Description
Indulge in layers of tender pasta, rich meat sauce, and creamy ricotta cheese in this ultimate comfort food. This step-by-step guide ensures a perfectly baked, crowd-pleasing dish every time.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef (80/20 lean)
- 1 lb mild or hot Italian sausage (casings removed)
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup dry red wine (optional)
- 6 oz can tomato paste
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp sugar (optional, to taste)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 15 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 12–16 lasagna noodles (oven-ready or traditional, cooked al dente)
- 4 cups low-moisture mozzarella cheese, freshly shredded
Instructions
- 1. Prep Ingredients: Dice onion, mince garlic, chop herbs, grate cheeses. If using traditional noodles, cook al dente, drain, and lay flat.
- 2. Cook Meat Sauce: Heat olive oil in a large pot. Brown ground beef and sausage, drain fat. Add onion and cook until softened. Stir in garlic for 1 minute. Deglaze with red wine (if using). Stir in tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, bay leaf, dried herbs, and sugar. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes to 2 hours. Season with salt and pepper.
- 3. Prepare Ricotta Mixture: In a bowl, combine ricotta cheese, egg, Parmesan, fresh parsley, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Mix until smooth.
- 4. Layer Lasagna: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Spread a thin layer of meat sauce in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Layer with noodles, half of the ricotta mixture, a third of the meat sauce, and mozzarella. Repeat noodles, remaining ricotta, another third of meat sauce, mozzarella. Top with final noodle layer, remaining meat sauce, and a generous amount of mozzarella and Parmesan.
- 5. Bake Lasagna: Cover dish tightly with foil. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly. Let rest 15-20 minutes before serving.
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Cook Time: 60 mins