This easy Lasagna Recipe is meaty, cheesy, and packed with flavor in every bite. Making lasagna at home is better than going to a restaurant, and it costs a lot less and feeds a lot of people.
Many of our readers have told us that this is the best lasagna recipe they’ve ever made. We love lasagna around here and have made Lasagna Soup and even Chicken Lasagna over the years.
Lasagna is the best meal ever, and this is the best lasagna recipe I’ve tried over the years. 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.
Because it keeps, reheats, and freezes so well, lasagna is a staple in our house on busy school nights. It’s also nice to have something in the fridge to enjoy during the week. I even pack a serving in my son’s thermos to keep it hot for lunch, and that thermos always comes home empty.
Watch Natasha make this classic Lasagna Recipe. It’s the best lasagna we’ve ever had. The meat sauce, three cheese sauce, and noodles are all just right. That golden cheese crust seals in all the flavor and makes it irresistible. Here’s why you’ll love this recipe:
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.
Tip: To boil the lasagna noodles, use a very large pot with salty water and stir them several times, especially when you first add them to the pot. This will keep them from sticking to each other and tearing.
Lasagna is one of the most beloved Italian-American dishes. Multiple layers of pasta, tomato sauce, gooey cheese, and ground beef come together to make a rich, crowd-pleasing meal. But not all lasagna is created equal. The specific type of ground beef you use can make or break your lasagna recipe. Here’s a complete guide to choosing the right ground beef for tender, juicy and flavorful lasagna every time.
Choosing the Right Fat-to-Lean Ratio
The most important factor in picking ground beef for lasagna is the meat’s fat-to-lean ratio. Ground beef is available in different percentages of fat to lean meat:
- 80/20: 80% lean meat, 20% fat
- 85/15: 85% lean meat, 15% fat
- 90/10: 90% lean meat, 10% fat
- 93/7: 93% lean meat, 7% fat
- 95/5: 95% lean meat, 5% fat
- 96/4: 96% lean meat, 4% fat
- 97/3: 97% lean meat, 3% fat
We use 85 percent lean ground beef for the right ratio of fat to lean The higher fat content keeps the meat tender and adds delicious beefy flavor Ground beef with 80 percent lean meat can result in a greasy lasagna,
On the other hand, 90 percent or higher lean ground beef can become dry and tough when cooked. The lower fat content doesn’t provide enough moisture.
So for the ideal texture and taste, go for 85 percent lean ground beef. It gives you the best of both worlds – juicy, flavorful meat that holds up to baking between the lasagna layers.
Handling the Ground Beef Correctly
It’s not enough to just buy 85 percent lean ground beef. Proper handling and cooking is key to keeping the meat tender. Here are some tips:
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Don’t overwork the meat – Gently shape the beef into a ball when browning, being careful not to compact it too densely. Over-mixing creates a tougher texture.
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Cook in batches – Cook the ground beef in smaller batches to avoid cramming the pan and steaming the meat. Browning smaller amounts allows the beef to get nicely seared.
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Drain thoroughly – Drain off and discard any excess grease after cooking. Removing the fat prevents a greasy lasagna.
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Don’t overcook – Cook just until no longer pink, without browning the meat too much. You want to retain moisture, not dry out the beef.
Following these guidelines results in the most tender, flavorful beef for your lasagna layers.
Seasoning the Meat Right
This simple Italian-style seasoning blend adds big flavor to the ground beef without overpowering the other lasagna flavors:
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Mix the seasoning with the raw ground beef before cooking. This infuses the whole batch with extra taste. An alternative is to sprinkle the mixture just on the cooked, drained beef. Just be sure to season the meat – unseasoned beef lacks flavor.
For a deeper flavor, you could also add:
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste per pound of raw ground beef
- 1/4 cup red wine per pound of cooked ground beef
Both enhance the savory umami taste of the meat.
Choosing Between Raw and Pre-Cooked
You can use either raw or already browned and cooked ground beef in lasagna. Here’s how they compare:
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Raw: The raw meat layers will cook through when the lasagna is baked. Raw beef remains tender and juicy.
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Pre-cooked: Browning the meat ahead yields more complex, roasted flavors. But the meat can dry out during baking.
Pre-cooking also saves time on the day you assemble and bake the lasagna. We suggest lightly undercooking the meat if cooking ahead – stop when just browned but not entirely cooked through.
Our recommendation is to use raw ground beef unless you’re in a rush. The from-raw method results in the most tender and moist texture.
Ideal Meat Layer Thickness
When layering the lasagna, you want each meat layer to be thin, around 1/4 inch thick.
Thicker beef layers may not fully cook through and can taste underdone. Thin layers heat through properly during baking.
Avoid over-stuffing the lasagna with meat. Use approximately 1/2 pound of ground beef per 9×13 pan of lasagna. More than that overwhelms the other layers.
Alternative Ground Meats
While traditional ground beef is best, you can experiment with these alternatives:
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Ground turkey or chicken – Use 85% lean and season well. The poultry won’t have as hearty beef flavor.
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Ground pork or veal – Substitute no more than half the beef with milder pork or veal.
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Crumbled Italian sausage – Cooked, drained sausage adds big savory flavor. Use sweet or hot sausage.
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Combination – Mixing 85% beef with sausage, turkey, etc. lets you customize taste.
No matter the type of ground meat, follow the tips above for the most tender, moist result.
Making Lasagna with Meat Sauce
An easy shortcut is using your favorite meat sauce in place of ground beef layers.
