Classic Lasagna
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Comforting, familiar flavors but refined—my all-time favorite lasagna layers oven-ready noodles, a rich meat sauce, veggies, and plenty of cheese.
I love this lasagna recipe because it beautifully combines the familiar flavors of the lasagna I grew up on with the refined taste of a restaurant-style dish. It’s also relatively easy to make, thanks to the use of oven-ready or no-boil lasagna noodles, which save time and effort while delivering a taste remarkably similar to fresh homemade pasta—a definite win! The noodles are layered with a flavorful meat sauce made with Italian sausage, vegetables, crushed tomatoes, and cream, as well as creamy ricotta, gooey mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese. Baked until bubbly and golden, it’s the perfect cozy dish for a crowd, and it reheats and freezes well, too. This is definitely my go-to lasagna recipe!
Table of Contents
“Best Lasagna recipe – ever! And that includes those prepared in notable Italian restaurants…Conversation at the dinner table was reduced to sighs of delight and the utterance of an occasional OMG or YUM.”
What You’ll Need To Make Lasagna
- Onion, Garlic, Carrots, and Celery: These vegetables are the base of the sauce, contributing to the depth of flavor.
- Italian Sausage: The key flavor component of the sauce, it adds richness and depth of flavor with its spices and fat content.
- Red Wine: Ådds acidity and complexity to the sauce.
- Canned Crushed Tomatoes: Provides body, acidity, and tomato flavor to the sauce.
- Heavy Cream: Added to the tomato sauce to balance the acidity of the tomatoes and wine.
- Thyme and Bay Leaves: These herbs contribute aromatic flavors to the sauce.
- Ricotta Cheese: Mixed with egg, cream cheese, and Parmigiano-Reggiano, used as a creamy layer in the lasagna, adding moisture and richness.
- Cream Cheese: Adds extra creaminess and tang to the ricotta mixture, and prevents the ricotta from becoming grainy when baked.
- Egg: Acts as a binder in the ricotta mixture, helping it to set and maintain structure when the lasagna is baked.
- Parmigiano-Reggiano: A hard, aged cheese that’s rich in flavor, added to the ricotta mixture and also sprinkled on top of the lasagna.
- Oven-Ready (No Boil) Lasagna Noodles: These noodles do not require pre-boiling, which means you don’t have to worry about them slopping around and sticking together, which is always an issue when using regular lasagna noodles to prepare lasagna. They absorb moisture from the sauce and cheese during baking, cooking to perfect tenderness. I like the Barilla brand.
- Mozzarella Cheese: Adds stretchy, melty texture to the layers of the lasagna.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
1. Make the Sauce
Begin by placing the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery in a food processor. You need to give them a rough chop first, otherwise, they won’t chop evenly.
Pulse until minced but not puréed, so that they melt into the sauce.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat, and add the sausage.
Cook, stirring occasionally and breaking the sausage into small pieces, until slightly browned but not cooked all the way through, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the partially cooked sausage to a plate. Set aside.
Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, reduce the heat to medium, and add the minced vegetables.
Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are very soft, 6 to 8 minutes. Do not brown; reduce the heat if necessary.
Add the wine and continue cooking, stirring to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, until the wine is mostly absorbed by the vegetables, a few minutes.
Add the tomatoes, cream, salt, pepper, sugar, thyme and bay leaves.
Stir and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce is thickened, about 20 minutes.
Add the sausage back to the pot.
Continue simmering until the sausage is fully cooked and the flavors all meld together, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Fish out the bay leaves and discard.
2. Make the Ricotta Filling
Combine the ricotta, cream cheese, egg, garlic, Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade.
Process until evenly combined, then add the basil.
Pulse until the basil is finely chopped.
3. Assemble the Lasagna
Spread about 1-1/2 cups of sauce in the bottom of the baking dish.
Arrange 3 noodles over the sauce, and dollop a third of the ricotta filling over the noodles.
Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the noodles.
Sprinkle with 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese.
Repeat layering of sauce, noodles, ricotta filling and mozzarella 2 more times. Top with the remaining 3 noodles. Spoon the remaining sauce over the noodles, then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Spray a large piece of foil with nonstick cooking spray. Cover the lasagna tightly with the foil, sprayed side down. Bake for 40 minutes in a 375°F oven. Carefully uncover and increase the oven temperature to 400°F. Bake, uncovered, until the noodles are tender, the sauce is bubbling, and the edges are golden and puffed, about 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let stand for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! The lasagna can be assembled and refrigerated up to 1 day ahead of time before baking. Allow a few extra minutes in the oven if baking from cold.
Yes, lasagna can be frozen for up to 3 months. If you choose to freeze it before baking, ensure it is thoroughly defrosted in the refrigerator for 24 hours before you follow the recipe’s baking instructions. For already baked lasagna, place any leftovers in a freezer-safe container, or cut it into individual servings. Each serving should be tightly wrapped first in plastic wrap and then in foil. To reheat, cover the lasagna with foil and warm it in an oven preheated to 325°F (165°C) until it is heated through.
