The Best Lasagna Recipe
There’s something magical about a lasagna that’s rich, cheesy, and layered with bold flavors. This recipe delivers just that—a perfect harmony of tender pasta, savory meat sauce, and creamy béchamel.
Ingredients
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- ½ sweet or yellow onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced (about 1 heaping Tablespoon)
- 1 lb ground beef I use a lean beef but use whichever percentage you prefer
- 1 lb sweet Italian sausage
- 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 28 oz tomato sauce
- 14 oz diced tomatoes undrained
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
Filling/Topping
- 15 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
- ½ cup fresh shredded parmesan cheese
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook noodles according to package instructions until al-dente (typically 10 minutes), stirring occasionally.
- Drain and run noodles under cold water to keep them from cooking further. Set aside.
- While the noodles are cooking you can begin preparing your sauce. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat until shimmering. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
- Add ground beef and sausage to the pan and cook, crumbling, until mostly browned. Drain if needed. If you have accumulated a brown layer on the bottom of the pan, simply deglaze with a splash of broth or wine.
- Add Italian seasoning, basil, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and stir until well combined with the meat.
- Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and sugar and stir well. Bring to a simmer and stir occasionally while you prepare the cheese layer:
- Stir together ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, cream cheese, egg, and dried parsley until completely combined.
- Spoon a thin layer of sauce onto the bottom of a 9×13” (23x33cm) baking dish. Top with an even layer of 4 noodles.
- Top the noodles with a third of your sauce. Dollop half of your ricotta over the sauce and use a spoon to spread evenly (it will be a thin layer and may swirl with the sauce, this is fine). Top the ricotta with 1 cup (113g) shredded mozzarella.
- Repeat with 4 more noodles, half of your remaining sauce, another layer of ricotta and another cup of mozzarella, then 4 more noodles, remaining sauce, and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella evenly over the top.
- Lightly spray a piece of aluminum foil with cooking spray and place the foil (spray-side down) over the lasagna. Place the lasagna on a foil-lined baking sheet (in case any overflow happens this will keep it from making a mess in your oven) and bake in 350F (175C) oven for 40 minutes, then remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes/until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Nutrition
Calories: 589kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 30gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 123mgSodium: 1108mgPotassium: 641mgFiber: 3gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 870IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 323mgIron: 3mg
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