The Perfect Homemade Lasagna Recipe

There is nothing better than a homemade lasagna baked with a lot of love and a little skill. The combination of rich meaty sauce, gloriously creamy cheese, and a little bite from thick lasagna sheets make a gorgeous dinner that nobody can resist. When you bake it from scratch, the results are even better!

Although the best lasagnas can take a bit of time and effort, you can always make the sauces ahead of time to bring the lasagna together later. This particular recipe can be frozen, baked or unbaked, for up to two months! Plenty of time to defrost and enjoy whenever the lasagna cravings hit!

We think this is the best lasagna recipe ever. Serving up to 10 people and packed full of flavor, once you’ve tried this glorious lasagna recipe, you’ll never want store-bought again!

Ingredients

Meat Layer

*2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

*5oz pancetta, diced

*1lb hot Italian sausage, cut into pieces

*1lb combined ground beef

*6 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped

*1 cup onion, diced

*3 tbsp tomato paste

*1 cup dry red wine

*½ cup beef stock

*2 cans crushed tomatoes

*2 tsp sugar

*½ cup fresh basil, chopped

*3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

*2 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped

*Pinch of salt and pepper, to taste

Cheesy Layer

*16oz ricotta cheese

*5oz fontina cheese, grated

*1 large egg

*1 egg yolk

*¼ tsp ground nutmeg

Lasagna

*15 lasagna noodles (from the shop, or invest in a Una Casa Pasta Maker to make your own homemade pasta noodles and really impress!) 

*8oz mozzarella cheese, shredded

*½ cup parmesan cheese, finely grated

Method

Meat Layer

1)Add oil and pancetta to a large saucepan over medium-high heat and cook for 2-3 minutes until browned

2)Add sausage and beef to the pan and use a wooden spoon to break the meat into pieces, cooking until no pink meat remains (around 5 minutes)

3)Add the garlic and cook for a further minute before adding the onion

4)Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally

5)Add the tomato paste and a generous glug of wine (roughly 1 cup) and stir until thoroughly combined

6)Cook for 5 minutes and then stir in the beef stock and crushed tomatoes

7)Bring the tomato and meat sauce to the boil before reducing the heat to medium-low and cooking for 40 minutes or more, stirring occasionally

8)After approximately 40 minutes of simmering, stir in the sugar, basil, parsley, and oregano

9)Cook for 5 minutes before adding salt and pepper to taste

10)Remove from the heat and allow to cool before adding to the lasagna

Cheese Layer

1)While the meat layer is cooling, combine all the ingredients for the cheese layer in a large bowl

2)Mix well to ensure everything is thoroughly combined before setting aside for use in the lasagna

Noodles

1)Prepare your pasta by placing a long sheet of parchment paper on your countertop and brush lightly with olive oil

2)Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add a pinch of salt

3)Add lasagna noodles to the pot and cook for 4 minutes before removing with tongs and placing them on the parchment paper

4)Be sure to line the noodles up side-by-side, not touching. The noodles will still be very firm and should hold their shape easily

5)In the meantime, grate and shred your lasagna cheeses for the topping

Assembly 

1)Preheat your oven to 375’F and lightly grease a 9×13” casserole dish 

2)Line the bottom of the dish with 1 cup of the meat sauce

3)Top meat sauce with 5 lasagna noodles

4)Pour 2/4 cup of the cheesy sauce on top of the noodles, followed by ¼ cup of parmesan and an additional 1 and ½ cup of the meat sauce

5)Repeat twice to form a delicious 3-layer lasagna

6)On the top layer, add any remaining sauce and sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over the top

7)Cover with aluminum foil and place into your preheated oven, baking for 30 minutes

8)After 30 minutes, remove the foil and bake, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling

9)Remove your homemade lasagna from the oven and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes before serving 

Serving Suggestions

This lasagna is so good, you might not even need to serve it with any sides! But we generally like to serve ours with a simple green side salad to add a bit of freshness to the rich sauces and some freshly baked garlic bread to soak up all the delicious juice.