Homemade Lasagna Recipe

The Best Lasagna is here, Layered with a rich, tomato sauce, a creamy parmesan white sauce and topped with fresh mozzarella, you’ll be craving this lasagna every weekend. A traditional lasagna has to be one of the most loved comfort foods in the world. Hailing from Italy before making its way through the world and taking on many different forms, lasagna has to be one of the most popular pasta dishes of all time.

Ingredients:

1. Ground Beef: Used 80/20 beef for a juicier lasagna.
2. Onion: Use yellow onion, or sweet onion works well.
3. Garlic Cloves: You can add more if you love garlic.
4. Red Wine or (Beef Broth): This amps up the flavor of your sauce.
5. Marinara Sauce: Use homemade marinara/store-bought.
6. Dried Thyme: Italian seasoning, basil, or oregano can be substituted.
7. Sugar: Balances the acidity of the tomatoes.
8. Parsley: Flat-leaf/curly parsley works well.
9. Lasagna Noodles: Cook these al dente; they’ll continue to soften as the lasagna bakes.
10. Cottage Cheese: Adds great texture and moisture.
11. Ricotta Cheese: Use low-fat or part-skim ricotta.
12. Mozzarella Cheese: An Italian cheese blend works, but mozzarella is definitely the classic choice.
13. Egg: Helps hold the cheese layer together.

    

How to Make?

1. Brown the Beef: Add oil to a deep pan and Sautee onion and beef until browned, 5 minutes then add garlic and stir another minute.
2. Finish the Sauce: Pour in ¼ cup of wine and stir until almost evaporated. Add marinara, salt, pepper, thyme, sugar, and parsley; bring to a simmer, then cover and cook 5 minutes.
3. Make the Cheese Filling: Combine all of the cheese sauce ingredients and 1 cup of mozzarella in a mixing bowl (reserve the rest for later).
4. Prep: Preheat your oven to 375℉ and cook the lasagna noodles in a pot of well-salted water until al dente.
5. Assemble: Spread ½ cup of the meat sauce on the bottom of a 9×13-inch casserole dish. Add 3 noodles, followed by ⅓ of the meat sauce, 1 cup of mozzarella, and half of the ricotta mixture. Repeat, then for the top layer, add 3 noodles, ⅓ of the meat sauce, and the remaining mozzarella.

   


6. Bake: Cover with foil and bake at 375℉ for 45 minutes, then remove the foil and broil for 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese is lightly browned.
7. Rest: Let the lasagna rest for about 30 minutes before cutting and serving.

   

How Many Layers Does Lasagna Have?

Lasagna needs to have at least 3 layers in order to constitute a true lasagna. Most recipes have 3 or 4 layers.

Make-Ahead:

1. To Refrigerate: You can assemble the lasagna and store it covered in the refrigerator for a day or two until you are ready to bake.
2. Freezing: Lasagna can be frozen before or after baking. Either way, it will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months when wrapped well or stored in an airtight container.

Reheating Lasagna:

1. To Reheat: Frozen lasagna should be thawed in the refrigerator first; this reduces the time needed for baking and ensures more even heating. Bake according to the recipe instructions; if your lasagna was already baked and you’re simply reheating it, cover the baking dish with foil and reheat at 350ºF until warmed through.

Recipe Tips:

1. Flavor Enhancers: The hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce are flavor enhancers and can’t be tasted outright. The hot sauce won’t make it hot/spicy.
2. Marinara Sauce: I recommend using Rao’s marinara sauce for this recipe, it’s very high quality, lasagna is a labor of love that deserves quality ingredients.
3. Cheese: Shred and grate the cheese from a block, avoid using packaged shredded/grated cheese for this recipe. Low moisture, whole milk mozzarella cheese melts the best.
4. Lasagna Noodles: No-boil lasagna noodles or fresh lasagna noodles can also be used for this recipe, neither of which need to be cooked first.
5. Casserole Dish: If your lasagna is very close to the top of your casserole dish, place a baking sheet underneath the casserole dish to catch any splatters of sauce, as it gets hot and bubbly toward the end. This is the Staub casserole dish that I use for this recipe and it fits this lasagna perfectly.

Homemade Lasagna Recipe

Cooking time: 50 minutes

Level: Medium

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 1lb. ground beef
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ cup dry red wine, or beef broth
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 cups Marinara Sauce
• ½ tsp. sea salt
• ¼ tsp. black pepper, ground
• ¼ tsp. dried thyme
• ½ tsp. granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp. parsley, finely chopped
• 9 lasagna noodles, cooked al dente
• Ingredients for Cheese Sauce:
• 16 oz low-fat cottage cheese
• 15 oz reduced fat ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg
• 2 tbsp. parsley, finely chopped, plus more to garnish
• 4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided

Instructions

1. Make Meat Sauce:

1. Place a deep pan or Dutch oven over medium/high heat and add 1 tbsp. olive oil, 1lb. ground beef and diced onion. Sauté, breaking up the meat, for 5 minutes or until beef is no longer pink. Add pressed garlic and sauté another minute until fragrant.
2. Add ¼ cup wine and stir for 2 minutes or until wine is nearly evaporated. Add 3 cups marinara, ½tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper, ¼ tsp. thyme, ½ tsp. sugar and 2 Tbsp parsley. Bring to a simmer then cover and cook 5 minutes.

2. Make Cheese Sauce:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine 16 oz Cottage Cheese, 15 oz Ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1 egg and 2 tbsp. parsley. Mix well.

3. Make Lasagna:

1. Preheat oven to 375℉. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and 9 lasagna noodles. Cook until al dente according to package instructions.

2. Spread ½ cup meat sauce in the bottom of a deep 9×13 casserole dish. Add 3 noodles, spread on ⅓ of the meat sauce, and sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Spoon on and spread the top with ½ of your cheese sauce.

3. Repeat until you have 3 layers of noodles:

• Add 3 noodles, ⅓ meat sauce, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, ½ cheese sauce.
• Add 3 noodles, remaining ⅓ meat sauce, remaining 1 cup mozzarella.

4. Poke 9-12 toothpicks over the surface of your lasagna (to keep the foil from sticking to the cheese). Cover with foil and bake at 375℉ for 45 minutes.

5. Remove foil and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until cheese turns golden. Let lasagna rest 30 min before slicing.