This easy Lasagna Recipe is meaty, cheesy, and packed with flavor in every bite. Homemade lasagna is better than any restaurant version and it feeds a crowd for way less than going out to eat.
We love lasagna around here and have gotten creative over the years with Lasagna Soup and even Chicken Lasagna, but we’ve heard again and again from our readers that this is the best lasagna recipe they’ve ever made.
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Best Lasagna Recipe
Lasagna is the perfect meal, and of all of the recipes I’ve tried over the years, this is the perfect lasagna. We loved it so much, we even turned it into Lasagna Roll Ups. It’s flavorful and satisfying, but also easy to make. It’s delicious as-is, but you can make it your own by swapping in your favorite ingredients.
In our house, lasagna is a staple for busy school nights because it keeps, reheats, and freezes so well and it’s nice to have something in the fridge to enjoy throughout the week. I even use it for kids’ lunches—I pack a serving in my son’s thermos to keep it hot and that thermos comes home empty every time.
Lasagna Video
Watch Natasha make this classic Lasagna Recipe. It’s the best lasagna we have tried, with the perfect balance of meat sauce to the three cheese sauce and noodles. That golden cheese crust seals in all the flavor and makes it irresistible. Here’s why you’ll love this recipe:
- Meaty, cheesy, and saucy – Everything you want in a lasagna recipe.
- Perfect for Meal Prep – It’s simple enough that you can make it on a weeknight, but you can also make it over the weekend to enjoy it throughout the week. Or double the recipe and freeze one lasagna for later.
- Everyone approves – this is a family-friendly meal.
Ingredients
This 3-cheese lasagna is the ultimate comfort food and the ingredients are refrigerator and pantry staples. See the recipe card below for quantities and full instructions.
- Ground beef – We used 80/20 beef (20% fat content) for a juicier lasagna.
- Onion – we use yellow onion, or sweet onion works well
- Garlic cloves – you can add more if you love garlic
- Red wine (or beef broth) – This amps up the flavor of your sauce (avoid using cooking wine).
- Marinara sauce – Use homemade marinara or store-bought.
- Dried thyme – Italian seasoning, basil, or oregano can be substituted
- Sugar – balances the acidity of the tomatoes
- Parsley – flat-leaf or curly parsley works well
- Lasagna noodles – Cook these al dente; they’ll continue to soften as the lasagna bakes.
- Cottage cheese – adds great texture and moisture
- Ricotta cheese – we use low-fat or part-skim ricotta
- Mozzarella cheese – An Italian cheese blend works, but mozzarella is definitely the classic choice
- Egg – helps hold the cheese layer together
Pro Tip: Use a very large pot of salted water to boil the lasagna noodles and stir them several times, especially right after adding them to the pot. This will keep them from sticking to each other and tearing.
How to Make Lasagna
If you’d like to get a head start on this recipe, you can make the meat sauce a day or two in advance. That said, it’s still easy enough that you can make it all in one go, even for a weeknight dinner.
- Brown the beef – Add oil to a deep pan and sautee onion and beef until browned, 5 minutes then add garlic and stir another minute.
- Finish the sauce – Pour in 1/4 cup of wine and stir until almost evaporated. Add marinara, salt, pepper, thyme, sugar, and parsley; bring to a simmer, then cover and cook 5 minutes.
- Make the cheese filling – Combine all of the cheese sauce ingredients and 1 cup of mozzarella in a mixing bowl (reserve the rest for later).
- Prep – Preheat your oven to 375ºF and cook the lasagna noodles in a pot of well-salted water until al dente.
- Assemble – Spread 1/2 cup of the meat sauce on the bottom of a 9×13-inch casserole dish. Add 3 noodles, followed by 1/3 of the meat sauce, 1 cup of mozzarella, and half of the ricotta mixture. Repeat, then for the top layer, add 3 noodles, 1/3 of the meat sauce, and the remaining mozzarella.
- Bake – Cover with foil and bake at 375˚F for 45 minutes, then remove the foil and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese is lightly browned.
- Rest – Let the lasagna rest for about 30 minutes before cutting and serving.
Pro Tip: There’s nothing worse than having the top portion of cheese stuck to the foil. To prevent this, I poke 8-10 toothpicks evenly around the top of the lasagna, pushing them in halfway to keep the foil from touching the cheese. Just be sure to count and remove every toothpick prior to serving.