Italian sausage is the best choice for this recipe because it is loaded with spices and herbs, such as salt, oregano, basil, fennel, garlic, and red pepper flakes. In contrast, ground beef is completely unseasoned, which means it lacks these built-in flavors. If you decide to use ground beef, I recommend amping up the seasoning by adding a mix of herbs and spices mentioned above.
Video Tutorial
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Classic Lasagna
Comforting, familiar flavors but refined—my all-time favorite lasagna layers oven-ready noodles, a rich meat sauce, veggies, and plenty of cheese.
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
- 1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1½ pounds Italian sausage (bulk or removed from casing)
- ¾ cup dry red wine
- 1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1½ teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
For the Ricotta Mixture
- 1 (15 oz.) container whole milk ricotta (about 1¾ cups)
- 3 oz. cream cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
- ¾ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup roughly chopped fresh basil
For Assembling
- 12 oven ready (no boil) lasagna noodles (such as Barilla)
- 16 ounces shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Instructions
For the Sauce
- Place the onions, garlic, carrot and celery in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade; pulse until finely minced but not puréed.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage into the pan and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking the sausage into small pieces, until slightly browned but not cooked all the way through, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the partially cooked sausage to a plate. Set aside.
- Add the remaining tablespoon olive oil to the pan, reduce the heat to medium, and add the minced vegetables. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are very soft, 6 to 8 minutes. Do not brown; reduce the heat if necessary.
- Add the wine; continue cooking, stirring to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, until the wine is mostly absorbed by the vegetables, a few minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, cream, salt, pepper, sugar, thyme and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the sauce is thickened, about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, transfer the sausage to a cutting board and chop into smaller pieces (big chunks don't work well in lasagna).
- Add the sausage back to the pan and continue simmering, covered, until the sausage is fully cooked and the flavors meld together, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Fish out the bay leaves and discard.
For the Ricotta Mixture
- Combine the ricotta, cream cheese, egg, garlic, Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process until evenly combined. Add the basil and pulse until finely chopped.
For Assembly
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Spread about 1½ cups of sauce in the bottom of a 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Arrange 3 noodles over the sauce (there will be a bit of space between the noodles; they expand as they cook). Dollop a third of the ricotta filling over the noodles, then spread evenly to cover. Sprinkle with ¾ cup of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layering of sauce, noodles, ricotta filling and mozzarella 2 more times. Top with the remaining 3 noodles. Spoon the remaining sauce over the noodles, then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and ¼ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano.
- Spray a large piece of foil with nonstick cooking spray. Cover the lasagna tightly with the foil, sprayed side down. Bake for 40 minutes. Carefully uncover and increase the oven temperature to 400°F. Bake, uncovered, until the noodles are tender, the sauce is bubbling, and the edges are golden and puffed, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for about 15 minutes before serving.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The lasagna can be assembled and refrigerated up to 1 day ahead of time before baking. Allow a few extra minutes in the oven if baking from cold.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The lasagna can be frozen for up to 3 months. If you choose to freeze it before baking, ensure it is thoroughly defrosted in the refrigerator for 24 hours before you follow the recipe's baking instructions. For already baked lasagna, place any leftovers in a freezer-safe container, or cut it into individual servings. Each serving should be tightly wrapped first in plastic wrap and then in foil. To reheat, cover the lasagna with foil and warm it in an oven preheated to 325°F until it is heated
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Serving size: 1 slice
- Calories: 776
- Fat: 45g
- Saturated fat: 23g
- Carbohydrates: 47g
- Sugar: 9g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 46g
- Sodium: 1812mg
- Cholesterol: 158mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Another great recipe! I served it to my family for my Mom’s 93rd birthday and we all loved it. Like the fact that you can make it a day ahead and refrigerate or freeze before baking…..always helpful when preparing for a dinner party with lots of other things to do!
I served it with a traditional Italian salad and homemade garlic bread. Also made your Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cake for dessert! Total delight!!
This looks great!!! Would love to try your lasagna, the one I usually make calls for a traditional bolognase and bechemal and is extremely time consuming.
I make your amazing ziti often, what’s your thoughts on swapping the sausage to, 1/2lb sausage, 1/2lb beef, 1/2lb veal? Just to mix it up a bit? Thanks!
Hi, You could use a combo of sausage, beef and veal. Just make sure the beef and veal are well seasoned as the seasoning from the sausage adds a lot of flavor. Please LMK how it turns out!
Hi Jenn: one of the commentors thought the Barilla no-bake noodles needed more moisture and perhaps the addition of more pasta sauce. I’m making this for New Year’s day am I’m wondering if you think additional sauce/tomatoes is necessary?
Hi Pamela, I don’t find it necessary, but you can see how it looks as you assemble it. If you have enough sauce to completely cover the top layer of noodles, you should be fine (and adding too much sauce will make the lasagna soupy). Hope that helps!
Hearty and scrumptious — this will be the lasagna recipe I cook forevermore (it was a huge hit in our house). Looking forward to a fall and winter of many lasagna nights!