The cooked meat sauce adds deep flavor with minimal effort. Just pour the sauce between layers – about 1 cup per layer in a 9×13 pan.
And you don’t have to worry about underdone meat or moisture issues. The sauce bakes up tender and delicious every time.
The Best Lasagna Recipe
Ready to make the perfect lasagna? Here’s an easy recipe highlighting all the tips for the ideal ground beef:
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound 85% lean ground beef
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions:
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Cook ground beef, onion, and garlic with olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until beef is no longer pink. Drain fat.
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Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, water, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Simmer 20 minutes.
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Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain.
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Mix ricotta, egg, parsley, and 1/4 cup mozzarella in a bowl.
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Layer in a 9×13 dish: meat sauce, noodles, cheese mixture, mozzarella, and parmesan. Repeat layers 3 times, ending with mozzarella and parmesan.
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Cover with foil and bake at 375°F for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes.
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Let stand 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
With the right kind of ground beef and proper handling, this recipe results in perfect lasagna with tender, juicy meat and incredible flavor. The 85% lean beef is the key to success. Use this guide and you’ll never make a dry, bland lasagna again!
How to Make Lasagna
In order to get this recipe going faster, you can make the meat sauce a day or two ahead of time. Still, it’s simple enough that you can make it all at once, even for dinner during the week.
- A deep pan with oil should be used to brown the beef. Add the onion and beef and cook for 5 minutes, until browned. Then add the garlic and stir for another minute.
- Add the last 1/4 cup of wine and stir until almost all of it is gone. Salt, pepper, thyme, sugar, and parsley should all be added. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for 5 minutes.
- To make the cheese filling, put all of the cheese sauce ingredients and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese into a bowl. Set the rest of the mozzarella cheese aside for later use.
- Set up: Heat the oven to 375oF and cook the lasagna noodles until they are al dente in a pot of salted water.
- Put everything together. Cover the bottom of a 9×13-inch casserole dish with 1/2 cup of the meat sauce. Put three noodles in the pan, then a third of the meat sauce, a cup of mozzarella, and half of the ricotta mixture. Do it again, and then add three noodles, a third of the meat sauce, and the rest of the mozzarella to the top layer.
- Put it in the oven and cover it with foil. Bake at 375˺F for 45 minutes. After that, take off the foil and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese is lightly browned.
- Rest – Cut the lasagna into pieces and serve after about 30 minutes of rest.
Pro Tip: There’s nothing worse than having the top portion of cheese stuck to the foil. To keep this from happening, I put 8–10 toothpicks around the top of the lasagna and push them in halfway to keep the foil from touching the cheese. Just be sure to count and remove every toothpick prior to serving.
Cottage cheese is better for you than ricotta, but ricotta is creamier. Using both in your lasagna gives you the best of both worlds.
This lasagna recipe was made with regular lasagna noodles, but some readers have said that no-boil noodles work just as well.
You can use beef broth or stock instead of red wine if you don’t have any or would rather not. 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.
Marinara sauce that you make yourself is best, but if you don’t have time, 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
It’s enough to eat lasagna by itself, but if you’re feeding a lot of people, you can make it last longer by adding:
Here’s everything you need to know about storing lasagna for later.
- To Chill: Once the lasagna is put together, it can be put in the fridge with the lid on for one or two days, until you’re ready to bake it.
- Freezing: Lasagna can be frozen before or after baking. If you wrap it well or put it in a container that won’t let air in, it will stay frozen for up to three months.
- To Reheat: Thaw frozen lasagna first in the fridge. This cuts down on the time needed for baking and makes sure the heating is more even. Follow the directions on the recipe. If the lasagna was already baked and you just want to warm it up, cover the dish with foil and heat it at 350ºF until it’s hot all the way through.
- One of our favorite ways to make dinner ahead of time is with slow cooker lasaga.
We think you’ll agree that this is the best lasagna recipe ever! It has a meaty sauce and lots of cheese.
If you love this lasagna, then you won’t want to miss these pasta recipes.
- 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
- 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
- Set a deep pan or Dutch oven over medium to high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 pound of ground beef, and diced onion. Break up the meat and cook it for 5 minutes, or until it’s no longer pink. Add pressed garlic and sauté another minute until fragrant.
- Stir in 1/4 cup of wine for two minutes, or until the wine is almost gone. Put in 2 tablespoons of parsley, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, 1/4 teaspoon of thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. Bring to a simmer then cover and cook 5 minutes.
- Put 16 ounces of cottage cheese, 15 ounces of ricotta, 1 cup of mozzarella, 1 egg, and 2 tablespoons of parsley in a large bowl. Mix well.
- 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.
- Put 1/2 cup of meat sauce in the bottom of a deep 9×13 baking dish. On top of the three noodles, spread out a third of the meat sauce. Top with one cup of mozzarella cheese. Spread half of your cheese sauce over the top.
- Add 3 noodles, 1/3 of the meat sauce, 1 cup of mozarella cheese, and 1/2 of the cheese sauce. Repeat until you have 3 layers of noodles: add 3 noodles, the last 1/3 of the meat sauce, and the last cup of mozarella cheese.
- Stick 9–12 toothpicks all over your lasagna so that the foil doesn’t stick to the cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 375˚F for 45 minutes.
- Take off the foil and broil for three to five minutes, or until the cheese turns golden. Let lasagna rest 30 min before slicing.
Beef Lasagna Recipe | Easy Dinner | – Natasha’s Kitchen
FAQ
What ground beef is better for lasagna?
Is medium or lean ground beef for lasagna?
Is 80/20 ground beef the same as ground chuck?