Easiest Lasagna Ever
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Nothing beats classic lasagna. And this is the easiest recipe you will ever make. It can be made ahead and it’s freezer-friendly too!
Featured Comment
I don’t even know what it is about this recipe. It isn’t complicated, featuring an assorted variety of meats and cheeses, yet the taste and flavor are fantastic.
I feel that I can either make it the same, again and again, or occasionally tweak it for a change of pace.
why i love this recipe
- A classic dish. With such simple ingredients using pantry staples – we’re talking homemade meat sauce layered with a mixture of ricotta and mozzarella cheese with tender lasagna noodles – this cozy, comforting classic delivers on all levels every single time.
- Makes for a great gift. Lasagna is very easy to double (making two pans), freeze and gift to a new mom or neighbor. What’s the best way to gift lasagna? Assembled and uncooked.
- Reheats very well. Leftovers taste even better the next day as the flavors of the meat sauce and cheese continue to meld together.
tips and tricks for success
- Use no-boil lasagna noodles. To cut down on prep time even more, use no-boil lasagna noodles, making sure the noodles are completely covered in sauce.
- Mix it up. This recipe uses ground beef for budget-friendly convenience but a mixture of lean ground beef and sweet Italian sausage should work very well here.
- Let it rest. Let the lasagna sit for 10-15 minutes. This will prevent the layers from sliding off, and will also make it easier to serve with less mess.
- Make ahead of time. Lasagna is a great dish to make ahead of time. Prep and assemble 1-2 days before, covered with aluminum foil and stored in the fridge.
- Freeze before baking. This will preserve the texture and prevent sogginess. Always use a freezer-safe baking dish, label, date and freeze up to 3 months.
freezing and storage
Prep
To make ahead, cover lasagna tightly with plastic wrap; refrigerate up to 24 hours. To bake, let the lasagna sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes. Remove plastic wrap and bake as directed.
Storage
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Reheating
Reheat in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through, about 15-30 minutes.
Freeze before baking
Cover the lasagna tightly with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. Label, date and freeze up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, remove the plastic wrap and bake as directed, adding a few more minutes of cook time as needed.
Freeze after baking
Let the lasagna cool completely; cover tightly with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. Label, date and freeze up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through, about 1 hour.
Easiest Lasagna Ever: Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! No-boil lasagna noodles are a convenient shortcut to cut down prep time even more. They just need to be completely covered in sauce to cook through properly.
Not at all! Italian pork sausage or ground turkey can be used instead of ground beef.
Feel free to use your favorite store-bought tomato sauce (we love Rao’s Roasted Garlic) in place of the crushed tomatoes and omitting the Italian seasoning.
The egg serves as a binding agent for the ricotta cheese mixture. You can certainly skip the egg if needed, leaving the ricotta a little runnier, but it should not compromise taste.
Yes! For the best results, we recommend assembling, freezing, then baking to help prevent any sogginess. But if you’ve already baked your lasagna, no worries at all – it can still be frozen!
Easiest Lasagna Ever
Ingredients
- 9 lasagna noodles
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 onion, diced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 (15-ounce) package whole milk ricotta
- 3 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1 large egg, beaten
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9 x 13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook lasagna noodles according to package instructions.
- Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add ground beef and onion and cook until beef has browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Drain excess fat. Stir in tomatoes and Italian seasoning until well combined.
- In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, 1/2 cup mozzarella and egg; set aside.
- Spread 1 cup tomato mixture onto the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish; top with 3 lasagna noodles, 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture and 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Repeat with a second layer. Top with remaining noodles, tomato mixture, 1 cup mozzarella cheese and Parmesan.*
- Place into oven and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until bubbling. Then broil for 2-3 minutes, or until top is browned in spots. Let cool 15 minutes.
- Serve, garnished with parsley, if desired.
Video
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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My first lasagna ever and my husband and children had NO complaints. Which is truly remarkable!
What makes this even easier, and it’s just as delicious, is to use no bake noodles!
Thanks for the tip, Cindi!
It needs more then 1lb of beef. More like 1.5 or 2lbs.
Really like many of the recipes and live in London. Just wondering would it be possible to give the measurements in metric for European cooks ?
Hi Lizzy! There are many metric conversion calculators available online. 🙂
I have never made lasagna before and always just cooked the premade freezer kind. This was a lot easier than I was expecting! I tried to use what I had on hand so I used 2 cans of diced tomatoes and a big scoop of tomato paste to try and make the sauce thicker like if I used crushed tomatoes. It turned out really good. I’ll have to try it again with the crushed tomatoes to see if it made that much difference in the end.
Great! So happy it turned out so well for you!
Taste bland and not enough flavour maybe it needed a cheesy sauce?
I think you should change your prep time to an hour.
Hi Keira! Thanks for trying my recipe, but lasagna typically does not have a “cheesy sauce” – perhaps you were expecting a different kind of dish?
On your nutrition facts, it doesn’t say how much is a serving size. I have to track my macro nutrients. Do you know about how much is a serving size? Thanks!
Hi Sydnee! You would have to divide the lasagna into equal 12 pieces, since the recipe yields 12 servings. Then you’d have your serving size and corresponding nutrition facts. I hope that helps!
Could I use “no-boil noodles” instead?
Yes, absolutely.
Is there a specific modification if no – boil noodles are used ?
Nope – there’s just no need to boil the noodles, of course. 🙂
Thank you very much x
Hi there, I am eager to cook this and freeze, once assembled and cooked, and then frozen, do you put in the overn frozen for 90 minutes to heat or defrost first, thank you.
Natalie, to freeze, place the lasagna in the freezer uncooked. There is no need to defrost when ready to bake.
The lasagna is in the oven as I’m writing this comment. It smells and looks great, however I would argue that it doesn’t take 20 minutes to prepare this. Maybe I’m a slow cook, but a 30 minute prep time would be more accurate.
Can I use cottage cheese instead in recipe?
Yes, absolutely!
Just made this using my homemade sauce and noodles! delish! Thank you!
may I ask how you record these videos without holding the camera or shaking? haha
Looks delish though!!
I am using a tripod.
Okay, how do you measure the small bowl of mixture that you’re saying before the tomatoes mixture? I’ve read it ten times and is still confused….
Hi Vicki. Sorry, I am a little confused by your question. Are you referring to this step?
4. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, 1/2 cup mozzarella and egg; set aside.
My first one is in the oven. We’ll see how it turns out because I had to substitute for gluten free noodles and they were not a standard lasagna shape, which meant breaking some in pieces. Not to mention that I’m constantly scatterbrained worrying about cross-contamination. 😉
I have to say though that it was frustrating starting to use my large skillet because by the time I was ready for the tomatoes, there was no room. I had to switch to a pot. The video was rather misleading about that. It really doesn’t look like a pound of ground beef was used. Also the recipe doesn’t mention whether or not it needs to be covered if you make and bake it fresh.
Heya, if it’s helpful to anyone, I’ve never been a big fan of ricotta and I found a recipe which replaces it with tofu – https://www.recipestroupe.com/recipe-vegan-tofu-and-spinach-lasagna-51076.html. I’m not vegan, but I was thinking of using tofu instead of ricotta in this recipe. Would it work ok?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
I’ve made this several times now, and it’s a hit every time. My husband even says that it’s the best lasagna he’s ever had! Thanks for the great and easy recipe!
I already have a can of stewed tomatoes – could I substitute that instead?
Yes, absolutely.
If I cook one day ahead, do you mean I cover with foil and cook for 40 minutes? Then uncover the foil and cook 10-15 more??
Yes, that’s exactly right.