The Ultimate Lasagna Recipe (2024)

Beef Recipes | Pizza and Pasta Recipes

Posted on11.30.202301.28.2024Updated on01.28.2024

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The Ultimate Lasagna Recipe is a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs kind of meal. Combining three different kinds of meat and three different kinds of cheese with lasagna noodles and an easy homemade sauce, this one will be your go-to lasagna recipe. So good!

Meat Lovers Lasagna

I’m obsessed with a good lasagna. In fact, I don’t shy away from ordering lasagna at a good Italian restaurant because I’m always looking for inspiration to make mine better. Which is why this recipe just got a necessary makeover.

I decided to use my homemade marinara sauce because I feel it really is the best (and super easy too). My seasonings also got adjusted slightly, and the end result? 10/10 – in my opinion! 😀

What are your requirements for a good lasagna? Meaty? Saucy? Cheesy? Well, this one is all of that and more.

Why This Recipe Works:

HEARTY – This recipe feeds a crowd. It’s full of protein and great for carb-loading if you’re a runner! 😀 (BTW, the pan of cooked lasagna weighs a ton.)
CHEESY – Extra cheese makes everything better, right?
IMPRESSIVE – The perfect lasagna for serving guests.
GREAT MEAL PREP – Leftover meat lasagna freezes beautifully but it’s also great for meal prep for lunches during the week.

Other Lasagna Recipes:

Looking for other delicious lasagna recipes? Look no further!

Spinach Ricotta Lasagna
Butternut Squash Lasagna with Spinach
Turkey Lasagna Soup

Ingredients needed for The Ultimate Lasagna Recipe:

The Meat Sauce:

Olive Oil – Used to sauté the onion and garlic.
Onion and Garlic – These will be sautéed for the sauce.
Meat – THREE meats…ground beef, ground sausage, and pepperoni.
Tomatoes – You’ll need crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and some tomato paste. All of these will help make the perfect sauce!
Broth – Some broth for additional flavor. You can use either chicken or beef.
Seasonings – Dried Italian Seasoning, basil, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
Sugar – Just a pinch to balance the tomatoes.

The Cheese Layer:

Ricotta – Use full-fat or at least 2%.
Mozzarella – Buy a good quality cheese so it melts. I usually prefer to buy a block of cheese and grate it myself.
Parmesan – Use a wedge of parmesan and grate it fresh!
Egg – This helps keep the cheese layer intact.

Pasta: 15 Lasagna noodles!

Warning: This lasagna feeds a crowd. If you have a smaller family or don’t like a lot of leftovers, I suggest making it in two smaller dishes. Enjoy half now, and then pull the other half out of the freezer on a rainy day.

How to make The Ultimate Lasagna Recipe:

Step 1
Make the meat sauce.

In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil to medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until soft, or 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds or so.
Then add the ground beef, ground sausage, salt, and pepper – and cook until completely browned, breaking it apart as you go.
Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken broth, sugar, and seasonings, and simmer on medium-low for 20-30 minutes or until partially reduced. Remove from heat, and add pepperoni. Let cool slightly.

Step 2
Cook the pasta. While the sauce is cooking, cook the lasagna noodles until al dente. You want the noodles to be a bit under-cooked. Spread the noodles on a towel to dry flat.

Step 3
Mix the cheese layer. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, about 10 oz. of the mozzarella, half of the parmesan cheese, and the egg. Stir to combine.

Step 4
Assemble. Add about 1/2 cup of the meat sauce to the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish. Then add 1/3 of the noodles, 1/3 of the meat sauce, and 1/3 of the cheese mixture. REPEAT three times, and then top with extra mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Step 5
Bake. Bake the lasagna at 350 degrees, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove foil, and bake another 10 minutes, or until top is nice and bubbly.

Step 6
Rest. Let the lasagna sit in the pan for about 15-20 minutes before slicing it. This will allow the juices to absorb into the pasta and the servings will hold their shape.

Make-Ahead Instructions: You can prep this lasagna a day ahead of time. Just wrap tightly with wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake.

