The Best Make-Ahead Lasagna (Freezer Friendly Too!)
on Oct 25, 2017, Updated Sep 26, 2024
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The Best Make-Ahead Lasagna recipe is made with a rich sausage sauce and loads of cheese. It’s also freezer-friendly and guaranteed to become your go-to lasagna recipe!
Few things are more deliciously comforting than a plate full of delicious hearty cheesy lasagna. And this lasagna recipe is what dreams are made of. It’s rich, saucy, cheesy, and easy to put together. For a classic meal, serve this lasagna with a loaf of No-Knead Bread, a Chef Salad, and some Chocolate Mousse or even a Chocolate Lasagna for dessert.
This lasagna recipe comes from America’s Test Kitchen cookbook The Complete Make-Ahead Cookbook. I love this book because there are 500 recipes you can make ahead of time and many of them are freezer-friendly (just like this one).
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s the perfect classic lasagna recipe.
- Easy to make for guests because it can be made ahead of time (thanks to canned tomatoes and no-boil lasagna noodles).
- It’s great to make for bringing a meal to a friend in need.
Recipe Ingredients
- Extra-virgin olive oil: For sauteing the onion before adding the ground meat.
- Onion
- Garlic: Can use minced garlic in a jar to save yourself some time mincing.
- Italian sausage: Or you could use a meatloaf mix.
- Heavy cream
- Tomato puree
- Diced tomatoes
- Fresh basil: Can use dried basil but fresh is best.
- No-boil lasagna noodles: Barilla makes great ones called “Oven Ready.”
- Mozzarella cheese
- Ricotta cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Egg
- Salt and pepper
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make The Best Make-Ahead Lasagna
Step #1. Cook onions and garlic in olive oil. Add meat, cook until browned, then stir in cream and tomatoes. Simmer, season with basil, salt, and pepper.
Step #2. In a bowl, mix ricotta, Parmesan, basil, egg, salt, and pepper.
Step #3. Layer sauce, noodles, ricotta, mozzarella, and repeat 2 more times. Top with the remaining sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan.
Step #4. Cover with greased foil, bake at 400°F for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 25-35 minutes until bubbly. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe FAQs
This recipe makes a big lasagna so make sure you have a 9×13 inch 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 I take the lasagna to a friend.
Follow the recipe through assembly and then wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and then cover it in aluminum foil. It can be frozen for up to a month. Be sure to thaw it completely in the refrigerator before baking it according to the recipe card below.
Yes! Fresh basil in this recipe is SO good. Splurge on it if you can, but dried works well, too.
Expert Tips
- Make a double batch – one to bake in the next day and one to freeze to make in a few weeks. Cook once and eat twice!
- Use one of these foil pans if you are giving away this lasagna or don’t want to tie up one of your pans.
- You can substitute cottage cheese for the ricotta cheese if you want to add some extra protein to this lasagna.
- Let the sauce simmer longer for a richer flavor.
- When making ahead, wrap the lasagna tightly in plastic wrap and foil to prevent freezer burn.
How to Serve and Store Make-Ahead Lasagna
Garlic knots, sourdough bread, or brioche bread, are a classic pairing to soak up the rich sauce. A fresh, crisp salad with one of my 9 homemade salad dressing recipes contrasts well with the heaviness of lasagna. You can also serve green beans, brussel sprouts, or asparagus for a lighter side.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Follow the recipe through assembly and then wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and then cover it in aluminum foil. It can be frozen for up to a month. Be sure to thaw it completely in the refrigerator before baking it according to the recipe card below.
More Pasta Recipes to Consider
From Scratch Recipes
Creamy One Pot Macaroni and Cheese
Pasta Dishes
How to Make Homemade Noodles
Pasta Dishes
The Best One Pot Baked Ziti
Pasta Dishes
Easy No-Bake Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
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The Best Make-Ahead Lasagna (freezer-friendly too!)
Ingredients
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped fine
- Salt and pepper
- 6 garlic cloves, 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 3 cups whole-milk or part-skim ricotta cheese
- 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 sauceHeat the oil in a 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 the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add meatloaf mix and cook, breaking up the meat with wooden spoon (until no longer pink) about 5 minutes. Stir in cream and simmer until liquid evaporates and only the 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 lasagnaAdjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan, basil, egg, salt, and pepper in bowl.
- Spread 1 cup of sauce over bottom of 13×9-inch baking dish (avoiding large chunks of meat). Lay 3 noodles in 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 a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until the top is spotty brown and the lasagna is bubbling around the edges, about 25 to 35 minutes. Let the casserole cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Ground Italian sausage or a meatloaf blend are both really good options, but you could use any ground meat that you wanted.
