Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Easy Homemade Lasagna
A well-rested square of lasagna has plenty to enjoy: tender noodles, savory meat sauce and a creamy cheese layer. The browned mozzarella top makes it especially inviting. Give the dish its pause after baking, then cut warm slices that hold their layers on the plate.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 60 min
- Total
- 105 min
- Original yield
- Serves 12
- Ingredients
- 16 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Beef
- Cuisine
- Italian
- Cooking method
- Baking · Baked & roasted
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 16–30 minutes · Total: over 60 minutes
- Dish type
- Casseroles · Pasta
A few quick notes
1. Boil noodles until firm
Cook the dry noodles al dente, then drain and rinse with cold water before setting them aside for layering.
2. Drain browned meat
Brown beef and sausage with onion and garlic until no pink remains, then drain fat before adding the tomato sauce mixture.
3. Taste the simmered sauce
Let the meat sauce thicken slightly during its uncovered simmer, then taste for salt before building the lasagna layers.
Get to know the ingredients
Ricotta or cottage cheese
Either is listed for the cheese mixture, combined separately with mozzarella, Parmesan, parsley, beaten egg and salt before assembly.
Pasta sauce amount
You can increase pasta sauce to forty-eight ounces if you prefer more sauce throughout the lasagna layers.
Separate topping cheeses
Reserve the mozzarella and Parmesan amounts named in the topping step until the foil is removed after the first bake.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 12. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 8 steps completeMake room for Easy Homemade Lasagna
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Rest before cutting
Let the lasagna rest at least fifteen minutes after baking so the warm layers keep their shape when sliced.
A little more help as you go
Start with meat sauce
Spread meat sauce in the dish before the first three noodles, then add cheese mixture and more sauce for the repeated layers.
Optional browned top
After the uncovered cheese-topped bake, use the optional two-to-three-minute broil if you want more browning over the lasagna.
A few questions you might have
Can I use fresh lasagna sheets?
You can use fresh sheets from the deli area without boiling them first, as an alternative to cooked dry noodles.
Can I make the filling with all beef?
Yes. You can replace sausage with beef, adding half a teaspoon of Italian seasoning and optional quarter-teaspoon fennel seeds.
Can I have thicker cheese layers?
Divide the cheese mixture between the first two layers and use only meat sauce in the third.
Does the top noodle layer get cheese filling?
The final three noodles get the remaining meat sauce. The mozzarella-and-Parmesan topping comes later, after the covered bake.
Can the lasagna rest longer than fifteen minutes?
You can rest it for thirty to forty-five minutes if needed. Resting helps it hold its shape and prevents runny slices.
Any more cooking tips?
Note on the sauce : In this recipe, each layer has about 1 cup of meat sauce. If you prefer more sauce in your lasagna, increase the pasta sauce to 48 oz. Salt needed may vary based on the brand of pasta sauce used. Taste and season after simmering. Cheese Layer: The cheese layers are thin; if you’d prefer a thicker layers cheese, divide the cheese in half and put on the first two layers, and add just meat sauce to the third layer. We tested this with extra ricotta cheese and found it overpowered the lasagna. Time-Saving Tip: Use fresh lasagna sheets found in the deli area and skip the boiling step! Fresh lasagna doesn’t need to be boiled first. Let the lasagna sit/rest for at least 15 minutes once removed from the oven (even 30-45 minutes is fine). This will keep it from becoming runny and help it to keep its shape when cut. Resting is not required when reheating. Substitutions: Ricotta cheese can be replaced with cottage cheese. Use all beef (or even ground turkey) in place of sausage if needed. If using all beef, add ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning to the meat (and ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds if desired).
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: spendwithpennies.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