Freezing: You can also freeze this lasagna by wrapping tightly and freezing for a month or two. Set it in your refrigerator for a few days until it’s completely unthawed. Then bake for a bit longer than instructed below.

What to serve with the ultimate lasagna:

A simple green salad, or Arugula Caprese Salad.
My Mom’s French Bread or some Whole Wheat Honey Bread!
For dessert? How about French Silk Pie (my fav), White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies, or some Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Blondies.

Other Pasta Recipes:

Turkey Lasagna Soup
Baked Rigatoni with Ricotta
Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta
Chicken Piccata with Pasta
Beef and Cheese Manicotti

Recipe FAQs:

Can I use oven-ready noodles for this recipe?

While I haven’t tested no-boil recipe, I believe you could use them as long as they are surrounded by plenty of moisture.

Can I make lasagna ahead of time?

Yes, you can assemble lasagna ahead of time and refrigerate it overnight. This allows the flavors to meld. Alternatively, you can freeze it for longer storage. Just be sure to adjust cooking times accordingly.

Do I need to use ricotta cheese, or can I substitute it with something else?

While ricotta is a traditional choice, you can substitute it with cottage cheese or a mixture of cottage cheese and cream cheese. Some people also use a béchamel sauce for added creaminess.

How many layers should my lasagna have?

Generally three to four layers is needed for a nice, thick lasagna. Make sure you have enough meat sauce and cheese mixture to cover each layer evenly.

Do I need to let the lasagna rest?

Allowing the lasagna to rest for about 10-15 minutes after removing it from the oven helps the layers set, making it easier to slice and preventing it from falling apart.

Kitchen Tools Used: (affiliate links)

Pleaselet me know if you try this recipe. Be sure to comment and leave a review on the blog so I can see what you think. You can also like my Facebook Page, follow me onPinterest, and catch me onInstagram.

xoxo ~Sue

The Ultimate Lasagna Recipe

The Ultimate Lasagna Recipe is a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs kind of meal. Combining three different kinds of meat and three different kinds of cheese with lasagna noodles and an easy homemade sauce, this one will be your go-to lasagna recipe. So good!

4.87 from 36 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 Servings

Calories: 640kcal

Author: Sue Ringsdorf

Ingredients

15 lasagna noodles

For the meat sauce:

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic
salt and pepper – to taste
1 pound Lean ground beef
1 pound Italian sausage
28 oz. crushed tomatoes
15 oz. diced fire-roasted tomatoes
3-4 Tablespoons tomato paste
3/4 cup broth – chicken or beef
2 teaspoons dried Italian Seasoning
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 teaspoons sugar
5 oz. pepperoni

For the cheese layer:

15 oz. ricotta cheese
16 oz. mozzarella cheese – divided
4 oz. freshly grated parmesan cheese – divided
1 egg

Instructions

Boil noodles until al dente. Drain and rinse. Lay flat on clean dish towel.
In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, 10 oz. of mozzarella cheese, and 2 oz. of parmesan cheese. Add egg and mix well. Keep in refrigerator until ready to assemble lasagna.
Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook until soft. Add garlic, ground beef, sausage, salt, and pepper (to taste) – and cook until browned. Drain excess fat and return meat to pan.
Add crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, broth, tomato paste, sugar, and seasonings. Simmer on medium low for 20 – 30 minutes, or until reduced slightly. Remove from heat, add pepperoni, and cool slightly.
To assemble lasagna, add a small amount of sauce to bottom of pan. Layer noodles, meat sauce, and cheese mixture. Repeat three times, and add remaining mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese to the top.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake lasagna (covered) for 30 minutes or so. Then remove cover and cook for another 10-15 minutes, or until top is slightly browned.
Let the lasagna sit in the pan for about 15-20 minutes before slicing it. This will allow the juices to absorb into the pasta and the servings will hold their shape.

Notes

This lasagna freezes well. Just assemble, wrap tightly in saran wrap and freezer bag, and freeze. To defrost, set in refrigerator for a couple of days until no longer frozen.

Nutrition

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