The Best Homemade Lasagna Recipe is cheesy, meaty, saucy! Sprinkle with parsley for a pop of freshness! This recipe can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for 24 hours before baking. A hearty recipe that’s perfect for feeding large groups!
Classic Lasagna Recipe
Today we’re talking about everyones favorite comfort food recipe: lasagna! And while I won’t say this is an easy lasagna recipe, it is 100% the best lasagna recipe! Jump to the recipe and read the reviews if you don’t believe me *wink.
Truth be told, I don’t make lasagna very often. It’s a labor of love! But when I do, it’s THIS lasagna! It’s a meaty, cheesy, and totally indulgent special occasion dinner that’ll serve a crowd! I make one every Christmas and it basically flies out of the baking dish!
Especially when I serve it with a side of my famous easy baked meatballs and garlic knots. Add some wine and a big Italian chopped salad, and you’ve got yourself the perfect Italian dinner!
Last Sunday, I decided it was high time I shared this epic lasagna recipe with you! So I opened a bottle of wine, cranked on the Sinatra, and spent the entire day in the kitchen. Sipping, stirring, and shooting a ton of photos (apologies in advance… this post is picture heavy lol). It was not a bad way to spend a rainy day!
The Hearty Meat Sauce
You’ll want to start by making the meat sauce, because that takes the most time. The meat sauce is also what makes this recipe so magical! It consists of ground beef, spicy Italian sausage, and pancetta! So there’s plenty of protein and flavor in there. There’s also onion and garlic, olive oil, tons of tomato sauce, and fresh herbs. No fennel seeds because my sausage already has them, but if you want, add a half teaspoon or so.
Oh, and of course there’s a hearty splash of vino in there, too! Red wine opens up the sauce and compliments the meat flavors. It’s basically the most delicious marinara sauce loaded with meat. Caution: season with care! I suggest starting with a teaspoon of salt and adding ore as needed. The pancetta and sausage can add a lot of sodium, and you can always add another teaspoon salt as needed.
I know this is not at all lady like to say… but I literally am drooling just looking at that large skillet of saucy goodness below. Are you with me?
Do I need to Boil the Lasagna Noodles?
Yes, but only for a few minutes! You’re not looking to cook the lasagna noodles as much as you’re looking to soften them, and remove some of the starch. You can cook the noodles the old-fashioned way, by bringing a very large pot of water to a boil, and then adding the noodles for 4 minutes. They’ll still be very hard and pretty much hold their shape at this point. That’s a good thing! Because they’ll continue to cook in the oven. So be sure not to overcook.
How to Prevent Noodles from Sticking
To prevent your precious noodles from sticking together, you’re going to want to place a long piece of parchment paper across your countertop. Drizzle some olive oil on top of the parchment paper, and use a pantry brush (or your hands) to coat the entire piece of paper with the oil. Place the drained noodles on the paper, side by side, not letting them touch.
How to Make Lasagna
- Make your Meat Sauce. Cook it for at least 45 minutes for the best flavor!!! But you can simmer it for up to 4 hours if you want! Just depends on how much time you have. You can even make it the day before if you’re looking to break this recipe up over a few days. This recipe yields about 5 cups of meat sauce, so make sure you use a large saucepan!
- Make the ricotta cheese mixture. My secret ingredients here are fontina cheese… and a pinch of nutmeg! Trust me… you don’t want to skip it these! An Italian grandma taught me this once and I’ve been doing it ever since! If you cannot find ricotta cheese, cottage cheese is an acceptable substitute for the ricotta mixture.
- Cook the lasagna noodles. Remember, don’t over cook! They should only spend 4 to 5 minutes in the hot water before being removed. You want them EXTRA al dente, since they’ll continue to cook in the oven.
What is the Correct Order to Layer Lasagna?
The first thing I’ll say here is PLEASE don’t let layering stress you out! If you skip a step of miss a layer, it’s not the end of the world. That being said, here’s how I suggest layering your lasagna recipe:
- Start with a good scoop of meat sauce on the bottom of 9×13 bakingpan. Then layer 5 noodles on top, then add cheese and more sauce. Then repeat two more times. Basically pasta noodles, sauce, cheese, and repeat lol. Don’t get yourself worked up on these layers being too perfect! It’ll all melt together once in the oven!