Common Questions
I use both; cottage cheese is healthier and ricotta is creamier, so you get the best of both worlds by using both of these cheeses in your lasagna.
This lasagna recipe was developed with traditional lasagna noodles, but several readers have reported great results using no-boil noodles.
If you don’t have red wine, or prefer not to use it, you can substitute with beef broth or beef stock. The red wine adds great flavor but the lasagna will still be delicious with beef broth.
Cooking al dente pasta means it should be “firm to the bite.” The package instructions will provide the cook time for pasta to reach al dente. Keep in mind, the lasagna will be baked for 45 minutes so do not overcook your lasagna noodles.
Homemade marinara is definitely best, but if you don’t have time to make it, use your favorite store-bought marinara sauce.
Yes, you can easily double this recipe, but you’ll need to bake the lasagna in two pans.
What to Serve with Lasagna
Lasagna is a satisfying meal on its own, but if you’re feeding a big crowd, you can stretch it out by serving it with:
Make-Ahead
Here’s everything you need to know about storing lasagna for later.
- To Refrigerate: You can assemble the lasagna and store it covered in the refrigerator for a day or two until you are ready to bake.
- Freezing: Lasagna can be frozen before or after baking. Either way, it will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months when wrapped well or stored in an airtight container.
- To Reheat: Frozen lasagna should be thawed in the refrigerator first; this reduces the time needed for baking and ensures more even heating. Bake according to the recipe instructions; if your lasagna was already baked and you’re simply reheating it, cover the baking dish with foil and reheat at 350ºF until warmed through.
- Slow Cooker Lasaga – this is one of our favorite ways to make dinner ahead of time.
With its meaty sauce and layers of cheese, we think you’ll agree that this is the best lasagna recipe ever!
More Pasta Recipes
If you love this lasagna, then you won’t want to miss these pasta recipes.
- Baked Ziti (Easy Pasta Casserole) VIDEO
- Chicken Pesto Pasta (VIDEO)
- Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe (VIDEO)
- Creamy Baked Feta Pasta (VIDEO)
- Mom’s Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo (VIDEO)
Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients for Lasagna
- 1 lb ground beef, (15-20% fat content)
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup dry red wine, or beef broth
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 24 oz Marinara Sauce , (3 cups)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper, ground
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped
- 9 lasagna noodles, cooked al dente
Ingredients for Cheese Sauce:
- 16 oz low-fat cottage cheese
- 15 oz reduced fat ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped, plus more to garnish
- 4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
Instructions
How to Make Meat Sauce:
- Place a deep pan or dutch oven over medium/high heat and add 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 lb ground beef and diced onion. Saute, breaking up the meat, for 5 minutes or until beef is no longer pink. Add pressed garlic and sauté another minute until fragrant.
- Add 1/4 cup wine and stir for 2 minutes or until wine is nearly evaporated. Add 3 cups marinara, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp sugar and 2 Tbsp parsley. Bring to a simmer then cover and cook 5 minutes.
How to Make Cheese Sauce:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 16 oz Cottage Cheese, 15 oz Ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1 egg and 2 Tbsp parsley. Mix well.
How to Make Lasagna:
- Preheat oven to 375˚F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and 9 lasagna noodles. Cook until al dente according to package instructions.
- Spread 1/2 cup meat sauce in the bottom of a deep 9×13 casserole dish. Add 3 noodles, spread on 1/3 of the meat sauce, and sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Spoon on and spread the top with 1/2 of your cheese sauce.
- Repeat until you have 3 layers of noodles:
Add 3 noodles, 1/3 meat sauce, 1 cup mozarella cheese, 1/2 cheese sauce
Add 3 noodles, remaining 1/3 meat sauce, remaining 1 cup mozarella. - Poke 9-12 toothpicks over the surface of your lasagna (to keep the foil from sticking to the cheese). Cover with foil and bake at 375˚F for 45 minutes.
- Remove foil and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until cheese turns golden. Let lasagna rest 30 min before slicing.
I made the meat sauce and cheese filling but something came up and i could not make the lasagna. I mixed it on wednesday, will the cheese sauce still be safe to use on friday? With the raw egg?
Hi Andrea. The lasagna assembled can be refrigerated for a day, or frozen and then baked from a frozen state.
If you made just the cheese mixture and haven’t assembled the lasagna, I’m not sure what the food safety guidelines are on refrigeration for that so I can’t say exactly. I would assume it would be fine for two days.
