The Best Lasagna Recipe

This classic Lasagna Recipe is cheesy, saucy and full of flavor! Make this easy lasagna recipe for a family dinner or to feed a crowd.

Lasagna is the best comfort food, made with noodles, ground beef, sauce and cheese. This lasagna is a hearty main dish that you can make ahead or bake right away.

This lasagna recipe is my all-time favorite, and it’s the one that I make most often for my family. This recipe uses a secret ingredient that saves time while still making a delicious lasagna with layers of flavor.

If you’re at all intimidated by making homemade lasagna, don’t be. My easy lasagna recipe is simple to prepare. Below I’ve outlined the steps so that you can make the best lasagna at home.

We love to make homemade lasagna for Sunday dinner. It’s also perfect for entertaining or for when you need to bring a meal to a friend or family member.

Serve your homemade lasagna with garlic bread, homemade garlic knots or dinner rolls and an Italian salad for a delicious Italian feast.

Secret to the Best Easy Homemade Lasagna Recipe

My secret for making the best easy lasagna is to use store-bought marinara sauce. As long as you use a good quality sauce that you love, your lasagna will turn out so flavorful, and you’ll have saved a lot of time and effort in the kitchen.

When you take a little help from the grocery store, you won’t have to simmer your lasagna sauce for hours to get the rich, deep flavors that you crave. The best store-bought sauces are perfectly seasoned and will add lots of flavor to your lasagna.

How to Make Lasagna

The steps to making lasagna are:

1. Boil the lasagna noodles.
2. Brown the ground beef with onion and garlic.
3. To the pan, add the marinara sauce, Italian seasoning and fresh parsley. Simmer the sauce for 10 to 15 minutes.
4. In a bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese and an egg. Shred the mozzarella cheese.
5. Layer the lasagna.
6. Bake until hot and bubbly.

How to Layer Lasagna

1. Spread a layer of sauce in the bottom of your baking dish.
2. Make a layer of 3 noodles over the sauce.
3. Spread 1/3 of the remaining sauce over the noodles. Spoon on half of the ricotta and egg mixture. Sprinkle on 1/3 of the mozzarella and 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese.
4. Repeat the noodle, sauce and cheese layer one more time.
5. For the top layer, use the remaining 3 noodles and spread on the rest of the sauce. Sprinkle on the rest of the mozzarella and Parmesan.

Make Ahead & Reheating Instructions

You can assemble the lasagna ahead of time and refrigerate it, covered, for up to 24 hours before baking. If you are baking a lasagna that is fully chilled from being in the refrigerator, add about 15 minutes to the baking time.

Leftover lasagna can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a covered dish in the oven until it is steaming hot.

How to Freeze Lasagna

You can assemble the lasagna and then freeze it before baking. Wrap the lasagna tightly before freezing, and freeze for up to 3 months. When you are ready to cook the lasagna, let it thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Then bake as directed in the recipe, adding about 15 minutes to the baking time since a lasagna that is cold from the refrigerator will take longer to heat through.

You can also freeze lasagna after baking, for up to 3 months. I like to wrap individual servings of lasagna and freeze them for a quick meal. Thaw in the refrigerator or microwave before reheating.

More Homemade Lasagna Recipes

• Instant Pot Lasagna
• Crockpot Lasagna
• Lasagna Roll Ups
• Spinach Lasagna
• Butternut Squash Lasagna
• Lasagna Soup

Lasagna Recipe

Print Pin

5 from 11 votes

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword easy lasagna recipe, lasagna, lasagna recipe

Prep Time45 mins

Cook Time50 mins

Total Time1 hr 35 mins

Servings 12 servings

Calories 386kcal

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

This classic Lasagna Recipe is cheesy, saucy and full of flavor! Make this easy lasagna recipe for a family dinner or to feed a crowd. You can make it ahead or bake right away, see recipe notes for details.

Ingredients

• ▢ 9 lasagna noodles
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ ¾ cup chopped yellow onion
• ▢ 1 pound ground beef
• ▢ salt and pepper
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 48 ounces marinara sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• ▢ ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 15 ounces ricotta cheese
• ▢ 16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese ((about 4 cups))
• ▢ ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 375° F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook according to package directions for the minimum cook time. Then, drain the noodles and rinse them with cold water. You can lay them out on parchment paper to keep them from sticking together.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the ground beef and cook, crumbling, until the beef is browned. Season with salt and pepper. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
• Add the marinara sauce, Italian seasoning and parsley to the skillet and stir. Bring to a simmer and then reduce the temperature to low. Cook at a low simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• While the sauce simmers, crack the egg into a medium bowl and beat lightly with a fork. Add the ricotta cheese and stir to combine. This is also a good time to shred the mozzarella cheese.
• To assemble the lasagna, put about 1 cup of the sauce into a 9x13-inch baking dish. Lay 3 noodles in an even layer over the sauce. Spread ⅓ of the remaining sauce over the noodles. Place small spoonfuls of the ricotta and egg mixture on top of the sauce, using ½ of the ricotta. Sprinkle ⅓ of the mozzarella and ⅓ of the Parmesan over the top.
• Repeat the same layer one more time: 3 noodles, ½ of the remaining sauce, the rest of the ricotta, ½ of the remaining mozzarella and ½ of the remaining Parmesan. For the top layer of the lasagna, use the remaining 3 noodles, the rest of the sauce, and finally the rest of the mozzarella and Parmesan.
• Cover the lasagna with a piece of foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray on the underside (to prevent the cheese from sticking to the foil).
• Bake the lasagna, covered with foil, for 35 minutes. Then uncover and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until the lasagna is hot and bubbling on the sides and the cheese is lightly browned on top. Let the lasagna rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

• Leftover lasagna can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days after baking. You can also freeze lasagna after baking, for up to 3 months. Thaw and then reheat in the microwave or in a covered dish in the oven until it is steaming hot.
• To make ahead: You can assemble the lasagna ahead of time and refrigerate it, covered, for up to 24 hours before baking. If you are baking a lasagna that is fully chilled from being in the refrigerator, add about 15 minutes to the baking time.
• Freezer Instructions: You can assemble the lasagna and then freeze it before baking. Wrap the lasagna tightly before freezing, and freeze for up to 3 months. When you are ready to cook the lasagna, let it thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Then bake as directed in the recipe, adding about 15 minutes to the baking time since a lasagna that is cold from the refrigerator will take longer to heat through.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/12 recipe | Calories: 386kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 957mg | Potassium: 644mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1065IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 344mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is an estimate.

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