- And Bake. You’ll want to cover your assembled lasagna with foil, and then pop it your oven, which should be preheated to 375 degrees. Bake with foil for the first 30 minutes, and then remove it towards the end so the mozzarella cheese can melt and slightly brown.
How to Avoid Soupy Sloppy Lasagna?
Three words: Let it rest! As tempting as it is to dig right in, if you cut into your lasagna as soon as it comes out of the oven, it’ll be very messy! But if you let it cool for about 15 minutes, it’ll firm up and cut into clean pieces!
Can I make Lasagna Ahead of Time?
You can and you SHOULD! Not only does making lasagna ahead of time make life so much easier, it actually enhances the taste of the lasagna, too. Because they flavors have time to meld together and soak into the noodles. Feel free to assemble and store in the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking.
How to Freeze and Thaw Lasagna?
One of the most common questions asked is can you freeze lasagna! And the answer is: Yes!!! And you have options: you can freeze it before OR after baking. Just follow my instructions below for freezing.
- If you’re freezing an unbaked lasagna: you’ll simply wrap the baking dish with assembled with several layers of plastic wrap AND then several layers of heavy duty foil. When prepared like this, it will keep, stored in the freezer, for up to two months. Since it’s not ideal to loose a baking dish for a few months, you may want to use a disposable 9×13 foil pan in this case!
- How to Bake Frozen Lasagna: It’s so easy! Simply unwrap the lasagna completely and cover with a slice of foil. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes, then remove the foil and finish baking at 375 degrees for the last 30 minutes.
- If you’re freezing a Baked Lasagna: You’ll need to allow the casserole to completely first! Then wrap the baking dish with with serval layers of plastic wrap and then several layers of heavy duty aluminum foil. Again, this will keep, stored in the freezer, for two month.
- How to Reheat a Baked Lasagna: Simply unwrap the lasagna completely, then cover with a slice of foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, or until sufficiently warm.
What to Serve with Lasagna?
So many side-dishes go well with lasagna, but here are a few of our favorites:
- Rosemary Focaccia
- Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese and Prosciutto
- One-Bowl Herbed Ricotta Cheesy Bread
- Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad
- Italian Sausage Meatballs
- Sicilian Braciole
And if you’re looking for something like this recipe, but a little lightened up, go check out my lightened up chicken parmesan lasagna! Not as indulgent as this classic recipe, but still super delicious… with less calories and carbohydrates.
More Baked Pasta Recipes:
- Best Ever Baked Ziti Recipe
- Baked Rigatoni with Beef
- Crazy Good Classic Stuffed Shells
- Elevated Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon and Gruyere
- Baked Rigatoni Fra Diavoli with Sausage and Zucchini

The Best Homemade Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients
For the Meat Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 ounces pancetta, diced into small bits
- 1 pound hot Italian sausage
- 1 pound ground beef
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup dry red wine (use something you'd enjoy drinking)
- 1/2 cup beef stock
- 2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 3 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For the Ricotta Layer:
- 16 ounces ricotta cheese
- 5 ounces fontina cheese, grated
- 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
For the Lasagna:
- 15 lasagna noodles
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
Instructions
For the Meat Sauce:
- Place a large saucepan or pot over medium high heat. Add oil and pancetta cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until browned. Add in the sausage and beef and use a wooden spoon to break the meat up into pieces. Continue cooking until meat is browned and no pink remains, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add in the onion and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until onion has softened and is almost translucent. Stir in the tomato paste.
- Add in the wine and stir to combine. Cook for 5 minutes. Then stir in the stock and crushed tomatoes, stirring well to combine. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce to medium low and continue cooking for at least 40 minutes.
- Stir in the sugar, basil, parsley, and oregano. Cook for another 5 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Remove from heat allow to slightly cool before using it in the lasagna.
For the Ricotta Layer:
- In a large bowl combine the ricotta, fontina, egg, egg yolk, and nutmeg, mixing until well combined. Set aside until needed.
For the Lasagna:
- Place a long sheet of parchment paper (about 16") on you countertop. Lightly brush with olive oil.
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add a pinch of salt, then add in the lasagna noodles. Cook for 4 minutes, then use tongs to remove the noodles, placing them side by side on the prepared parchment paper.
