Every cook should regularly make homemade lasagna because it is a classic. The ideal meal consists of tender pasta sheets, a cheese filling, and a hearty, meaty tomato sauce.
This dish takes a few stages, but it is simple to make and has a ton of flavor. This meal may be prepared in advance, and it freezes nicely both before and after baking.
How to Make Lasagna
Although there are a few stages to making homemade lasagna, each one is simple and worth the effort; it is the ideal Italian dish!
This dish is simple and uses materials you already have on hand. This simple lasagna recipe just calls for one pan, a bowl, and a 9×13 baking dish.
A brief description of the layers:
- Cheese Filling: In a bowl, combine the ricotta, cheeses, and an egg as directed in the recipe below. Set aside. Not ricotta? There is no issue; cottage cheese works perfectly in this recipe!
- Meat Sauce: On the burner, brown the beef, onion, and garlic. Simmer for a short while after adding the tomato paste and spaghetti sauce.
- Layer Together: Noodles should be layered with the meat sauce and cheese mixture, then baked until bubbling.
How to Layer Lasagna
- In a 9×13 pan, spread roughly a cup of beef sauce. Add some noodles on top.
- Add some of the cheese mixes to the noodles as a garnish.
- The layers should be repeated, with a layer of noodles and sauce at the bottom.
- Bake while covered with foil.
- After 15 more minutes of baking, remove the foil, and sprinkle mozzarella and parmesan on top.
How Long to Bake
The baking time for this recipe’s lasagna is roughly an hour. You must bake it twice to achieve the ideal browned cheese topping.
- To keep the moisture in, carefully wrap it with foil.
- Once done, take the foil off, sprinkle cheese on top, and put the dish back in the oven for 15 minutes, until the cheese is browned and the sauce is bubbling.
Serve a piece of homemade garlic bread alongside this simple lasagna.
Ingredients
- 12 uncooked lasagna noodles
- 4 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
- Shredded parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup
Tomato Sauce
- A half-pound of lean ground beef
- A half-pound of Italian sausage
- One diced onion
- Two minced garlic cloves
- 5 ounces of pasta sauce
- Tomato paste, two teaspoons
- One teaspoon of seasoning mix
Cheese Mixture
- Ricotta cheese, two cups
- ¼ chopped fresh parsley
- One beaten egg
Instructions
- 350°F oven temperature. Follow the directions on the package to prepare pasta al dente. Place aside after rinsing under cold water.
- Over medium-high heat, brown the meat, sausage, onion, and garlic until no pink is visible. Remove any fat.
- Add the tomato paste, spaghetti sauce, and Italian seasoning. 5 minutes of simmering.
- Combine 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, 1/4 cup parmesan, ricotta, parsley, and egg to make the cheese mixture.
- A 9×13 pan should have 1 cup of beef sauce.
- Add three lasagna noodles, then layer 1 cup of beef sauce and 1/3 of the cheese mixture.
- Repeat two more times.
- Three noodles are served last, topped with the leftover sauce.
- Foiled-covered, bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove the cover, top with the remaining cheese (two and a half cups mozzarella and one cup parmesan), and bake for 15 minutes until bubbling and golden. If preferred, broil for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Before cutting, take a 10-15 minute break.