Cheesy Classic Lasagna

The BEST classic lasagna recipe that’ll have your tastebuds begging for more! 😉 It’s layered with a homemade beef and sausage sauce, creamy ricotta, gooey mozzarella cheese and parmesan. Follow this easy recipe and you are guaranteed the most delicious and perfect lasagna every time!

I know there’s a lot of recipes out there that claim to be “the best _____”. And claiming this to be the best classic lasagna, I don’t say it lightly. Classics never disappoint. After you give it a try, I know your search for the best lasagna will come to an end. BECAUSE THIS IS IT, FRIENDS! 🙂

Okay, now the sauce. I believe the sauce is what makes this lasagna SO good!! It simmers for 1-2 hrs, it allows the flavors to mingle and get all delicious. You can also place the sauce in the fridge overnight and prepare the lasagna the next day, that’s totally fine. It’s a process but it makes for that hearty, meaty sauce that will just take this dish over the top!

We need to talk about lasagna noodles as well. Please do yourself a favor and find some noodles that say “oven ready” on the box. I love the Barilla brand for all my pasta needs. 😉 There is no boiling necessary for these noodles! They bake up perfectly with the sauce, it saves you time & no dirtying up another pot. So much easier! Of course, traditional boiling noodles would work as well in this recipe.

Cheesy, flavorful, cozy and so good & satisfying! The perfect comfort food for a night in. I’ll include everything below what you need to know how to make this lasagna, and you can also make it ahead and freeze it. Win win! So when you get those unexpected visitors, you can pretend you have your act together. Am I speaking to anyone or just myself? 🙂 Try this lasagna with my Fluffy Homemade Breadsticks.

Yield: 12 servings

INGREDIENTS

MEAT SAUCE

1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1/2 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
2 (14.5 oz) cans whole tomatoes, chopped & undrained
2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste
4 tablespoons water*

Oven ready lasagna noodles or traditional boiling noodles* (please refer to notes)

CHEESE MIXTURE

24 oz ricotta
1/2 cup parmesan
1 lb mozzarella cheese, divided
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons dried parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

Meat Sauce: In a dutch oven or large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, about 7-10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add ground beef & Italian sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Cook until the meats are fully cooked. Drain,
Add salt, brown sugar, parsley flakes, dried oregano, dried basil, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste and simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 hrs, stirring occasionally.
Prepare the cheese mixture: in a medium size bowl, mix the ricotta, parmesan cheese, 1/2 lb (8 oz) mozzarella cheese, eggs, pepper, and dried parsley together.
Assemble the lasagna: Preheat the oven to 375F & spray the lasagna pan with nonstick spray. Spread a few spoons of meat sauce on the bottom of your lasagna dish. Arrange 3-4 noodles (depending on how big your dish is) in a single layer over the sauce in the dish, spread 1/3 of the meat sauce over the noodles, then spread 1/3 of the cheese mixture over the meat sauce.
Repeat these layers two more times with the remaining ingredients & then cover top with the remaining 8 oz mozzarella cheese.
Cover with aluminum foil, but first, spray the side of the foil facing the lasagna with cooking spray to avoid sticking. Bake for 35 minutes. Uncover the dish and bake for another 25 minutes, or until the cheese is nicely browned. Remove from the oven and let stand for 20-25 minutes before slicing and serving. Garnish with fresh parsley.

RECIPE NOTES

USING OVEN READY NOODLES

Add 4 tablespoons of water to the sauce before layering the lasagna, as the noodles will soak up some of the sauce and you don’t want dry noodles. DO NOT add the water if you’ll be using traditional boiled noodles.

MAKE THE LASAGNA AHEAD OF TIME

You can make the sauce 3 days in advance and refrigerate it. It will also stay good in the deep freezer for up to 3 months. Just a heads up, if you use cold sauce in your lasagna, you will need to make it an additional 15-20 minutes.
You can assemble the lasagna a day in advance, cover it up and refrigerate. It won’t change the taste at all.

FREEZE UNCOOKED LASAGNA

Assemble lasagna in a freezer safe dish & cover it very tightly with saran wrap and then with aluminum foil. Label & mark the date on the foil and place it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
When you’re ready to bake, thaw it completely in the fridge the night before.
Remove the saran, spray the side of the foil facing the lasagna with cooking spray to avoid sticking and cover the lasagna.
Bake lasagna as stated in the above directions, adding an additional 15 minutes.

FREEZE COOKED LASAGNA

Bake lasagna in a freezer safe dish and let it cook for one hour.
Cover the lasagna with saran wrap and place in the fridge to completely cook before freezing it.
Cover it tightly with aluminum foil, label & mark the date on the foil and place carefully in the freezer for up to 3 months.
When you’re ready to bake, thaw the lasagna completely in the fridge overnight.
Remove the saran wrap, spray the side of aluminum foil facing the lasagna with cooking spray to avoid sticking and cover the lasagna.
Bake lasagna as stated in the above directions, adding an additional 15 minutes.