- Shred mozzarella cheese and set aside until needed. Grate the parmesan cheese and set aside until needed.
Assembly:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish.
- Pour 1 cup of meat sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish. Then layer 5 noodles on top of the sauce. Top with 3/4 cup of the ricotta filling, 1 and 1/2 cups of the sauce, and 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese. Repeat 2 more times.
- On the top layer, add the remaining sauce and mozzarella cheese.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking to 15 to 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbling.
- Remove from oven and let the lasagna rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing.
Thank you for this recipe! I made this lasagna for my family for my birthday and it has to be the best pasta dish I have made! The homemade sauce took the taste to the top and your instructions on boiling the pasta was spot on! This was the first time I put a lasagna together with whole pasta pieces. If you put the work into it, you won’t regret it.
I’m so happy you and your family enjoyed this, Liliana!!! And I hope you had a wonderful birthday!
This was a huge hit with my family last night! My kids all had a least second servings. I was so looking forward to the rest for left-overs tonight. Yum! Great recipe. Thank you!
So happy to hear it, Kim! The leftovers are even more delicious in my opinion! Enjoy 🙂
Omg this recipe is outstanding . Just did it last night for my bday and it was a huge hit. Did it the night before and let the sauce simmer for like an hour , My family said I transported them to Italy, it was so good that they weren’t any leftoverd . Top recipe
Hi Ashely, thank you so much for posting a traditional Italian lasagna recipe! I’m from the UK and lasagna is made very differently over here.
With being from the UK, im trying to find a substitute for the fontina cheese as its not easy to come by – do you have any that work? I’ve seen Gouda, Emmental and Gruyere all mentioned but don’t want to chance using the wrong one.
Thanks so much!
Drooling over the idea of making this already
This is a late reply lot but I feel like Asiago, Parmesan and pecorino would all be great choices if you have them.
Pray for me, my husband don’t eat beef or pork so I will be trying this amazing recipe with ground turkey,duck bacon (pancetta substitute) and hot chicken Italian sausage. Any suggestions?
Hi Tiffany! I love those creative subs and I actually think it’ll turn out delicious! Please come back and let me know how it goes 🙂
I just made this today (with just the beef, not the other meats), and it was so heavenly!!! My husband and 16 month old lovedddd it! This is definitely going to be a staple in our kitchen now :). Thank you!
Hi I am writing to you from South Africa. Thanks for sharing your recipe! It looks delish!
We dont have fontina cheese in South Africa, what else can I use? Gouda, Gruyere?
I also dont eat beef or pork, can i use mutton mince?
Hi Nivedhna. I wouldn’t use Gouda, but Gruyere could be a nice addition! I have no experience with mutton mince, so I cannot advise.
If I don’t have red wine, can I use more beef stock?
Sure! But I would only add a splash or so.
What kind of wine did you use?
Loved this recipe! I buy the four pack of small wine in plastic bottles for cooking. I used a red for this recipe and one bottle was perfect. No expensive left over wine!
I am making this today. Very excited to try it! Am I suppose to simmer with a lid on or off?
I simmer with no lid!
I love lasagna but I don’t like ordering it at restaurants. Tried to make a few at home but always failed, they ended up a bit greasy or too meaty or whatever. Would love to give this a try, but I’m wondering if the pound of hot Italian sausage makes it spicy? Would replacing it with a mild be ok or jeopardize the flavor? Thank you.
You can definitely use all mild!
In the recipe, there is no instructions when to add the tomato paste (specifically)
Hi what could I use if I can’t get Italian sausage ?
Thanks for this recipe. Do you overlap the lasgna noodles in the casserole dish or place them side by side? Thanks.
wow lovely and so yummy
I have been making my first generation Italian grandmother’s lasagna recipe for my entire life but this looked so good I had to try it. What was different from my grandmother’s recipe was the pancetta, the mozzarella which I used to add to the ricotta, and the fontina cheese. This is the best lasagna I have ever made. Thank you, its delicious. I had a hard time not drinking the sauce!
I usually use no-boil lasagna noodles. If I use those in this recipe, will I need to adjust any of the other ingredients? Thanks!
Can I assemble this ahead of time and cook it the next day? If so, how much time should I add to the cooking?
As a vegetarian, I made the following substitutions with great results:
Eliminated the pancetta.
