Absolute Best Ever Lasagna Recipe

This absolute best ever beef lasagna recipe comes to us via my sister and brother-in-law. This is the ultimate meat lasagna!

Lasagna on a white plate garnished with parsley and cheese.

Three layers of deliciously rich, luscious meat sauce, creamy cheesy ricotta (no cottage cheese here!), and perfectly cooked noodles. You honestly would have a hard time finding something better at a restaurant. This dish delivers!

Also, keep reading for the trick to getting a perfect portion cut every time.

Make it a night of indulgence and serve our Bread Pudding for dessert!

Best Lasagna Recipe

Absolute Best Ever Lasagna - cooked sauce in a large dutch oven

How to Make the Best Lasagna

The most time-consuming step is making the meat sauce. But the sauce is what makes this lasagna amazing!

Although we were raised in a large Italian family there was never an authentic lasagna sauce recipe delivered to our table. *gasp* Shocking, I know!

Lasagna Meat Sauce

In a large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef and hot Italian sausage. Drain excess fat, add the pepperoni and cook for about 1 minute.

Add the onion, garlic, parsley, and fennel. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, fresh basil, bay leaves, oregano, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, add the wine.

Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour. Add the mushrooms and simmer another 30 minutes (if doubling the recipe, simmer longer).

Around this time the kitchen starts to smell WONDERFUL!  The tomato sauce is simmering away so this is usually when I am pouring a glass of wine.

Dipping some freshly baked bread into some olive oil and red pepper flakes usually happens too. Cooking should be an experience, right?

Assembling The Lasagna

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.

In a large pot boil the lasagna noodles according to the package instructions, stirring occasionally. Drain and set aside.

In a medium-size bowl mix the ricotta, egg, and parmesan.

Spread  1 1/2 cups of the meat sauce evenly in the bottom of a 13x9x2 baking pan.

Lasagna layering in the glass pan showing vertical noodle layering

Ok, so here’s the tip for layering the noodles for the perfect portion.

First place about 1 1/2 cups of sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Layer 1/3 of the noodles HORIZONTALLY.

Next, top with about 2 cups of the meat sauce, 1/3 of the ricotta mixture and 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese.

For the second layer place the lasagna noodles VERTICALLY and repeat the layering process.

Absolute Best Ever Lasagna - uncooked lasagna in a baking pan on top of a foil lined baking sheet

The third layer of noodles is placed horizontally, repeat the layering with the remaining ingredients. This layering process makes it much easier to cut and keep a uniform serving. No falling apart.

Just for your sanity, place the lasagna pan on a rimmed baking sheet before placing it in the oven. This will keep you from cleaning up the oven from any spills.

Absolute Best Ever Lasagna - overhead hot of the baked lasagna

My brother-in-law cooks it uncovered for the entire baking time. I, however,  cover for the first 30 minutes with aluminum foil. Then for the remaining cooking time, I remove the foil.

Doing this gives you that nice brown, crusty cheese top! This is always a favorite in our home.

Absolute Best Ever Lasagna - The ultimate lasagna! Three layers of deliciously rich, luscious meat sauce, creamy cheesy ricotta and perfectly cooked noodles. With a trick to getting a perfect portion cut every time. 

Remove from the oven and let it sit for at least 20-30 minutes before cutting. This also helps keep the serving uniform. To serve, hit it with a little parmesan cheese, or perhaps some Romano, your preference.

Plan on making this No-Knead Large Dutch Oven Bread serve along with this Absolute Best Ever Lasagna. If you’re looking for a good meat lasagna recipe, give this one a try. You won’t regret it, I promise.

Absolute Best Ever Lasagna - The ultimate lasagna! Three layers of deliciously rich, luscious meat sauce, creamy cheesy ricotta and perfectly cooked noodles. With a trick to getting a perfect portion cut every time. 

This recipe doubles perfectly and fills my 14-inch lasagna pan that serves a crowd. It’s great for making ahead and freezing. Just make through the layering process, wrap in freezer paper and freeze. Thaw before baking.

Absolute Best Ever Lasagna - The ultimate lasagna! Three layers of deliciously rich, luscious meat sauce, creamy cheesy ricotta and perfectly cooked noodles. With a trick to getting a perfect portion cut every time. 

Serve and enjoy a taste of heaven!

Absolute Best Ever Lasagna Recipe

Lasagna on a white plate garnished with parsley and cheese.

