Homemade Lasagna

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This Homemade Lasagna is a whole family-approved recipe in my house! The layers pasta, tangy marinara, and melted cheese are so good and I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a better comfort food. This lasagna takes a little time, so I love making it on the weekend for a special Sunday dinner. It also freezes well!

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I like adding veggies to my pasta, but I knew I needed a traditional lasagna recipe with a simple, meaty marinara sauce. (Don’t worry—I have a veggie lasagna if you want a veggie-filled version!) This lasagna recipe is exactly that. It also uses 3 types of cheese for maximum meltiness! If I had to pinpoint one of my favorite parts of this recipe, though, it would be the chopped basil in the ricotta cheese mixture since it adds freshness. While the lasagna bakes, I usually make a Caesar salad and garlic bread to go with it!

Recipe at a Glance

Cuisine Inspiration: Italian
Primary Cooking Method: Oven
Key Flavor: Beefy, tomatoey, cheesy, and saucy
Skill Level: Intermediate

Why This Is So Good

• It’s easy to customize: This easy beef lasagna recipe is super adaptable! Pack it full of veggies, switch up the meat, or make it dairy-free.
• It’s a great meal prep recipe: You can make this dish ahead of time and bake when you’re ready to serve it. I often make it when company is coming over or on a Sunday when I know the week’s going to be busy!
• Homemade lasagna makes great leftovers: The flavors of this lasagna only get better overnight (once they’ve had time to meld!). It’s one of my favorite things to have for lunch.

Ingredients to Make Homemade Lasagna

• Lasagna sheets: If you use no-boil lasagna sheets, you can skip the pre-cooking! I prefer the texture of regular lasagna sheets, though. Make it gluten-free. This is an easy swap! You’ll need gluten-free lasagna sheets.
• Olive oil: You’ll need just a little to start the sauce (and cook the garlic and onion!).
• Onion and garlic: These add a huge amount of flavor.
• Lean ground beef: An essential ingredient in this classic lasagna! I like lean ground beef, but you can use any fat percentage you like. Replace the beef with ground chicken or turkey.
• Crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce: You’ll use two types of tomatoes for the texture variation! Make sure to get crushed, not diced tomatoes.
• Italian seasoning: If I have a few minutes, I like to make my own Italian seasoning because it tastes so much fresher. However, store-bought is fine too!
• Ricotta cheese: This has a mild flavor, but tons of creaminess. If you can, opt for full-fat ricotta cheese for the best flavor and texture.
• Parmesan cheese: This provides a salty pop of flavor! I recommend grating it yourself since pre-shredded Parmesan can have a grittier texture.
• Basil: I recommend using fresh basil! You can use half of the dried basil, though.
• Eggs: This makes the cheese layer creamier and more spreadable.
• Mozzarella cheese: This is the ultimate melting cheese! Topping the homemade lasagna with this means a cheese pull with every slice.

Popular Additions

• Add veggies. I’ll often throw veggies I have on hand into this homemade lasagna. So far, mushrooms, green peppers, and Roma tomatoes are my favorite!
• White Sauce (Béchamel): For a creamy addition, spread a thin layer of béchamel sauce over the pasta sheets before adding the ricotta layer. This adds a luscious, silky texture to the lasagna. PS. If you haven’t tried my Macarona Bechamel yet, you’ve got to add it your list after you make this lasagna.
• A Touch of Red Pepper Flakes: For those who like a bit of heat, sprinkle red pepper flakes into the sauce or between layers to add a gentle kick to each bite.

How to Make Lasagna

One of the things that sets my homemade lasagna apart is the homemade beefy tomato sauce. It’s so savory and delicious—I could eat it just on its own or on top of baked spaghetti!

Tips for Making the Best Homemade Lasagna

1. Shingle the lasagna sheets. I prefer to use a full pound of lasagna sheets because it creates a sturdier lasagna (and I love more noodles!). I recommend shingling or overlapping the pieces and using about 5 to 7 noodles per row.
2. Reduce the sauce to your liking. I find that 20 minutes of simmering time for the lasagna sauce creates something thick but not too watery or dry. However, if you want a thinner or thicker sauce, you can decrease or increase this simmering time by 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Brown the cheese on top. When this homemade lasagna is done baking, you can remove the foil to allow the cheese to brown. An extra 10-15 minutes will be perfect! My kids especially love this crispy top.
4. Prepare the lasagna day in advance. You can assemble it, then cover it and keep it in the fridge for up to 24 hours until you’re ready to bake it.
5. Let the lasagna rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing it. This is important to prevent the cheese from oozing out and the layers from running!

