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Cook lasagna like a pro with this classic lasagna recipe! What makes it better than the rest? Al dente lasagna noodles, flavorful ricotta cheese mixture, tomato sauce, and gooey layers of cheese. Absolutely bursting with flavor, this hearty lasagna is heaven in a casserole dish.
You’ll love this Classic Lasagna Recipe
Reader Denise says: “
This is the best lasagna I have ever made! I made it yesterday and baked it today for Christmas, my family loved absolutely loved it! I followed the recipe exactly. This will be the only lasagna I make now on.”
This is my absolute favorite homemade lasagna recipe! Here’s why I think you’ll love it too:
- No soggy lasagna noodles! The perfect cook time keeps them al dente… even after baking in cups of meat sauce and layers of cheese.
- My ricotta cheese mixture packs a punch! I don’t suggest subbing cottage cheese, but some readers have commented they’ve has success doing so.
- Meaty tomato sauce is to-die-for delicious! Cups of meat sauce between each layer ensure it’s not dry.
- Gooey layers of cheese: ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, fontina cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Cheese lovers unite!
- My tips for assembling the lasagna help you make this up to 2 days before you need to cook lasagna! Or freeze the lasagna for 2 months.
Lasagna is THE perfect comforting recipe for bitter cold Winter nights or large festive gatherings. I make it every Christmas and it flies out of the baking dish! Especially when I serve it with a side of my famous easy baked meatballsand garlic knots (so much better than garlic bread IMO).
Make the Tomato Sauce
- This sauce is make-ahead friendly! Make it 2 days in advance and store in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble the lasagna! Or freeze for up to 2 months. If you freeze, thaw it in the fridge the night before needed.
- Extra hearty (and loaded with protein) thanks to ground beef, sausage, and pancetta. If you can’t find pancetta, use diced bacon.
- Bursting with flavor thanks to fresh herbs like chopped fresh parsley, basil, and oregano. Don’t sub dried herbs, but if you can’t find fresh oregano, you can omit it.
- To balance the meat, we’ll use 2 cans of crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. This ensures our tomato sauce has plenty of tomato flavor, too.
- Red wine and beef stock thin the sauce out while adding tons of flavor! You want the sauce to be saucy enough… because the noodles will absorb a lot of liquid while the lasagna bakes.
The Best Lasagna Noodles?
- I like dried wavy lasagna noodles for this recipe, like these or similar. Wavy noodles look pretty, give the dish height, and slice better than flat noodles.
- Do not use fresh pasta! This recipe has lots of liquid in the sauce, and fresh pasta will yield a mushy lasagna.
- I don’t suggest using no-bake noodles, but some readers have used them and enjoyed the results. In my recipe testing, I found them underwhelming and inconsistent. Specifically, they either got too mushy or stayed too hard.
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How to Get Al Dente Lasagna Noodles
- You’re not looking to cook the noodles as much as you’re looking to soften them and remove some of the starch.
- Cook the noodles by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil and then add the noodles.
- Set a timer, because you’ll only “cook” them for 4 minutes. The noodles should still be hard and hold their shape after cooking. We under cook them because they’ll continue to cook in the oven.
Prevent Your Noodles from Sticking
- Place a long piece of parchment paper across your countertop.
- Drizzle olive oil on top of the parchment and use a pastry brush to coat the entire piece of paper with oil.
- Place the drained noodles on the paper, side by side, not letting them touch.
Assembling the Lasagna: How to Layer Lasagna
- Start with a good scoop of meat sauce on the bottom of your 9×13 baking pan.
- Layer 5 noodles on top. Add the cheese and more sauce. Then repeat two more times.
- Basically pasta noodles, sauce, and cheese – then repeat! But don’t get worked up about the layers being perfect! They’ll taste delicious no matter what.
How to Make Lasagna: Cover with Foil and Bake
- Meat Sauce: You can do this the day you plan on cooking, or days in advance. The sauce will keep in the fridge for 2 days or in the freezer for 2 months.
- Ricotta Cheese Mixture: You can make this up to 2 hours in advance and store it in the fridge until needed.
- Cook Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook for 4 minutes. You want even harder than al dente pasta, so do not over cook the noodles!
- Assemble: A glass or ceramic baking pan works best. Layer the sauce, noodles, and cheeses as best you can. Don’t worry if you mess up a little here, it’ll still taste delicious even if the layers aren’t perfect.
- Bake: Cover assembled lasagna with aluminum foil and pop it your oven. Bake with the aluminum foil on top for 30 minutes, then remove it and continue baking. This lets the mozzarella cheese get gooey, melty, and slightly browned.
Cool in the Baking Dish for 15 Minutes
Want perfect slices of lasagna? I have three words of advice: let it rest! Tempting as it is to dig right in, if you cut in fresh from the oven, it’ll be super messy. Let it cool for 15 minutes, then it’ll firm up and cut into clean pieces!
Can I make Lasagna Ahead of Time?
Making lasagna ahead of time makes life so much easier. And it actually enhances the taste of the lasagna, too! Making this in advance allows the flavors to meld together and soak into the noodles.
Feel free to assemble, cover, and store in the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking. Want to make it even further in advance? Follow my instructions below!
Can I Freeze Lasagna?
Yes, homemade lasagna freezes beautifully and is a great option to plan ahead for a special holiday meal.
You can freeze it for up to 2 months. Then when you’re ready to cook lasagna, pull from the freezer, remove the plastic wrap, cover with foil and bake!
How to Freeze Lasagna
Wrap the entire baking dish with several layers of saran wrap. Then wrap it again with 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! You can also freeze baked lasagna using the same method as above. Just make sure the lasagna has completely cooled before wrapping and transferring it to the freezer.
How to Thaw Frozen Lasagna
- Remove from the Freezer: 24 hours before you plan on baking, remove the casserole dish from the freezer. Place the lasagna in the fridge and let it thaw.
- Time to Bake: Unwrap and discard plastic wrap. Cover the top of the pan with foil bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes remove the aluminum foil and finish baking at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.
- Let it Cool: Place on a wire rack and let it cool. This allows the cheeses and sauce to firm up. And will help you to slice neat pieces.
What to Serve with Lasagna?
- Rosemary Focaccia
- Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese and Prosciutto
- One-Bowl Herbed Ricotta Cheesy Bread
- Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad
- Italian Sausage Meatballs
Or try my lightened up chicken parmesan lasagna! Not as indulgent as this classic lasagna recipe, but still super delicious.
More Baked Pasta Recipes:
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 9×13-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.
Excellent and followed recipe as written. I found the suggestion for partial cooked noodles was great( I used Silpat to lay them out so did not need olive oil). I had left over sauce( I was generous in using it between layers too). Kept sauce warm in case someone wanted more, but did not really need. It is enough to make small ziti maybe. Delicious sauce.
I’d love to try this but:
I have no idea what pancetta is. I also don’t know what fontina cheese is, and ive never seen that in the grocery store. We also don’t keep wine or any other alcohol in our house so not sure if there are any substitutes here? Not sure how to proceed.
Hi Jody. Pancetta is cured pork belly, similar to bacon. They sell it at most chain grocery stores where you’d find bacon or cold cuts/cheese. If you can’t find it, you could use chopped bacon or simply leave it out. Fontina cheese is also typically easily available at chain grocery stores, but you can sub mozzarella for it. Wine will add the best flavor but you could sub an equal amount of extra beef stock instead. I hope that helps!
Delicious! The family LOVED your recipe!
I love this recipe! I used white wine and it worked fine.