Worlds Best Lasagna (Printable)

Comforting Italian classic with layers of pasta, meat sauce, ricotta, and melted cheese. Perfect for feeding a crowd.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta and Cheese

01 - 12 lasagna noodles, uncooked
02 - 15 ounces ricotta cheese
03 - 1 large egg
04 - 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
05 - 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

→ Meat Sauce

06 - 1 pound ground beef, lean
07 - 1 pound Italian sausage, casing removed
08 - 4 cups marinara sauce
09 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
10 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
11 - 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
12 - 1 teaspoon salt
13 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

# Directions:

01 - Set oven to 375°F and allow it to reach full temperature.
02 - Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté for approximately 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add ground beef and Italian sausage to the skillet, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Continue cooking for 8-10 minutes until completely browned. Drain any excess fat.
04 - Stir in 4 cups marinara sauce, salt, pepper, and chopped basil. Simmer for 10 minutes to allow flavors to meld.
05 - In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with 1 egg and mix until smooth consistency is achieved.
06 - Spread a thin layer of meat sauce across the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
07 - Arrange 4 lasagna noodles in a single layer, slightly overlapping to cover the sauce.
08 - Spread half of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, followed by one-third of the mozzarella, then additional meat sauce.
09 - Layer 4 more noodles, remaining ricotta mixture, another third of mozzarella, and more meat sauce.
10 - Top with final 4 noodles, remaining meat sauce, and finish with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
11 - Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes.
12 - Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes until cheese is golden and bubbling.
13 - Remove from oven and allow lasagna to rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The uncooked noodles soak up all the sauce flavor as they bake, no boiling water or sticky pasta drama.
  • Leftovers taste even better the next day when all the layers have melded together overnight in the fridge.
  • It feeds a crowd without you having to stand over the stove for hours.
02 -
  • If you skip the resting time, your first slice will fall apart and all that beautiful layering slides into a puddle.
  • Make sure every noodle touches sauce or it will bake up hard and crunchy, I learned that the embarrassing way at a potluck.
  • Drain the meat well after browning or the extra grease floats to the top and makes the whole dish oily.
03 -
  • Use a sharp knife and wipe it clean between cuts to get those picture perfect slices.
  • If the top starts browning too fast, tent it loosely with foil for the last few minutes of baking.
  • Make two at once and freeze one unbaked, then you have a future dinner already assembled and waiting.
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