What to Serve With Homemade Lasagna Recipe with Ricotta Cheese

Pair with sides that bring out the flavors add a bit of lightness and enhance the overall meal. 

• Garlic Knots or Garlic Bread
• Zucchini Salad or a Fresh Garden Salad
• Air Fryer Green Beans
• Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts

Frequently Asked Questions

More Lasagna Recipes:

• Heirloom Tomato Lasagna
• Vegetable Lasagna
• Greek Yogurt Lasagna
• Easy Homemade Lasagna
• Eggplant Lasagna
• Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
• Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups
• Zucchini Lasagna
• Sheet Pan Lasagna
• Lasagna Soup

If you try this feel good Homemade Lasagna recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!

This homemade lasagna recipe was originally published on December 3, 2019 and recently updated with a more classic beef tomato sauce, new photography, and step-by-step images to help make the recipe. If you loved the original recipe with extra veggies you can find it in the recipe card notes section below.

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Review

Homemade Lasagna

This homemade lasagna recipe is made with a beefy tomato sauce layered with ricotta and mozzarella cheese and baked until golden and bubbly.

5 from 35 votes

Author Yumna Jawad

Servings 12 servings

Course Dinner, Entree

Calories 383

Prep Time 35 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 pound lasagna sheets
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 large onion diced
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves minced
• ▢ 1 pound lean ground beef
• ▢ 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• ▢ 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons salt plus more for cooking pasta
• ▢ 1 teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste
• ▢ 1 (16-ounce container) ricotta cheese
• ▢ ½ cup grated parmesan cheese divided
• ▢ ¼ cup Fresh basil chopped and divided
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Add lasagna sheets to the pot and cook until al dente. Drain lasagna sheets, then set overlapping on the prepared sheet pan.
• In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened and fragrant.
• Add ground beef and break into small chunks as it cooks. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. Set sauce aside off the heat while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
• In a medium bowl combine ricotta cheese, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, basil, eggs, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Add 1 ½ cups of meat sauce into the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Add ⅓ of the pasta shingled (or overlapping), followed by about ½ of the ricotta cheese mixture, smoothing it into a somewhat even layer. Add ⅓ of the remaining meat sauce (about 2 cups) on top of the ricotta cheese mixture, and another layer of ⅓ of the pasta. Repeat this process two more times so you have a total of three layers. Add remaining meat sauce on top of the final layer of pasta, followed by the mozzarella and remaining grated parmesan cheese.
• Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until the cheese is golden and bubbly. Let rest for 15 minutes before cutting.

Equipment

• Anodized Nonstick Cookware
• Rectangular Porcelain Baking Dish

Notes

Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container. They will last about 3-4 days in the fridge.

Freezing Instructions: You can also freeze the baked lasagna for up to 3 months. To re-heat, thaw in the fridge overnight and bake in a 350°F oven until heated through. You can also freeze the uncooked lasagna as I often do. Follow the baking instructions but leave it in the oven for an extra 10 minutes.

Substitutes: For best results, follow the recipe as is. However here are some common substitutes that would work well in this recipe.

• Instead of ground beef, or in addition to ground beef, you can use ground turkey, ground chicken or sausage.

 

Original recipe

12-16 lasagna sheets
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
15 ounces ricotta cheese
Tomato Sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound lean ground beef
1 onion chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
8 ounces mushrooms chopped (optional)
½ green pepper chopped (optional)
2 roma tomatoes chopped (optional)
15 ounces pasta sauce
4 ounces tomato paste
2-3 tablespoons fresh basil plus more for layering
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Heat oven to 375°F.
To make the tomato sauce, heat the olive oil over medium hight heat. Add the ground beef along with the onions and garlic; and cook until beef is well browned. Drain any fat.
Stir in any additional vegetables you’re using like mushrooms, green peppers and tomatoes. Add the pasta sauce, tomato paste and basil. Season with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Add 1 cup of the tomato sauce to a 9×13 baking dish and spread evenly. Top with 3-4 sheets of lasagna noodles. Layer with ⅓ of the ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese and ⅓ cup of the remaining tomato sauce. Continue for 2 more layers, and finish with noodles topped with sauce and the remaining cheese.
Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
Let rest for 15 minutes before cutting.

Nutrition

Calories: 383kcal, Carbohydrates: 39g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 84mg, Sodium: 776mg, Potassium: 603mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 642IU, Vitamin C: 10mg, Calcium: 282mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.

Cuisine American, Italian

Course: Dinner, Entree