This easy Lasagna Recipe is meaty, cheesy, and packed with flavor in every bite. Homemade lasagna is better than any restaurant version and it feeds a crowd for way less than going out to eat.
We love lasagna around here and have gotten creative over the years with Lasagna Soup and even Chicken Lasagna, but we’ve heard again and again from our readers that this is the best lasagna recipe they’ve ever made.
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Best Lasagna Recipe
Lasagna is the perfect meal, and of all of the recipes I’ve tried over the years, this is the perfect lasagna. We loved it so much, we even turned it into Lasagna Roll Ups. It’s flavorful and satisfying, but also easy to make. It’s delicious as-is, but you can make it your own by swapping in your favorite ingredients.
In our house, lasagna is a staple for busy school nights because it keeps, reheats, and freezes so well and it’s nice to have something in the fridge to enjoy throughout the week. I even use it for kids’ lunches—I pack a serving in my son’s thermos to keep it hot and that thermos comes home empty every time.
Lasagna Video
Watch Natasha make this classic Lasagna Recipe. It’s the best lasagna we have tried, with the perfect balance of meat sauce to the three cheese sauce and noodles. That golden cheese crust seals in all the flavor and makes it irresistible. Here’s why you’ll love this recipe:
- Meaty, cheesy, and saucy – Everything you want in a lasagna recipe.
- Perfect for Meal Prep – It’s simple enough that you can make it on a weeknight, but you can also make it over the weekend to enjoy it throughout the week. Or double the recipe and freeze one lasagna for later.
- Everyone approves – this is a family-friendly meal.
Ingredients
This 3-cheese lasagna is the ultimate comfort food and the ingredients are refrigerator and pantry staples. See the recipe card below for quantities and full instructions.
- Ground beef – We used 80/20 beef (20% fat content) for a juicier lasagna.
- Onion – we use yellow onion, or sweet onion works well
- Garlic cloves – you can add more if you love garlic
- Red wine (or beef broth) – This amps up the flavor of your sauce (avoid using cooking wine).
- Marinara sauce – Use homemade marinara or store-bought.
- Dried thyme – Italian seasoning, basil, or oregano can be substituted
- Sugar – balances the acidity of the tomatoes
- Parsley – flat-leaf or curly parsley works well
- Lasagna noodles – Cook these al dente; they’ll continue to soften as the lasagna bakes.
- Cottage cheese – adds great texture and moisture
- Ricotta cheese – we use low-fat or part-skim ricotta
- Mozzarella cheese – An Italian cheese blend works, but mozzarella is definitely the classic choice
- Egg – helps hold the cheese layer together
Pro Tip: Use a very large pot of salted water to boil the lasagna noodles and stir them several times, especially right after adding them to the pot. This will keep them from sticking to each other and tearing.
How to Make Lasagna
If you’d like to get a head start on this recipe, you can make the meat sauce a day or two in advance. That said, it’s still easy enough that you can make it all in one go, even for a weeknight dinner.
- Brown the beef – Add oil to a deep pan and sautee onion and beef until browned, 5 minutes then add garlic and stir another minute.
- Finish the sauce – Pour in 1/4 cup of wine and stir until almost evaporated. Add marinara, salt, pepper, thyme, sugar, and parsley; bring to a simmer, then cover and cook 5 minutes.
- Make the cheese filling – Combine all of the cheese sauce ingredients and 1 cup of mozzarella in a mixing bowl (reserve the rest for later).
- Prep – Preheat your oven to 375ºF and cook the lasagna noodles in a pot of well-salted water until al dente.
- Assemble – Spread 1/2 cup of the meat sauce on the bottom of a 9×13-inch casserole dish. Add 3 noodles, followed by 1/3 of the meat sauce, 1 cup of mozzarella, and half of the ricotta mixture. Repeat, then for the top layer, add 3 noodles, 1/3 of the meat sauce, and the remaining mozzarella.
- Bake – Cover with foil and bake at 375˚F for 45 minutes, then remove the foil and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese is lightly browned.
- Rest – Let the lasagna rest for about 30 minutes before cutting and serving.
Pro Tip: There’s nothing worse than having the top portion of cheese stuck to the foil. To prevent this, I poke 8-10 toothpicks evenly around the top of the lasagna, pushing them in halfway to keep the foil from touching the cheese. Just be sure to count and remove every toothpick prior to serving.
Common Questions
I use both; cottage cheese is healthier and ricotta is creamier, so you get the best of both worlds by using both of these cheeses in your lasagna.
This lasagna recipe was developed with traditional lasagna noodles, but several readers have reported great results using no-boil noodles.
If you don’t have red wine, or prefer not to use it, you can substitute with beef broth or beef stock. The red wine adds great flavor but the lasagna will still be delicious with beef broth.
Cooking al dente pasta means it should be “firm to the bite.” The package instructions will provide the cook time for pasta to reach al dente. Keep in mind, the lasagna will be baked for 45 minutes so do not overcook your lasagna noodles.
Homemade marinara is definitely best, but if you don’t have time to make it, use your favorite store-bought marinara sauce.
