Our family’s favorite lasagna recipe – not only because it’s delicious but because it’s so EASY! With beef, Italian Sausage, three cheeses, and tons of seasonings, you know this recipe is going to be a hit!
We’ve found this lasagna to be the perfect dinner whether you’re looking for a regular weeknight meal, or entertaining dinner guests. It’s even better served with garlic bread and a caesar salad!
the only recipe we’ll use
I’m sharing our family’s favorite easy lasagna recipe today! My mom makes Lasagna for the family all the time (we love all lasagnas and also make Chicken Lasagna and even Lasagna Soup). It’s one of those meals that the entire family loves, and one that feeds a crowd.
Over the years, my mom has tried a TON of Lasagna recipes, but recently she has been using the same one because all of us kids loved it so much. The recipe comes from the awesome ladies at Favorite Family Recipes. My mom modified it a bit to our family’s liking and we will probably continue to make it again and again because it’s so easy and so good.
Ingredients:
This easy lasagna recipe includes all the traditional ingredients including
- meat (beef and Italian sausage)
- cheese (parmesan, mozzarella, and ricotta cheese)
- seasonings (minced garlic, basil, fennel seeds, parsley, garlic salt, salt, and pepper)
- tomato sauce
- lasagna noodles
Ingredient options
CHEESE. You can sub out equal amounts of ricotta for cottage cheese. The only difference between the two is a matter of texture and nutritional value. Cottage cheese is lumpier, while ricotta cheese is grainier, although cottage cheese has fewer calories and grams of fat.
MEAT. If you don’t like Italian sausage, you can just use all ground beef instead of half and half.
How to Make Lasagna
This classic lasagna recipe is so simple to make. Begin by cooking up your meat and adding seasonings, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and paste. While the sauce is simmering, prep the noodles by soaking them in hot water for 30 minutes. Once that’s set, you will combine the three cheeses together along with the egg, nutmeg and chopped parsley and start layering in your 9×13 pan.
Layering method
This homemade lasagna recipe is simple, but has several layers to it. Here’s a helpful list of all the layers:
- Layer 1 – 2 cups of meat sauce – this helps prevent the lasagna from getting dry, and the noodles from sticking to the pan.
- Layer 2 – 6 Lasagna Noodles
- Layer 3 – Half of the ricotta cheese mixture
- Layer 4 – 2 cups of meat sauce
- Layer 5 – Half of the mozzarella cheese
- Layer 6 – 2 cups meat sauce
- Layer 7 – 6 Lasagna Noodles
- Layer 8 – Last half of the ricotta cheese mixture
- Layer 9 – 2 cups of meat sauce
- Layer 10 – Last of the shredded mozzarella
Once everything is layered, you will bake for with foil on for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. We recommend letting the dish rest for at least 15-20 minutes to let the layers firm up a bit before cutting into it.
Tips and troubleshooting
Cook covered. If you leave your lasagna uncovered in the oven, it will become dry. Fight back with a foil-topped tray for a portion of the baking time. Once the lasagna has baked at least halfway through, remove the foil so the top can brown.
If, once it’s fully cooked, the top still looks pale, turn on the broiler to help move things along. But keep an eye on it; it can burn quickly.
Why is my lasagna soupy? A few things can cause too much moisture in lasagna. If you use a really thin tomato sauce, or non-fat sour cream and cottage cheese, there will be more water content in your ingredients, causing the lasagna to be soupy.
Also, if you live at a higher altitude, it may require a longer baking time than listed in the recipe. While you can make lasagna ahead and refrigerate or freeze it, it won’t necessarily reduce the moisture content, but the no boil noodles will soak up the watery sauce.
best way to reheat leftovers
You can reheat small portions of lasagna in a microwave by placing it in a microwave-safe container and adding a bit of marinara sauce or water on top. This prevents it from drying out in the microwave.
Cover it with a lid or a microwave-safe plate and heat for 1-2 minutes, or until the lasagna is heated through.
If you’re trying to reheat larger portions (however much is left in the pan), pour about ¼ cup of water or marinara sauce over the lasagna and cover it with aluminum foil. Bake for 25 minutes at 425 degrees F, or until the lasagna is hot and bubbly.
Seriously – you can never go wrong with lasagna for dinner. It’s just too good, and I will never turn it down with all it’s cheesy meaty goodness!
what to serve with lasagna?
