Classic Lasagna Recipe
on Nov 19, 2018, Updated Jan 25, 2020
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This Classic Lasagna Recipe is made with the best traditional ingredients like sausage, homemade sauce and lots of cheese. It’s freezer friendly, too!
Classic Lasagna Recipe
Few things are more comforting than sitting down to a pan of homemade lasagna. It’s a great recipe to make early in the week and eat the leftovers for lunch or when friends or family are coming to dinner because it feeds a crowd (and just about everyone loves lasagna). I love this lasagna recipe because it freezes really really well.
I never make just one lasagna – I always make two (or three!) and stick the extras in the freezer before baking them. Having homemade freezer meals on hand is a lifesaver and while I rarely do large freezer meal days, making an extra pan or two of lasagna while I’m already making one for dinner is no big deal. I have added instructions on how to freeze this as well as how to cook it after it has been frozen, so if you are interested in that, keep reading!
I have tried lots and lots of lasagna recipes, and this is my family’s all time favorite version because it’s just classic lasagna made with a rich meaty sausage and tomato sauce and loaded with layers of cheese. Stick-to-your-ribs hearty pasta and cheese. What more do they need?
How to make freezer friendly lasagna
- Prepare through step 3, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, cover with aluminum foil, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours or freeze for up to 1 month; if frozen, thaw completely in refrigerator
- To bake, unwrap lasagna, cover with greased aluminum foil, and bake on foil-lined sheet in 400-degree oven until hot throughout, about 1 hour; remove foil and continue to bake until cheese is golden, about 10 minutes.
Tips and Tricks for Making this Classic Lasagna
- This recipe makes a big lasagna so make sure you have a 9×13-inch or slightly larger pan. I like to keep these foil pans in my pantry if I’m making a lasagna for the freezer. I don’t have to worry about tying up my dishes or getting them back if that lasagna makes it to the home of a friend.
- This recipe is great for company (it’s that good and you can make it ahead of time)! Serve it with some of my favorite no-knead bread and my favorite fall salad (apples, bacon, candied nuts, and shaved Brussel sprouts…so good) and you are ready for company in no time.
- Fresh basil in this recipe is SO good. Splurge on it if you can, but dried works well, too.
- This recipe comes from The Complete Make-Ahead Cookbook. I use the cookbook often and it would make a great gift for you or a friend. Definitely check it out!
Classic Lasagna Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 min
- Yield: Serves 16 1x
Description
This Classic Lasagna Recipe is made with the best traditional ingredients like sausage, homemade sauce and lots of cheese. It’s freezer friendly, too!
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped fine
- Salt and pepper
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pound meatloaf mix OR Italian sausage
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 (28-ounce) can tomato puree
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 1/2 tablespoons dried
Lasagna
- 12 no-boil lasagna noodles
- 1 pound whole-milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (4 cups)
- 24 ounces (3 cups) whole-milk or part-skim ricotta cheese
- 3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 and 1/2 cups)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 1/2 tablespoons dried
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- For the sauce Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add meatloaf mix and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in cream and simmer until liquid evaporates and only fat remains, about 4 minutes. Stir in tomato puree and tomatoes, bring to simmer, and cook until flavors meld, about 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in basil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- For the lasagna Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan, basil, egg, salt, and pepper in bowl.
- Spread 1 cup sauce over bottom of 13×9-inch baking dish (avoiding large chunks of meat). Lay 3 noodles in dish, spread 1/3 cup ricotta mixture over each noodle, then top with 1 cup mozzarella and 1 cup sauce (in that order). Repeat layering process 2 more times. Top with remaining 3 noodles, remaining sauce, remaining 1 cup mozzarella, and remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan.
- Cover dish tightly with greased aluminum foil, place on foil-lined rimmed baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover, and continue to bake until spotty brown and bubbling around edges, 25 to 35 minutes. Let casserole cool for 10 minutes before serving.
To Make Ahead
- Lasagna, prepared through step 3, can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, covered with aluminum foil, and refrigerated for up to 24 hours or frozen for up to 1 month; if frozen, thaw completely in refrigerator
- To bake, unwrap lasagna, cover with greased aluminum foil, and bake on foil-lined sheet in 400-degree oven until hot throughout, about 1 hour; remove foil and continue to bake until cheese is golden, about 10 minutes
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
What do I serve with lasagna?
- Super Simple No-Knead Bread
- Buttery Garlic Knots +11 other Thanksgiving Sides
- Easy Apple Spinach Salad with an Apple Vinaigrette
- Berry Spinach Salad with Citrus Poppy Seed Dressing
- Roasted Spring Vegetables
Similar recipes you might like
- Easy Slow Cooker Vegetable Lasagna
- Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup from my friend Sabrina at Dinner then Dessert
Long live comfort food that you can make ahead or stick in your freezer for a meal on a busy evening. I’m so excited to share this great recipe with you and hope you like it as much as we do. Enjoy from my kitchen to yours!
Very similar to the one I grew up with and sounds delicious!
Do you just multiply the ingredients by how many pans you want to make? Is a “serves 16” a generous helping?
Also, I haven’t used the no-boil noodles. Are they really as good as “cooked” noodles?
I do just double or triple the ingredients to make additional pans of lasagna. The serving is pretty normal, if you think about a 9×13 pan, you are cutting it in half and then each half into 8 pieces, so not huge, not small, my husband normally eats to servings kind of thing… and yes, no-boil noodles are a game changer! They work great, taste great, and are better than cooked noodles because you don’t have to cook them!