Replaced sausage and beef with “Beyond Meat”.
Replaced beef stock with vegetable stock.
Even the family carnivores loved this recipe.
Have made it twice and a hit both times.
I made this for my husband’s birthday. He said it was SPECTACULAR! In his youth he lived in an Italian community. So he was accustom to authentic Italian cuisine.
I found preparation & cooking time was longer than listed, approx 5 1/2 hours with cooking sauce for 1 1/2 HR. I also added 8 more lasagne noodles and a bit more parmesan & mozzarella cheese.
Made this last year for Valentines day and it came out perfect. It was so good that when I asked my girlfriend where and what she wanted for Valentines day again this year she said this Lasagna. Thank you!!
Made this last year for Valentines day and it came out perfect. It was so good that when I asked my girlfriend where and what she wanted for Valentines day again this year she said this Lasagna. Thank you!!
Best Recipe. Absolute comfort food. Will not disappoint…I promise you.
Best Lasagna I have ever made and I have made a lot of Lasagna for many years. The wine gives it a wonderful aroma and the cheese and garlic makes me think I am in Italy. I ate Lasagna at the famous Mama Leone’s in NYC in the 60’s and this is better than theirs. Thank you so much for sharing this. I will never make it any other way.
This comment made my day! Also, I learned something new because I had no idea Mama Leone’s was a real place… was always just a line in a Billy Joel song to me until now. So thank you!!!
The best lasagna I ever made .
Yay! Thank you so much for letting me know, Margaret 🙂
I have been making this recipe for years now. I always double or tripe the recipe to meal prep for my fiancé and friends! I also add two blocks of drained thawed chopped frozen spinach to the ricotta layer and fresh sliced zucchini from our garden to the red sauce layers (they cook perfectly as it bakes). My fiancé and I are pescatarian, but I recently added extra beef and turkey sausage for a new mum friend who just delivered and had lost a lot of blood. She and her hubby loved it. I always know your recipes will be the best!
This comment really made my day! Thank you so much for letting me know!
This sounds wonderful, can’t wait to try this! One question, do you put your mozzarella in the layers too or is that just on top?
Its a problem for us when a recipe says use a wine you’d like to drink. We dont drink
This looks delicious! I’d like to know if this can be prepared the day before baking? I’d I
Love to make this for Christmas Day.
Ashley this recipe was SOOO delicious! Had 6 for lunch yesterday and most had seconds! Only two small servings left. It is so worth the time and many ingredients…just have everything already prepped. I’ve made many lasagna recipes and this is definitely TOP 2. The only thing I will change next time is to cool the sauce then pulse a few times in the food processor so it’s less “chunky”. I did break the meat down quite a beat but I like it just a tad less “lumpy”. Passing it on. So delicious! Don’t change the ingredients!
Reiterating a question from August 2021: Can no-boil lasagne noodles be used instead of the ones that need to be boiled first?
I don’t suggest it!
I prepped this last night for our Christmas Eve dinner tonight. Can’t wait to try it! Do I need to add any extra baking time since i made it ahead and it’s been in the refrigerator?
Thank you and happy holidays!
I made this lasagna for Christmas dinner and it was a big hit. Looking forward to having the left over sauce in a baked casserole this week.
I’m so happy this was a hit for you, Ali! Happy holidays!
I made this for Christmas dinner this year and it was absolutely incredible! My family is Italian and I usually make my dads recipe for sauce, but wanted to try something different. This was SO good and everyone loved it. This will be my new go-to recipe. I followed the instructions exactly as they were, with no adjustments made. The only thing I did that may have been different was allowing the sauce to cool for a while (longer than you stated) before layering the lasagna, that is only because I had so many other things to make. But, it made the layering that much easier. 10/10 super impressed 🙂
This comment made me so happy to read! Truly honored this was a part of your Christmas celebration this year. Thank you so much for letting me know!
Omg! I have been eating lasagna all my life… it never tasted like this recipe! Made it Christmas Day! Enjoyed by ALL! Leftovers… even better. I must let you know this is the ONLY way I’ll be preparing lasagna going forward! I’m following you on FB and Pinterest… love your recipes! You made me a follower!
Can you use no boil lasagna noodles?
If I’m feeding a large group, can I bake two 9×13 pans at the same time? Will the baking time be affected with two in the oven?