For more lasagna recipes, check out:
- Cheesy Spinach Lasagna Rolls
- Lasagna Soup
- Alfredo Lasagna
- Skillet Lasagna
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Lasagna
Easy Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 (6-ounce) cans tomato paste
- 1 ½ cups tomato sauce
- ½ cup water
- 2 tbsp brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup chopped basil
- ½ tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic salt divided, or to taste
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 16 ounces ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese)
- 1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- dash of nutmeg
- 4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- extra basil chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot, cook sausage, ground beef and garlic until brown and no longer pink. Drain fat.
- Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, water, brown sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, garlic salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for about 30-45 minutes.
- While the sauce simmers, prep noodles by soaking in hot water for 30 minutes.
- Make ricotta mixture while sauce is simmering by combining ricotta cheese, grated Parmesan, egg, nutmeg and chopped parsley.
- Layer lasagna as follows:1. 2 cups meat sauce2. 6 noodles3. ½ ricotta mixture4. 2 cups meat sauce5. ½ of the mozzarella6. 2 cups meat sauce7. 6 noodles8. Last half of ricotta mixture9. 2 cups meat sauce10. Last of the shredded mozzarella
- Cover with foil and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Bake with foil on for the first 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. Let cool for 15-20 minutes before cutting and serving.
- Sprinkle with fresh basil if desired.
Video
Where’s ther original recipe😭😭I remember making this a couple years ago and it was delish and a lot of these ingredients weren’t even in there!
We’re also looking for the old recipe 🙁 The ingredients list was simple and the lasagna was already really tasty!
We are constantly updating and revising our recipes to our very favorite versions. We did update this recipe, but are hopefu you will love this recipe too! It’s yummy!!
I’m sure the new recipe is also delicious! 🙂 But would it be possible to also keep the original recipe on your website? It was the best lasagna recipe we tried and we made it so many times but it’s been a while (just finished the frozen batch we made) and we were looking forward to make it again. Thank you!
Where is the original recipe? It was delicious and simple. Can you at least provide a link to it?
I agree! The old recipe needs to come back. It was perfect!
I miss the original recipe! I made this one this past weekend and it just wasn’t as great. Your original was fantastic!
I would like the original recipe too. My son loved the old one b/c he does not like ricotta cheese. It was by far the best lasagna!!!!!!
Came looking for the old recipe. I understand the need to update things, but providing a link to the original as an option would be fantastic. I don’t think fennel seeds and brown sugar add anything to lasagna.
Where is the old recipe with sour cream and other basic ingredients ? I have had this pinned and have been using it for years and am so disappointed that’s it’s been changed. So sad!
Pleaseee post the old version.
There hasn’t been one positive comment on here since you changed it. Pleaseeeeeeee..
• 1 TB vegetable oil
• 3 tsp minced garlic
• 2 TB basil
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 5 c tomato sauce
• 1 lb beef
• 1 lb pork
• 16 oz sour cream
• 2 c cottage cheese
• 1 c parmesan cheese 120g
• 1 lb mozzarella cheese sliced
• 1 pkg lasagna noodle no boil
• Parmesan cheese to taste
• pepper to taste
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a pan, saute garlic in Vegetable oil on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir in basil, salt, a little pepper, and tomato sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes. Turn down to low and continue to simmer.
3. In another pan, brown your beef and pork. Add browned meat to your sauce and continue to simmer.
4. In a bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, cottage cheese and sour cream. Mix well. Set aside.
5. In a 9×13 pan, spread 1 cup of your sauce on the bottom. Layer with lasagna noodles and spread another cup of sauce on top of the noodles.
6. Add a layer of sliced mozzarella cheese and then half the sour cream mixture.
7. Then add another layer of noodles, followed by a cup of sauce, another layer of sliced mozzarella and the rest of the sour cream mixture.
8. Then add one more layer of noodles and the last of the sauce.
9. Add Parmesan cheese to the top, cover with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes (taking foil off for the last 5 minutes of cooking).
Then NY Times and others have a habit of removing free access to their recipes. I learned therefore, to print recipes. Fortunately I learned this before this one changed. I too was dismayed, to say the least, that my web link brought me to a revised recipe.
HANDS DOWN the original recipe is the best I have come across in my lifetime. Wow. EVERYONE I ever invited to share this lasagna with loved it and thought the lasagna: decadent.
I appreciate revising recipes. And I thank Lil’ Luna for hosting this recipe website. Thank you! And thank you for not requiring one to give up their soul in order to post a comment! Now excuse me whilst I update my shopping list for the OLD version of this “Easy Lasagna Recipe”!