Absolute Best Ever Lasagna Recipe

The ultimate lasagna recipe! Three layers of deliciously rich, luscious meat sauce, creamy cheesy ricotta, and perfectly cooked noodles. With a trick to getting a perfect portion cut every time. 
4.49 from 45 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 3 hours
Servings: 12
Calories: 741kcal
Author: Leigh Harris

Ingredients
 

Meat Sauce

  • 1 lb ground round
  • 2 lbs hot Italian sausage, ground
  • 3 oz pepperoni, diced
  • 1 cup onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fennel, ground
  • 2 28oz cans crushed tomatoes (San Marzano, if possible)
  • 1 6oz can tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons dried basil
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  • 1/4 cup red wine
  • 8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced

Lasagna

  • 16 oz lasagna noodles
  • 15 oz ricotta cheese, room temperature
  • 1 large egg, slightly beaten
  • 1 cup Parmesan, grated
  • 16 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded

Instructions

  • In a large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, brown the ground round and hot Italian sausage. Drain excess fat, add the pepperoni and cook about 1 minute.
  • Add the onion, garlic, parsley, and fennel. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, basil, bay leaves, oregano, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, add the wine.
  • Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour. Add the mushrooms and simmer another 30 minutes. (if doubling the recipe, simmer longer) 
  • Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
  • Boil the lasagna noodles according to the package instructions, drain and set aside.
  • In a medium-size bowl mix the ricotta, egg, and parmesan.
  • Spread  1 1/2 cups of the meat sauce evenly in the bottom of a 13x9x2 baking pan.
  • Layer 1/3 of the noodles over the sauce horizontally. Spread 2 cups of sauce over the noodles; 1/3 of the ricotta mixture and 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat with the second layer of noodles placing them vertically. Repeat a third time laying the noodles horizontally.
  • Bake for 1 -1 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven to a wire rack and let it sit for about 20-30 minutes before slicing.

Notes

*You probably won’t use all the lasagna noodles from the 16oz box.
The original recipe uses 1/2 the ricotta mixture on the first layer and the remaining 1/2 on the second layer. Then top (final layer) with just noodles, meat sauce, and remaining mozzarella. 
I use 1/3 of the ricotta on each layer.

Nutrition

Calories: 741kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 160mg | Sodium: 1400mg | Potassium: 610mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 718IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 404mg | Iron: 3mg

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19 Comments

  1. GRRRREAT lasagne recipe!!!!!! Not too complicated and it is absolutely delicious. If you like lasagne then you need to make this recipe.5 stars

  2. I assume that the bay leaves get removed after simmering?! And I’m a moscato wine fan. What inexpensive red wine can I use? Anxious to try this to celebrate being in remission in the near future… and get healed from my ulcer issues…

    1. Yes, remove the bay leaves. Choose a Merlot, Pinot Noir, or Cabernet Sauvignon. Since you don’t normally drink red wine I suggest don’t buy bottom shelf try to buy middle shelf wine.

    1. Hi, Lindsey. We never use the ready-to-bake noodles but you can certainly give it a try. We prefer boiling the noodles first.

  3. I doubled the pepperoni, and cut the Italian sausage in half. I also used dried parsley instead of fresh, and marsala wine instead of red wine, and it came out wonderfully.5 stars

  4. My wife and I decided to try and make one, so I went to the store and bought the items needed, with one twist, we made our own noodles from scratch. We had a great time making them , but the wife started on the meat sauce and it started to smell pretty good in the kitchen. We took a few minutes to chill out with a break before we assembled the Lasagna and it was awesome to realized how much food was in the pan, it was a lot. We baked it for supper and had a few neighbors over to eat with us. They loved it, and we passed a good time. So good to see friends over who, like most of the Country had to do our part in beating this virus, and now it is time to celebrate our lives back. Thanks5 stars

    1. David, we’re so happy to hear you guys enjoyed the lasagna! Thank you for taking the time to drop in and tell us your experience.

  5. The BEST I have EVER had! My family was amazed and said they’ve never had any that tastes as good! I will definitely keep this recipe as an all time favorite.5 stars

    1. Can you make the lasagne the day before cover it tight with aluminium foil. Leave in refrigerator to ready to bake.

    1. Thanks, Stephanie! You won’t regret making it yourself, I promise! You will never order it in a restaurant again!

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