This is my go-to lasagna. Meaty sauce, a creamy ricotta layer and plenty of melted cheese. Make one pan for supper, or double or triple it and stock the freezer.
Serves12per 9×13 pan
Prep30 min
Bake1 hrat 350°F, then rest 15 min
Ingredients
Pick your batch: 1x makes one 9×13 pan, 2x makes two pans and 3x makes three.
| Ingredient | 1x (1 pan) | 2x (2 pans) | 3x (3 pans) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pasta and topping | |||
| Lasagna noodles, uncooked | 12 | 24 | 36 |
| Shredded mozzarella (top) | 2½ cups | 5 cups | 7½ cups |
| Shredded Parmesan (top) | ¼ cup | ½ cup | ¾ cup |
| Meat sauce | |||
| Lean ground beef | ½ lb (225 g) | 1 lb (455 g) | 1½ lb (680 g) |
| Italian sausage, casings removed | ½ lb (225 g) | 1 lb (455 g) | 1½ lb (680 g) |
| Yellow onion, diced | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Garlic cloves, minced | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Pasta sauce | 1 jar (about 1 L) | 2 jars (about 2 L) | 3 jars (about 3 L) |
| Tomato paste | 2 Tbsp | ¼ cup | 6 Tbsp |
| Italian seasoning | 1 tsp | 2 tsp | 1 Tbsp |
| Salt | ½ tsp | 1 tsp | 1½ tsp |
| Black pepper | ¼ tsp | ½ tsp | ¾ tsp |
| Cheese filling | |||
| Ricotta (or cottage cheese) | 2 cups | 4 cups | 6 cups |
| Fresh parsley, chopped | ¼ cup | ½ cup | ¾ cup |
| Large eggs, beaten | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Shredded mozzarella | 1½ cups | 3 cups | 4½ cups |
| Shredded Parmesan | ¼ cup | ½ cup | ¾ cup |
| Salt | ¼ tsp | ½ tsp | ¾ tsp |
Method
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Boil the noodles in salted water until just tender, drain, rinse with cold water and lay them out so they don’t stick.
- Brown the beef, sausage, onion and garlic over medium-high heat until no pink is left. Drain the fat. For 2x or 3x, brown the meat in batches so it browns instead of steaming.
- Stir in the pasta sauce, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered about 5 minutes, until a little thicker.
- In a bowl, mix the ricotta, parsley, egg, mozzarella, Parmesan and salt for the cheese filling.
- Build each 9×13 pan: 1 cup sauce, 3 noodles, 1 cup cheese filling, 1 cup sauce. Repeat twice more, then finish with 3 noodles and the rest of that pan’s sauce.
- Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes. Uncover, top with the mozzarella and Parmesan, and bake 15 minutes more until golden and bubbly. Bake 2 or 3 pans on separate racks and swap them halfway.
- Let it rest at least 15 minutes before cutting so the layers hold together.
To freeze: Assemble but do not bake. Wrap well and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then bake as above, adding 10 to 15 minutes if it is still cold in the middle.
Adapted from Easy Homemade Lasagna at Spend With Pennies.
Leave a Reply