The Best Lasagna
The Best Lasagna- the hearty, comforting, reminds you of home, casserole. Three delicious layers of cheesy, beefy, saucy goodness that’s always the perfect dish for any occasion and any day of the week.
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If I was stuck on a desert island and could only have 1 food- I’d ask for lasagna. If I could only eat one thing for the rest of my life- hands down I want lasagna. My request for my last meal would be- lasagna.
I just love it so much! The tender pasta noodles with the fun frills on the side. The bursting tomato flavor of the slow cooked sauce. The creaminess and bite of the ricotta cheese mixed with parmesan and mozzarella. Divine!
And somehow it tastes even better the next day!
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like lasagna, which makes it the perfect dish for potlucks and family gatherings. It’s the kind of casserole you bring to a new mom or to a dear friend in a time of need. Lasagna might just be the perfect recipe for absolutely any reason or occasion.
Enough talking, let’s make it already!
What you’ll need
- 9×13 deep dish baking dish
- Lasagna noodles– I personally prefer the noodles you have to boil in water. For me, the no-boil noodles have a weird texture and I’m not a fan. However, if you love no boil noodles, you can definitely use those.
- 5 cups meat sauce – use my crock pot meat sauce recipe or make your own. I love making a batch of the crock pot meat sauce the day before I plan to make lasagna.
- Ricotta cheese – or cottage cheese, if you prefer
- Eggs-for the filling
- Seasonings– salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning
- Parmesan cheese, grated
- Mozzarella cheese, shredded- some people like provolone cheese instead, if that’s you use provolone cheese.
One Dish Chicken and Rice or Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole are other one pan wonders!
Sauce
I use my recipe for Crock Pot Meat Sauce in lasagna. I typically cook it the day before and reserve what I need for the lasagna and either save the rest for later in the week, or freeze it.
This slow cooker recipe is the best because after you brown the beef, it’s hand off. The sauce cooks low and slow all day, it has amazing flavor, and makes a lot. Freezes wonderfully, too!
You can also use your own homemade meat sauce recipe or brown a pound of lean ground beef in a large pan with a diced onion and garlic until the meat is cooked through and add jarred sauce and your favorite seasonings.
Keep in mind you’ll need 4-6 cups of sauce total, which is approximately two 24 ounce standard sauce jars.
How to make it
Preheat oven to 350°F
Cook the lasagna noodles. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the noodles 8-9 minutes. (about one to two minutes under what the box directions tell you to do-the noodles finish cooking in the oven)
If you are using no-boil noodles, skip the noodle cooking step.
Remove the noodles from the pot and lay out on parchment paper so they don’t stick together, or drizzle with some olive oil.
Prepare the filling: in a medium bowl mix together ricotta cheese, eggs, seasonings, and parmesan cheese.
Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
Assemble the lasagna.
Pour 1 cup of meat sauce* in the bottom of the dish.
Place 3 lasagna noodles on top side by side.
Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella cheese over the ricotta.
Top with 1 cup of meat sauce and spread it evenly.
Repeat the process 2 more times- noodles, ricotta, shredded mozzarella, meat sauce.
Place the remaining 3 noodles on top and spread over the rest of the meat sauce.
Cover in foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes.
Let the lasagna cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Heaven on a plate. Yum!
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Make ahead
Can I make this ahead of time? Yes! Assemble the lasagna up to the step before baking. Cover tightly in foil and refrigerate until ready to eat (up to 2 days before).
Bake the lasagna from the fridge for 1 hour; covered for 30 minutes and uncovered for 30 minutes, or until heated through.
To freeze: Prepare the lasagna in a freezer safe container. Wrap well and tightly in a layer of plastic wrap and then foil. Freeze up to 6 months. I love an aluminum pan for this process.
When ready to bake, take it from the freezer and leave on the counter for 30 minutes. Bake for 1 hour (or until heated through), also baking it covered for 30 minutes and uncovered for 30 minutes.
This is a great meal prep recipe for a busy season, if you want to have meals ready to go after having a baby, or to gift to someone. Nothing says “I care about you” more than a pan of lasagna.
Tips and Suggestions
- Use no boil noodles, if you prefer
- Refrigerate leftovers up to 4 days or freeze up to 6 months.
- To keep the cooked noodles from sticking together- lay out a large piece of parchment paper on the counter. Drain the lasagna noodles and lay each noodle on the parchment paper. Alternatively, drizzle the noodles in the pot with oil.
- Replace ricotta cheese with cottage cheese, if you prefer cottage cheese. The measurements are the same.
- You may have noticed this recipe doesn’t call for mozzarella cheese on the top. I’ve never made it with cheese on top of the sauce on the last layer and my mom never did either. It’s really a matter of preference. If you like the top cheesy, by all means load it up!
Try easy Biscuit Dough Garlic Knots or Cheesy Garlic Bread Sliders to go alongside your lasagna!
More Casseroles
- One Dish Meatball Casserole
- Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli
- Chicken and Waffles
- Ravioli Casserole (lazy lasagna)
- Tater Tot Casserole
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The Best Lasagna
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 5 cups meat sauce – use my crock pot meat sauce recipe or make your own
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the noodles 8-9 minutes.
- Remove from the pot and lay out on parchment paper so they don’t stick.
- Prepare the filling: in a medium bowl mix together ricotta cheese, eggs, seasonings, and parmesan cheese.
- Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Assemble the lasagna.
- Pour 1 cup of meat sauce in the bottom of the dish. Place 3 lasagna noodles on top side by side.
- Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella cheese over the ricotta. Top with 1 cup of meat sauce and spread it evenly.
- Repeat the process 2 more times- noodles, ricotta, shredded mozzarella, meat sauce.
- Place the remaining 3 noodles on top and spread over the rest of the meat sauce.
- Cover in foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes.
- Let the lasagna cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Use no boil noodles, if you prefer
- Refrigerate leftovers up to 4 days or freeze up to 6 months.
- To keep the cooked noodles from sticking together- lay out a large piece of parchment paper on the counter. Drain the lasagna noodles and lay each noodle on the parchment paper. Alternatively, drizzle the noodles in the pot with oil.
- Replace ricotta cheese with cottage cheese, if you prefer cottage cheese. The measurements are the same.
- You may have noticed this recipe doesn’t call for mozzarella cheese on the top. I’ve never made it with cheese on top of the sauce on the last layer and my mom never did either. It’s really a matter of preference. If you like the top cheesy, by all means load it up!
