Lasagna
Classic Lasagna is a tried and true family favorite dinner made with a homemade meat sauce, layers pasta and lots of melty cheese. A great dinner for any night of the week and a great dish to serve for guests.
The homemade sauce is extra meaty and delicious making this pasta casserole a hearty meal. Serve lasagna with a green salad and breadsticks or garlic bread for a meal the entire family can agree on. You might also like our vegetarian Grilled Zucchini Lasagna.
Ingredients for Classic Lasagna:
- Ground Beef
- Sausage
- Olive Oil
- Onion & Garlic
- Tomato Sauce
- Basil & Oregano
- Salt & Pepper
- Cottage Cheese or Ricotta
- Fresh Rosemary
- Egg
- Lasagna Noodles
- Shredded Italian Cheese Blend
- Mozzarella
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How to Make Lasagna:
- Start with the sauce by browning ground beef and sausage over medium heat, in a large pan. Stir to break into small pieces and brown well.
- Drizzle in olive oil and add diced onion and minced garlic, continue to cook for about 5 minutes.
- Stir in tomato sauce. Add basil, oregano, salt and pepper.
- Simmer sauce for 45 minutes to one hour, stirring often.
- Meanwhile, cook the lasagna noodles about 6 minutes in boiling water. Remove from water with tongs and place in a single layer on a greased baking sheet. Use parchment paper, to create layers of the lasagna without them sticking together.
- If you are using cottage cheese, drain well. Mix with fresh rosemary, salt, pepper and a beaten egg.
- Use a 9 x 13 casserole dish and cover the bottom with the meat sauce in a thin layer.
- Top with a single layer of lasagna noodles.
- Spread with cottage cheese and herb mixture and sprinkle with shredded cheese.
- Add another layer of noodles and repeat with sauce, cottage cheese mixture, shredded cheese and pasta.
- Top with a layer of sliced mozzarella, meat sauce, noodles, and sauce.
- Finish with the remaining sliced mozzarella.
- Spray one side of a sheet of aluminum foil with non stick cooking spray and cover lasagna. Place on a sheet pan to catch any drips or spills since the casserole dish is very full.
- Bake for 25 minutes, remove foil and continue to cook another 25 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to rest 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
How to Store, Freeze and Reheat Lasagna:
Store in the casserole dish covered with foil or plastic wrap up to 5 days.
Freeze baked lasagna wrapped in 2 layers of plastic wrap and a layer of foil for up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator before reheating.
Reheat lasagna in a 300° oven, covered with foil for 30 minutes. If using a glass casserole dish, do not put a cold dish into a hot oven. Transfer to a room temperature dish before reheating.
Tips for Making Lasagna:
- No Boil Noodles will speed up the process but for the best texture and flavor, go ahead and boil the noodles. Only cook them about half way, about 5 minutes and they will be perfectly cooked when the casserole is baked.
- Don’t cook the entire box at once, cook the pasta in batches. Remove each lasagna noodle from the pan with tongs and place in a single layer. Use parchment paper or foil to make layers of the pasta without them sticking together.
- We use a combination of lean ground beef and our homemade sausage. You can just use ground beef or just sausage. Italian sausage or any sausage you have on hand.
- Jar pasta sauce will work for the tomato sauce, we love our homemade roasted tomato sauce.
- A block of mozzarella, sliced with make the best layer of gooey cheese for the top of the casserole.
- Either ricotta cheese or cottage cheese will work and add a bit of creaminess to offset the acid of the tomato sauce.
- Let the baked lasagna cool a bit so that it will set up and is easier to slice and serve.
- Lasagna can be made ahead to the point of baking. Cover and refrigerate up to 2 days before baking. If using a glass baking dish, bring casserole to room temperature before baking.
You might also like this crispy Chicken Parmesan for a quick Italian style family dinner or the classic Spaghetti and Meatballs.
Add this classic lasagna to the menu this week. It is great for feeding a hungry crowd and also makes a great dish to bake and share for someone that could use a helping hand.
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Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 pound ground sausage
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 6 cups roasted tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons oregano
- 2 tablespoons basil
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt divided use
- 2 teaspoon pepper divided use
- 24 ounces cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
- 8 ounces shredded Italian cheese
- 16 ounces mozzarella cheese sliced
Instructions
- Brown ground beef and sausage over medium heat in a large pan. Stir often and break into pieces to brown all sides.
- Add olive oil, onion and garlic and continue to cook until onion softens, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in tomato sauce with basil, oregano, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Simmer sauce for 45 minutes to one hour. Stir occasionally.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil with 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Cook pasta in batches for 5 minutes. Remove with tongs to a greased or lined baking sheet in a single layer. Use foil or parchment paper to layer pasta without sticking together.
- If you are using cottage cheese, drain well. Mix with fresh rosemary, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Mix in beaten egg. Refrigerate until ready to layer casserole.
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Spoon sauce into bottom of a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.
- Add lasagna noodles in a single layer to cover the sauce.
- Top with an even layer of cottage cheese mixture. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.
- Repeat with a layer of noodles, sauce, cottage cheese mixture, shredded cheese and pasta.
- Add a layer of sliced mozzarella, meat sauce, noodles, sauce and finish with the remaining sliced mozzarella.
- Cover with aluminum foil that is coated with non stick cooking spray. Place on a sheet pan to catch any over flow while cooking.
- Bake for 25 minutes, remove foil and continue to cook another 25 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to rest 15 minutes before slicing and serving.