WOW!!! I’ve been making lasagna for over 40 years and have never found what I consider a spectacular “go-to” recipe. This one fits the bill. Absolutely delicious. I made this for our 38th wedding anniversary dinner (with tiramisu for dessert) and would give it 5+ stars. My husband is my best critic and he agreed that it is the best lasagna I have made in our 38 years together and better than any he has had in our numerous visits to Italian restaurants. The flavors were phenomenal. I will definitely be making this recipe again and again, and again…
Thank you for another great recipe, Jenn!
It was my first real attempt, especially at the ricotta-filling kind (cf. bechamel), so I did have a few trip-ups! (totally due to my inexperience, compounded by it being late at night…)
Firstly I am used to parboiling the noodles, and hadn’t realised how much liquid they would absorb (a lot!) I also think I used too many noodles, as sheet sizes and packet sizes are different in the UK, and I didn’t do my research…
Secondly I forgot to time how long to simmer the sauce and I think it thickened up a little too much…
Thirdly I added more meat to use up the packet…!
And fourthly it looked like such as giant dish (first time I’ve cooked in a 9×13, living in UK) that I was sure it wasn’t cooked through, and kept it in at least half an hour too long – may be even longer!)
Not surprisingly, my ‘version’ turned out quite dry! (but it was only for me and my mum that day, so it didn’t matter – we quite enjoyed sharing our opinions of the cause of the dryness).
However, I looked it up online and people have recommended adding a cup or two of liquid (water / stock) to the dish, tenting and reheating on low. So I froze half of it, defrosted it this week and followed the ‘how to fix a dry lasagna’ guidance, and it was so soft and tasty! Even my picky Dad cleared two large pieces (and he has never been known to eat lasagna before).
So excited about it that I am determined to try it again soon, following the recipe properly this time. (Once we have cleared our zucchini surplus).
I did have a quick question, please. I was wondering whether you could recommend (or whether you have already made) a beginner’s tutorial on the different kitchen knives and their uses?
Thanks very much again!
(and also for the bonus pre-order pack – the chorizo burgers and plum crisp look fantastic)
Glad you liked the lasagna despite some trip-ups! As of now, I don’t have a tutorial on kitchen knives and their uses (but’s that a good idea for new content)! I really like Wusthof and they have a page that does a nice job of providing that info.
thank you!
Simply amazing. I skipped the meat and added mushrooms and roasted eggplant. My family fell upon it.
My lasagna pan is 3 inches deep. Will this effect end result?
No, it should be fine. Enjoy!
Hi Jen, can one use the meat sauce from your Pasta Bolognese recipe to “construct” this lasagna? I recently made a large batch of the delicious sauce which is now sitting in my freezer.
Sure, Alan, that should be fine. Hope you enjoy!
Hi, this looks very yummy. We don’t, however, have wine in our home, so can you suggest a substitute? Thanks much
Hi Lizo, You can use beef or chicken broth. Enjoy!
This lasagna turned out so incredibly! I haven’t made lasagna in ages so I browsed online to see what I could find, and I’m so glad it was this recipe!
Hi, Jen. I LOVE your recipes. My question on this one is: If I baked it prior to freezing, do I thaw it in the refrigerator first also? Or does it go from freezer right into a 325 oven? Thanks!
Hi Kara, If you’re baking it whole (instead of individual servings), I would thaw it first. Hope that helps!
Do you think it’ll be ok if I use ground beef instead? I’m not a huge pork fan so going to try it out tonight! I am an absolute huge fan of so many of your recipes and have your cookbook 🤍 you’re an amazing chef and I love how detailed you are with everything as it helps the amateur I am look like a pro to my family lol
Anyway I will let you know how it turns out! Merry Christmas!
♡ Alexis
Hi Alexis, Thanks for your note and nice words about the recipes — so glad you enjoy them! Ground beef will work here, but make sure it’s well seasoned (sausage adds a lot of flavor). Some spices I would add — a bit of oregano, Italian seasoning, whole or ground fennel seeds, paprika, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Hope you enjoy!
Thanks so much Jenn! It turned out absolutely amazing 💯💯💯
Hi Jen! After a year of not being able to be with family, we are finally having a rendezvous, in 2 segments of 3 weeks each! We are greatly looking forward to it! In anticipation of being with loved ones, I am preparing many meals for the freezer so that I can avoid spending all my time in the kitchen. Your recipes, of course, are at the top of my list! Presently I’m making your Classic Lasagna & I’ve been forced to stop before assembling the layers. My question concerns the whole milk mozzarella cheese — all I could find was the Belgiogioso brand, which is a soft cheese that comes in those ball shapes. I tried shredding it in my food processor & it has transformed into a soft globby mass. I’ve read that it doesn’t melt well, & is best for eating cold. All the shredded mozzarella at the store all seems to be low-fat. So I need your help — which mozzarella cheese should I use for this lasagna recipe? Thank you for the continued excellence of all your fabulous recipes!!
How exciting that you’ll finally get to be with family! I’m surprised that you weren’t able to find the whole milk mozzarella. That said, low-fat will work if that’s all you can find. Hope you enjoy!