Are you ready for the recipe for the Best Homemade Lasagna? I’m not joking when I say that you’ve never had a lasagna recipe quite like this. It’s the perfect combination between taste and flavor and you’re going to be adding this to your “favorite recipes” list as soon as you take your first bite.
Lasagna often gets lumped into a “hard” dinner recipe that people tend to shy away from. But why? Honestly, it’s not that hard at all and it feeds a crowd, too! Making homemade lasagna is one of our favorite recipes in our house and this recipe is what makes us love it so.
I’ve eaten a lot of lasagna throughout my years and this one truly is my favorite. I think it’s because of the added sausage and the other hearty ingredients. Once you see the full recipe below, I have a feeling that you’re going to agree!
Can I use regular sausage instead of hot sausage?
Of course, you can. If you’re not a fan of spices, just swap out the hot sausage and use regular or even sweet. The hot sausage is something that’s a hit with our family but that doesn’t mean that it has to be right for yours.
Also, keep in mind that some sausages aren’t as hot as they claim so trust your gut when it comes to finding one that you like. (and if you’re not a fan of sausage at all, just double up on the ground beef and leave the sausage out altogether!)
What if I don’t have any ricotta cheese?
Ricotta cheese is one of the best parts of this recipe but if you don’t have any or don’t have access to any, you can use other types of cheeses as well. I’ve used cottage cheese in its place and even shredded cheese a time or two whenever I didn’t have any ricotta on hand.
While I prefer the ricotta cheese in this recipe because it tastes so amazing and wonderful, I’ve been known to make it without it just because I couldn’t wait and I was craving it so much!
How do I know that my lasagna is done baking in the oven?
As long as you cook it for the time that is recommended in the recipe, it should be fine! But visually, once you start to notice the top layer bubbling, it’s a good sign that it’s done and ready to be pulled from the oven.
Keep in mind that this lasagna recipe is going to be super hot and it will take some time for all the layers to cool down and be ready to eat. If you have kids, you can cool it down quicker by cutting it into pieces or peeling apart the layers and letting them cool.
What side dishes go well with lasagna?
Since lasagna is a pretty hearty meal on its own, a light side dish is always a good idea. A nice side salad or even a bowl of steamed veggies would be the perfect side dish to this recipe. You really can’t go wrong with adding veggies to your diet and this lasagna recipe is the perfect way to make it happen.
If you’re looking for a lasagna recipe that is seriously so good, you’re really going to enjoy the process of baking this one. Each layer has so much amazing flavor and it’s a dish that you can easily make and enjoy all year long. Take the time to make up this yummy recipe tonight. Your family will thank you for this one!
Ingredients Needed For The Best Homemade Lasagna
- Ground beef
- Italian sausage
- Onions, garlic
- Oregano, basil
- Fennel seeds
- Salt, pepper
- Diced tomatoes
- Tomato sauce
- Tomato paste
- Fresh parsley
- Ricotta cheese
- Mozzarella cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Lasagna noodles
- Egg
How To Make The Best Homemade Lasagna
- Preheat oven to 375º.
- Spray a large baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Brown ground beef and halfway through add onions and garlic.
- Cooke until meat is no longer pink and onions are translucent.
- Drain meat and return to pan.
- Sprinkle oregano, basil, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper over meat and stir.
- Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and 1/2 of the chopped parsley.
- Stir, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 1-2 hours.
- Using a medium bowl mix Ricotta cheese, egg, parsley, Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese together, and place in fridge until ready to assemble.
- Add a few spoonfuls of sauce to the bottom of prepared pan.
- Place uncooked lasagna noodle over sauce overlapping noodles.
- Spread Ricotta cheese mixture over noodles, followed by meat mixture, shredded Mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat layering ending with shredded Mozzarella.
- Cover with a foil and bake in oven for 20 minutes, uncover, and reduce oven to 350º degrees. Continue to bake 40-45 minutes or until bubbly.
- Let sit for 15 minutes before cutting.
Try This Delicious Homemade Lasagna Today
This recipe is from my sister, Linda, who has been making this lasagna forever. I made a few minor changes and just had to share it with all of you. We hope you enjoy this delicious lasagna recipe as much as we have.
Here are a few more delicious pasta recipes that can be found on the blog:
Best Homemade Lasagna
Ingredients
- 2 lbs lean ground beef
- 1 lb hot Italian sausage
- 2 cups onions, chopped
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- 2 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp basil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 14.5 oz can tomato sauce
- 12 oz can tomato paste
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
- 16 oz Ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 lb box lasagna noodles
- 32 oz Mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° once sauce has cooked and spray a large baking dish with non stick spray. Set aside.
For The Meat Sauce
- Brown ground beef and sausage, then half way through, add onions and garlic.
- Cook until meat is no longer pink and onions are translucent. Drain and return to pan.
- Sprinkle fennel seeds, oregano, basil, salt and pepper over meat, stir.
- Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste and 1/2 of the chopped parsley. Stir, cover, reduce heat and simmer for a 1-2 hours.
For The Ricotta Cheese Mixture
- Using a medium bowl, mix Ricotta cheese, egg, parsley, Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese together and place in fridge until ready to assemble.
Layering The Lasagna
- Add a few large spoonfuls of sauce to the bottom of prepared pan.
- Place uncooked lasagna noodle over sauce overlapping noodles.
- Spread Ricotta cheese mixture over noodles, followed by meat mixture, shredded Mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers ending with shredded Mozzarella.
- Cover with foil and bake in oven for 20 minutes, uncover and reduce oven to 350 degrees.
- Continue to bake for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly. Let sit for 15 minutes before cutting.
Here are a few pics that are the perfect size for pinning to Pinterest.
Enjoy,
Terri
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Simmer for a 1/2 hour or 1-2 hours? That seems like a looong time.
Hi Stephanie, it’s simmer for one-two hours. It’s so worth it and you will love the flavor. :)
I really don’t have to cook the noodles? Not even par-boil?
Hi Wes, no need to boil them at all. :)
Can you tell me what Fennel seeds do for Lasagne?
Hi Bev, Fennel seeds added to lasagna will take a good lasagna recipe and make it an “OMG” lasagna recipe. Best way to describe the addition of fennel seeds. :)