is great for company (it’s that good and you can make it ahead of time)! Serve it with some of my favorite no-knead bread and my favorite fall salad (apples, bacon, candied nuts, and shaved Brussel sprouts…so good) and you are ready for company in no time.
- Fresh basil in this recipe is SO good. Splurge on it if you can, but dried works well, too.
- This recipe comes from The Complete Make-Ahead Cookbook. I use the cookbook often and it would make a great gift for you or a friend. Definitely check it out!
- I never make just one lasagna – I always make two (or three!) and stick the extras in the freezer before baking them. Having homemade freezer meals on hand is a lifesaver and while I rarely do large freezer meal days, making an extra pan or two of lasagna while I’m already making one for dinner is no big deal. I have added instructions on how to freeze this as well as how to cook it after it has been frozen, so if you are interested in that, keep reading!
How to make freezer friendly lasagna
- Prepare through step 3, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, cover with aluminum foil, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours or freeze for up to 1 month; if frozen, thaw completely in refrigerator
- To bake, unwrap lasagna, cover with greased aluminum foil, and bake on foil-lined sheet in 400-degree oven until hot throughout, about 1 hour; remove foil and continue to bake until cheese is golden, about 10 minutes.
More Pasta Recipes to Consider
Pasta Dishes
Easy Slow Cooker Vegetable Lasagna
Pasta Dishes
Pumpkin Alfredo
Pasta Dishes
Creamy Chicken and Vegetable Baked Pasta
Soups, Stews & Chowders
Pasta Fagioli Soup Recipe
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
Classic Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped fine
- Salt and pepper
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound meatloaf mix OR Italian sausage
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 can tomato puree, 28-ounce
- 1 can diced tomatoes, drained, 28-ounce
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 1/2 tablespoons dried
Lasagna
- 12 no-boil lasagna noodles
- 1 pound whole-milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (4 cups)
- 24 ounces whole-milk or part-skim ricotta cheese, (3 cups)
- 3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 and 1/2 cups)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 1/2 tablespoons dried
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
For the sauce:
- Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add meatloaf mix and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in cream and simmer until liquid evaporates and only fat remains, about 4 minutes.
- Stir in tomato puree and tomatoes, bring to simmer, and cook until flavors meld, about 5 minutes.
- Off heat, stir in basil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
For the lasagna:
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan, basil, egg, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
- Spread 1 cup sauce over bottom of a 13×9-inch baking dish (avoiding large chunks of meat).
- Lay 3 noodles in the baking dish, spread 1/3 cup ricotta mixture over each noodle, then top with 1 cup mozzarella and 1 cup sauce (in that order). Repeat layering process 2 more times.
- Top with remaining 3 noodles, remaining sauce, remaining 1 cup mozzarella, and remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan.
- Cover dish tightly with greased aluminum foil, place on foil-lined rimmed baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover, and continue to bake until spotty brown and bubbling around edges, 25 to 35 minutes.
- Let casserole cool for 10 minutes before serving.
To Make Ahead:
- Lasagna, prepared through step 4, can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, covered with aluminum foil, and refrigerated for up to 24 hours or frozen for up to 1 month; if frozen, thaw completely in refrigerator
- To bake, unwrap lasagna, cover with greased aluminum foil, and bake on foil-lined sheet in 400-degree oven until hot throughout, about 1 hour; remove foil and continue to bake until cheese is golden, about 10 minutes
Notes
- You can assemble the lasagna a day before and store it in the refrigerator. This allows the flavors to blend even more. When ready to cook, just bake as directed.
- This recipe doubles (and triples) beautifully so it’s great for feeding a crowd, taking dinner to a friend, or freezing for another day.
- To freeze for later, complete it through step 4, then wrap well and freeze up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator before baking.
- To bake after freezing, unwrap lasagna, cover with greased aluminum foil, and bake on foil-lined sheet in 400-degree oven until hot throughout, about 1 hour; remove foil and continue to bake until cheese is golden, about 10 minutes
Very similar to the one I grew up with and sounds delicious!
Do you just multiply the ingredients by how many pans you want to make? Is a “serves 16” a generous helping?
Also, I haven’t used the no-boil noodles. Are they really as good as “cooked” noodles?
I do just double or triple the ingredients to make additional pans of lasagna. The serving is pretty normal, if you think about a 9×13 pan, you are cutting it in half and then each half into 8 pieces, so not huge, not small, my husband normally eats to servings kind of thing… and yes, no-boil noodles are a game changer! They work great, taste great, and are better than cooked noodles because you don’t have to cook them!