The Best Homemade Lasagna
We are pretty sure this is one of the best homemade lasagna recipes around! And yes, we realize we are totally biased. But it is so good!
The meat sauce is rich and full of flavor with just a touch of sugar to sweeten the acidity of the tomatoes. Cooked down for almost an hour, it is the perfect match for a ridiculous yummy cheese filling, lasagna noodles and mozzarella cheese. We prefer to pile our lasagna high! It may take a little time to assemble, but it is totally worth it!
This is also the perfect dish to make ahead of time! Just make sure to let it come to room temp before you bake it!
Best Homemade Lasagna Recipe
This homemade lasagna recipe requires basic ingredients and a little time to assemble but it’s definitely worth it. It’s easy and always turns out great!
Ingredients
Yield: 12 servings
- 2 lb ground sirloin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced small
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 14 1/2 oz can whole tomatoes
- 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 2 Tbsp parsley, chopped, dried or fresh
- 2 tsp basil
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 16 lasagna noodles
- 16 oz container cottage cheese, small curd, drained of excess liquid
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 Tbsp parsley, chopped, dried or fresh
- 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 16 oz bag mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated, for topping
Instructions
- Place a rack in the center of the oven then preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9" x 13" casserole dish with cooking spray and set it aside.
- To make the meat sauce, set a large pot over medium-high heat and brown the ground beef with the onion, garlic, salt and pepper. When the beef has cooked through, drain the fat and return to medium-high heat. Stir in whole tomatoes, tomato sauce, parsley, basil and sugar, breaking up the tomatoes as the sauce heats. Bring the mixture to a boil then immediately reduce the heat to low and simmer 45 minutes or until thickened.
- While the meat mixture simmers, parboil (partially boil) the lasagna noodles by cooking them for only 3−4 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Stir together the cottage cheese, ¼ cup of Parmesan, the parsley and oregano in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Set aside.
- To assemble the lasagna, spread 1 cup of meat sauce into the bottom of the casserole dish then layer with 4 lasagna noodles. Next, spread 1/3 of the cheese mixture on top of the noodles—it’ll be very thick and will not cover all the noodles. Drop spoonfuls onto the noodles and lightly spread. Spread another cup of meat sauce over the cheese mixture then sprinkle lightly with mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat the layers beginning with noodles, followed by the cheese mixture, meat sauce and mozzarella cheese. Finish the assembly by layering the last of the noodles, the remaining meat sauce and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top and cover casserole dish with aluminum foil.
- Place the lasagna in the oven and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil then bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove the lasagna from the oven and allow it to cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting. Serve and wait for the rave reviews!
Notes
You’ll want to dig right in when the lasagna is finished, but wait at least 15 minutes! Allowing it to set will make it much easier to cut.
Calories: 407kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 35g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 28mg, Sodium: 620mg, Potassium: 242mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 5g
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