I use your recipes all the time. If I’m unsure of how to make something I look for your recipes. This dish was very tasty. I’ll make this lasagna again.
I’m so happy you’re loving my recipes, Ann! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Hi Natasha, I love your recipes, they are so yummy and easy to make. You narrate every recipe step by step in a way that makes everyone to understand and follow it easily. I watch every posting of yours. Thank you.
Thank you for your good comments and feedback! I appreciate it.
I am going to make this. It sounds delicious. I have never made a lasagna. Your step by step directions have motivated me. You are my go to for recipes. Thank you
Thank you for your trust. I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try from my website and videos!
I’ve probably made this four or five times now and it’s always turned out really good. I actually did a double recipe for my son-in-law‘s Christmas present, which as it turned out, he absolutely loved so thank you
That’s so great! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Glynis.
Made this last night and it was soo good! I actually used your cookbook recipe and noticed it’s a bit different from this online version with parmesan instead of Cottage cheese and adding sweet Italian sausage. Also a bit different cook time too. Which do you prefer?
Hi Cindy, they are different – this one ends up a little fuller in the pan with the cottage cheese and a little juicier/saucier. The one in the cookbook is more of a classic Italian style lasagna (there are some people who are very unhappy with having cottage cheese in the mix because it isn’t ‘traditional’). They are both really good – I would say go with the one where you have the ingredients on hand. 🙂
I made this for dinner on Easter and even my Picky 10 year old daughter ate it! She said, “I don’t want to eat it because it doesn’t look like something I would eat, but it’s soooo goood!”
Made this today, followed recipe to the letter. Flavor was delicious, but it was very “soupy.” What could have gone wrong? I used reduced fat and low fat cheeses as directed in recipe.
Hi Elizabeth, Make sure to let the lasagna rest before cutting into it. It needs some time to set or it will be ‘soupy’ when sliced.
Looks simply delicious!
I enjoy watching all your wonderful cooking videos! I have learned so much about cooking & I thank you for sharing your wonderful & inspiring videos with us all! Peaceful Blessings to you & your family! :)*♡
Thank you so much, Jacalyn! Be blessed!
Oh well !! Lasagna recipe from the scratch!! Three types of cheeses like cottage cheese, ricotta, mozzarella adds up a creamy texture to the lasagna. As we are Indians, we use lot of cottage cheese in our recipes. But i will try finding ricotta cheese here as well and try this recipe.
Hi Natasha!
I love this recipe thank you for sharing this. I don’t have a broiler safe casserole dish. Can I make this in an aluminum pan instead so that I can broil it at the end?
Hi Sean! Some of my readers have reported good results making this in a disposable aluminum pan.
Hi Natasha! I can’t wait to try this recipe. Where did you get that gorgeous lasagna pan? I’ve been unable to find a good one!
Thank you
Hi Joanie! It’s linked in the blog above. I try to link all of my products within the recipe blog post. Look for the red font words, they are links and they can be clicked on. You can also choose “shop” from the menu above to view my amazon affiliate shop with all my favorite.
I hope you love this recipe!
Thank you so much! I’ll be making this lasagna for Easter as a side dish with Prime Rib of Beef! I’m ordering the pan right now.
Your recipes are ALWAYS amazing. I use many of them, often!
That’s so great!
Thank you so much! I’ll be making this lasagna for Easter as a side dish with Prime Rib of Beef! I’m ordering the pan right now.
Your recipes are ALWAYS amazing. I use many of them, often!
Thank you Joanie! I hope you absolutely love the lasagna.
HI, If I’m making your homemade Marinara sauce do I still add Garlic, onions and all those spices again? Also is a pound of hamburger enough? Can I use all cottage cheese? What is your suggest I’m making it to take away so I’m making it on a Wednesday but they will not eat it until Friday cooking it and reheat or not cook it until Friday? First time making it so want it to taste GOOD!
Hi Heather. Yes, this recipe is written for 1lb of ground beef. I still follow the recipe as written with all the ingredients even if I’m using my homemade marinara. We prefer the combination of cottage cheese and ricotta. Some of my viewers have used just cottage cheese or other cheese mixtures. Regarding making this ahead, please reference the “make-ahead” section above for instructions. I hope you love the recipe!
I made this recipe today for dinner. In addition to the beef, I added a lb of mild Italian sausage. I also used the no cook lasagne noodles.
Everyone loved it. It had so much flavour and was so cheesy. I’ll definitely be making it again! Thank you.