I think every cook needs a Homemade Lasagna Recipe. Disclaimer: this is not a quick, semi-homemade recipe. This is the real deal. But, don’t be afraid! This recipe is lengthy but easy to follow and when you get a taste of your delicious, hot, gooey, and extremely comforting homemade lasagna, you will feel like a pro!
What’s In Homemade Lasagna?
These are the ingredients you will need to make homemade lasagna:
For the sauce:
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Garlic
- Ground beef
- Ground pork
- Diced tomatoes
- Tomato paste
- Granulated sugar
- Dried basil
- Dried oregano
- Red pepper flakes
For the ricotta cheese filling:
- Full-fat Ricotta cheese
- Egg
- Dried basil
- Salt and pepper
To assemble the dish:
- Lasagna noodles
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Grated parmesan cheese
How Long Does It Take To Make Homemade Lasagna?
Most of the time is baking time. Prep time is just about 15-20 mins, so don’t be discouraged!
- Make the meat sauce: in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the onions and garlic until translucent, about 1 minute.
- Add the ground beef and ground pork and cook until no pink is left on the meat. Drain the excess fat and season with salt and pepper.
- Mix in the tomato paste, diced tomatoes, sugar, basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Bring to boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 mins. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Make the ricotta filling: in a medium-sized bowl mix the ricotta cheese, egg, dried basil, salt and pepper until smooth.
- Cook the lasagna noodles in a pot of salted boiling water according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and assemble the lasagna.
- Grease the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch baking dish and spoon enough meat sauce to cover the bottom of the dish.
- Place three lasagna noodles on top of the meat sauce, followed by ⅓ of the remaining meat sauce, ⅓ of the ricotta filling, and one cup of shredded mozzarella. Don’t worry if you can’t spread the ricotta filling over the meat sauce, just add spoonfuls evenly over the sauce.
- Repeat the layers twice more ending with mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle the parmesan over the last layer of mozzarella and cover with foil. Bake for 40 mins, remove the foil and bake for an additional 10-15 mins until the cheese is melted.
What is The Best Meat For Lasagna?
Some people use ground beef only, others use a mixture of ground beef and Italian sausage. I prefer to use a mixture of ground beef and ground pork. But you can use any ground meat you like. You can even use ground turkey or chicken if you want a lower-calorie version.
Other Baked Pasta Recipes For You:
- Easy Baked Ziti
- Best Chicken Spaghetti Recipe
- White Cheese Chicken Lasagna
- Creamy Crack Chicken Lasagna with Bacon and Ranch
- The Best Stuffed Pasta Shells
The Best Homemade Lasagna Recipe
When you get a taste of your delicious, hot, gooey, and extremely comforting homemade lasagna, you will feel like a pro!
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Servings: 8
Calories: 599kcal
Ingredients
For the meat sauce:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ lb ground pork
- 1-28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp dry basil
- ½ tsp dry oregano
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the ricotta cheese filling:
- 16 oz full fat ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- ¼ tsp dried basil
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the lasagna:
- 9 lasagna noodles, uncooked
- 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Make the meat sauce: in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the onions and garlic until translucent, about 1 minute.
- Add the ground beef and ground pork and cook until no pink is left on the meat. Drain the excess fat and season with salt and pepper.
- Mix in the tomato paste, diced tomatoes, sugar, basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Bring to boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 mins. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Make the ricotta filling: in a medium-sized bowl mix the ricotta cheese, egg, dried basil, salt and pepper until smooth.
- Cook the lasagna noodles in a pot of salted boiling water according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and assemble the lasagna.
- Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x13-inch baking dish and spoon enough meat sauce to cover the bottom of the dish.
- Place three lasagna noodles on top of the meat sauce, followed by ⅓ of the remaining meat sauce, ⅓ of the ricotta filling, and one cup of shredded mozzarella. Don’t worry if you can’t spread the ricotta filling over the meat sauce, just add spoonfuls evenly over the sauce.
- Repeat the layers twice more ending with mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle the parmesan over the last layer of mozzarella and cover with foil. Bake for 40 mins, remove the foil and bake for an additional 10-15 mins until the cheese is melted.
Notes
- Drain the excess fat from the cooked meats if you don’t want an extra greasy lasagna.
- Have your meat sauce ready before cooking the noodles, and while they are cooking, make the ricotta filling.
- Keep an eye on the lasagna after you take off the foil, all ovens are not created equal so it may take more or less time for the cheese to melt.
Nutrition
Calories: 599kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 26g