Yes, you can easily double this recipe, but you’ll need to bake the lasagna in two pans.
What to Serve with Lasagna
Lasagna is a satisfying meal on its own, but if you’re feeding a big crowd, you can stretch it out by serving it with:
Make-Ahead
Here’s everything you need to know about storing lasagna for later.
- To Refrigerate: You can assemble the lasagna and store it covered in the refrigerator for a day or two until you are ready to bake.
- Freezing: Lasagna can be frozen before or after baking. Either way, it will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months when wrapped well or stored in an airtight container.
- To Reheat: Frozen lasagna should be thawed in the refrigerator first; this reduces the time needed for baking and ensures more even heating. Bake according to the recipe instructions; if your lasagna was already baked and you’re simply reheating it, cover the baking dish with foil and reheat at 350ºF until warmed through.
- Slow Cooker Lasaga – this is one of our favorite ways to make dinner ahead of time.
With its meaty sauce and layers of cheese, we think you’ll agree that this is the best lasagna recipe ever!
More Pasta Recipes
If you love this lasagna, then you won’t want to miss these pasta recipes.
- Baked Ziti (Easy Pasta Casserole) VIDEO
- Chicken Pesto Pasta (VIDEO)
- Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe (VIDEO)
- Creamy Baked Feta Pasta (VIDEO)
- Mom’s Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo (VIDEO)
Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients for Lasagna
- 1 lb ground beef, (15-20% fat content)
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup dry red wine, or beef broth
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 24 oz Marinara Sauce , (3 cups)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper, ground
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped
- 9 lasagna noodles, cooked al dente
Ingredients for Cheese Sauce:
- 16 oz low-fat cottage cheese
- 15 oz reduced fat ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped, plus more to garnish
- 4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
Instructions
How to Make Meat Sauce:
- Place a deep pan or dutch oven over medium/high heat and add 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 lb ground beef and diced onion. Saute, breaking up the meat, for 5 minutes or until beef is no longer pink. Add pressed garlic and sauté another minute until fragrant.
- Add 1/4 cup wine and stir for 2 minutes or until wine is nearly evaporated. Add 3 cups marinara, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp sugar and 2 Tbsp parsley. Bring to a simmer then cover and cook 5 minutes.
How to Make Cheese Sauce:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 16 oz Cottage Cheese, 15 oz Ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1 egg and 2 Tbsp parsley. Mix well.
How to Make Lasagna:
- Preheat oven to 375˚F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and 9 lasagna noodles. Cook until al dente according to package instructions.
- Spread 1/2 cup meat sauce in the bottom of a deep 9×13 casserole dish. Add 3 noodles, spread on 1/3 of the meat sauce, and sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Spoon on and spread the top with 1/2 of your cheese sauce.
- Repeat until you have 3 layers of noodles:
Add 3 noodles, 1/3 meat sauce, 1 cup mozarella cheese, 1/2 cheese sauce
Add 3 noodles, remaining 1/3 meat sauce, remaining 1 cup mozarella. - Poke 9-12 toothpicks over the surface of your lasagna (to keep the foil from sticking to the cheese). Cover with foil and bake at 375˚F for 45 minutes.
- Remove foil and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until cheese turns golden. Let lasagna rest 30 min before slicing.
I would live to print this recipe
Hi Kathy! There is a print option towards the bottom of the recipe 🙂
Hi Natasha,
I made this lasagna 3 days ago and, as usual, an excellent recipe. My husband who does not eat pasta told me that I can do it again and again. Even the third day leftovers were juicy and tasty as the first day.
P.S. I tried MANY of your recipes and all are very good. I like when it works from the first try. No hidden technique or ingredients. For the coming New Year party my family asked me to bake the wreath bread (2 portions) and some deserts. I am baking the caramel mini cheesecakes, eclairs and maybe zefir.
Thank you for everything you do for people who love to cook, bake and eat :)).
Hi Galina! Thank you so much for your thoughtful review and comment. I’m smiling big 🙂 I’m so happy you love the lasagna and so many of our other recipes. I hope you have a lovely Christmas season!! 🙂
Hi Natasha,
I wanted to make this lasagna but I cannot seem to find cottage cheese in the supermarket. Do you know what can I substitute with cottage cheese? Thank you so much!
Hi Karen, I have heard from readers who used only ricotta cheese instead of cottage cheese. I think that would work best to just double the ricotta or at least 1 1/2 times the ricotta. I hope you love this meat sauce lasagna! 🙂
Hi Natasha- this looks great- going to try it this weekend! If someone in my family doesn’t like cottage cheese, could I double the ricotta?
Hi Lauren, yes that will work to substitute with all ricotta instead of cottage cheese. I hope you love this classic lasagna! 🙂
Hi Natasha- as an update, I made this with double the ricotta instead of the cottage cheese and it came out great! My father, who loves lasagna, said it was the best he’s had- thanks for the great recipe!
That’s so great!! Thank you for sharing your experiment with us! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
Good lasagna recipe…used ‘no boil’ lasagna noodles and it worked fine and cuts cooking time. Would like to try other lasagna recipes to compare…
Thank you for sharing that with us!
