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.
Servings 12 servings
Calories 383kcal
Ingredients
- 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.
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.
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.
- Instead of ground beef, or in addition to ground beef, you can use ground turkey, ground chicken or sausage.
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