- To make lasagna ahead, prepare it through step 3, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, cover it with aluminum foil, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours or freeze for up to a month.
- When baking a lasagna that you’ve made ahead, be sure to remove the plastic wrap and cover with foil before baking according to the instructions.
- This lasagna recipe comes from America’s Test Kitchen cookbook The Complete Make-Ahead Cookbook.
I made this last week and froze or in prep for my upcoming adventures in motherhood (I’m for in a month) but I wanted to thaw and bake one now and if we like it, I’ll prepare more. Do y’all think 24 hours in the fridge to thaw is ok? Whattt happens if I bake it and the middle may not be all the way thawed?
Thanks so much!
It doesn’t hurt anything BUT it will take it a bit longer to cook, up to an additional hour if the middle is still frozen.
I can’t wait to try this recipe – my grandmother always had two pans of lasagna in the freezer for family get-togethers. I am trying to make some freezer meals for my friend who is getting ready to have her second baby to have on hand when she gets home from the hospital – obviously it is best to thaw completely in the fridge but I am not sure they will be planning their meals two days in advance (2 hours more likely). Are there directions to prepare from frozen? Or to defrost more quickly? Would also be helpful if taking a frozen meal over to a friend or neighbor last minute. Thanks in advance!!!
That’s so thoughtful of you! And yes, sometimes if I don’t thaw it over night, I’ll stick it in the oven at 300-325 for an a couple hours and then bring the temperature up and cook it as directed. So essentially I’ll use the oven to help thaw it quickly and then bake it. Works just great!
Hello! I’ve read a few recipes that don’t call for no boil noodles and they also do not precook them before assembly; have you any experience with this? I’m wanting to use this recipe but not sure if I need to boil the noodles first. I’m planning to freeze. Thanks!!!
I just use normal noodles and they are fine, you can use no-boil and they will also work. That’s the great thing about this recipe, it works great with what you have!
Thanks so much! So I do not need to boil them first? Just assemble and freeze?
Yes ma’am, no need to boil first, just assemble and freeze.
I’ve made this lasagna (as well as the spinach mushroom version) many many times – it’s absolutely delicious & foolproof…however, it serves at the most 12, not 16; & it takes forever to defrost so be sure to pull it out of your freezer at least two days ahead & leave it out at room temperature before baking it.
Thanks for the tips and tricks about thawing! That’s great info to add.
Christmas is Tuesday……..if I put it together today will it be okay in the fridge till then? I will be too busy Christmas Eve…
Truth be told, I just did that this weekend because it was crazy, so yes, I had it in my fridge for just about 48 hours and it was still great. The pasta might be a bit “bloated” but it wasn’t so much that I wouldn’t do it again. Still tasted, cut, and cooked up great. So I’m going to say yes, make it today should be just fine until Tuesday because it worked great for me (made it Thursday, cooked it Saturday this weekend). Merry Christmas and happy lasagna making!
Can you prepare the recipe with no boil noodles and put in fridge without baking and then bake it the next day.
Yep, it’ll be great in the fridge for right around 24 hours, so feel free to make it a day ahead and keep it in the fridge until baking.
Hey there – what if I were to cook it to save a friend in need some time? How do you recommend storing and reheating it once cooked? Thanks in advance–can’t wait to try it!
You can heat individual servings in the microwave or oven really easily! I’ve found it’s easy to reheat servings instead of a whole pan after it’s been cooked if that’s helpful!
This recipe sounds delicious! I can’t wait to try it. I need to prepare it two days in advance, so should I freeze it? If so when should I take it out to thaw?
So it needs to thaw all of the way in the fridge… so it kind of depends on what time of day you are making it. I’d make it day 1 in the morning and throw it in the freezer, then pull it out day 2 at night and stick it in the fridge to thaw, and then bake it day three. Does that make sense? Holler if you need a little more guidance. It’s a great recipe! You’ll love it!
An excellent classic lasagna recipe. It’s been so long since I’ve had lasagna, but I’ve been craving it lately! Love this!
To freeze it, when you say wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and then covered in foil, do you mean plastic wrap tight on the top, or do you need to line the pan with it to wrap it completely? And if it’s on top, tight to the lasagna, not just tight across the top of the pan?
I normally wrap the whole thing in plastic wrap and press it down onto the lasagna top too, if that makes sense. My goal is to keep the air out of it so I wrap it well!