I accidentally bought no boil lasagna noodles – ugh. any special instructions or suggestions? Can I boil them any way?
Hi Anita, I haven’t tried that but one of our readers wrote “used ‘no boil’ lasagna noodles and it worked fine and cuts cooking time. Would like to try other lasagna recipes to compare…”
Hi Natasha , I love your recipes!!.
I have a question. WIOe are having some people over for early dinner on Saturday. If I prepared everything and place in the refrigerator the lazanha ready to bake it’s too far in advance?
That should work just fine!! It may take a little longer to bake if baking cold from the refrigerator.
Trying this tonight for dinner but I know it will be amazing since all you recipes are exceptional. Are you thinking of putting all these recipes into a book one day??
Thank you for that wonderful review, Sefora! Stay tuned for book info!
This looks great!!! What can I substitute for ricotta cheese?
Thanks, John! I think cottage cheese will do, although I haven’t tried that so I can’t really say, I don’t think the texture would be as creamy. Cottage cheese melts and becomes stringy, while the ricotta keeps the whole thing a creamy sauce. If you experiment with cottage cheese only, let me know how it turns out 🙂
Natasha, I love your recipes!! I always make Lasagna for our family Christmas dinner. I have a recipe that I usually use, until now!! I have a feeling that this will be my “go-to” recipe 🙂 How do you feel about preparing it the night before, using unboiled noodles, and just adding more sauce? Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipe!!
I haven’t tried it with unboiled noodles but prepping it ahead of time should work just fine.
I make mine ahead of time with uncooked noodles. The trick is cooking with aluminum foil over dish for first hour. The last 15 minutes or so take off foil. Been doing this for over 30 years.
I will have to try that! Thank you Donna!
I can’t wait to try this! It looks so good and juicy! What do you do if you want to freeze it?
Hi Courtney, Lasagna freezes well. You can freeze an entire casserole or even individual slices.
How about a quickie? You know, you can leave out the egg, substitute bow tie pasta for the lasagna noodles, and make this in one pot on the stovetop. I do it all the time for a quick evening supper. Make the meat sauce, toss in the noodles, then add the cheese sauce and stir just to mix. I love any/every kind of pasta! Adding spinach to any Lasagna is also a very tasty addition! It goes well with the Ricotta.
That is a great idea for a quick version! Thank you for sharing that with us, Thomas!
Made this for lunch and it was a hit! So so good! Thank you for awesome and easy recipes!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Hi Natasha ! I love lasagna. But I do have a little problem… can’t get cottage cheese. Can I use ricotta instead ?? Thank you !
Hi Myriam! Yes, are more than welcome to simply use ricotta.
Hi Natasha! I am such a big fan! We loved this recipe and our group of six polished off the whole pan! My hubs and I are expecting our first baby in February and I’m starting to think about what I might want to stockpile in our freezer for easy meals to toss in the oven. How would I go about preparing this for the freezer? I was even thinking of dividing it between 3 smaller containers to stretch out for the two of us.
Hi Kristen, thank you for that awesome feedback! Lasagna freezes well. You can freeze an entire casserole or even individual slices.
This looks perfect! I love lasagna!
Do you think it would turn out too dry if I substitute with chicken?
Thank you for that amazing feedback! I haven’t tried it with chicken, our readers have and enjoyed it however! 🙂
You’re so cute in your video, especially where you’re waiting for lasagna to cool 😁
Thanks, Alena! You’re so nice!
Made this today and it was delicious! For reference, I used leaner meat, but whole milk ricotta and cottage cheeses. Thank you 🙂
That’s so great! Thank you for sharing that with us!
I love Your recipes
Thank you Jasminei!
If you want your tin foil from sticking to the cheese just spray the tin foil with Pam or any other kind of spray and it will be perfect before putting on top of lasagne
Thank you for sharing that with us, Lynn!
This looks sooo good! Now all I can think about is making this! And Natasha, you are so funny, the part of the video when you’re waiting for lasagna to cool down, you should have your own show on TV 😉 it is no surprise you are successful, your down to earth personality always shines through. You are so relatable to all of us busy moms. Thank you for another great recipe and helpful tips. Happy Holidays to you and yours!!!
That you for that wonderful compliment, Sveta! You are so nice!
This is definitely next on my to cook list! Do you have any suggestions on what I can substitute for the meat? My hubby isn’t too keen on meat, so I’m thinking to do 1/2 with beef and 1/2 vegetarian style. Also love your 9×13 dish, have a link to it?
Thank you!
Hi Cornelia, I bet it would be good with diced mushrooms instead of beef if you wanted to make it half vegetarian style 🙂 The dish is from Fred Meyer – it was by the “Dash of That” brand and it was inexpensive – maybe $20 or so?
Switch out meat with any Vegan meat substitute. Beyond Meat has a good raw burger, sold in the meat department, that you could switch out for the ground beef.
Thank you for sharing your vegetarian lasagna substitution!
Looks good! I’d use the beef broth or beef stock, since I do not drink wine or use wine at all. (Nobody in my family drinks or uses wine)
I hope you love it!