Easiest Lasagna Ever
by Chungah
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This classic homemade lasagna is so easy with a homemade meat sauce and layers of creamy ricotta! It’s also make-ahead and freezer-friendly.
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 you’ll love this easy lasagna 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. And an added bonus: it’s freezer-friendly!
How to make classic lasagna
- Cook the pasta. Boil the lasagna noodles in generously salted water until al dente, about 8-10 minutes. Drain well and lay them flat to remove the excess moisture and to prevent them from sticking to one another. Skip this step if using no-boil lasagna noodles.
- Make the meat sauce. Brown the ground beef in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Drain the excess fat and stir in the crushed tomatoes and Italian seasoning. Simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes until it is thick and has no watery run-off.
- Prepare the ricotta cheese mixture. Combine the ricotta, mozzarella and egg until smooth and well combined.
- Assemble the lasagna.
- Base: Coat a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick spray, then spread 1 cup of the meat sauce evenly across the bottom. This will serve as a barrier to prevent the noodles from sticking to the bottom, helping them cook evenly.
- Pasta layer: Add a layer of 3-4 cooked lasagna noodles (or no-boil lasagna noodles) side-by-side, avoiding any overlap.
- Cheese layer: Spread 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the lasagna noodles in an even layer, then sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat: Spoon another layer of 1 1/2-2 cups meat sauce, then lasagna noodles, then ricotta and mozzarella cheese.
- Final layer: Add the last remaining lasagna noodles, covering with meat sauce, and sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan.
- Bake. Bake for 35-45 minutes until bubbling, covering with foil if it browns too quickly. Remove the foil, then broil for a few extra minutes for that extra crispy golden top.
- Serve. Let cool 15 minutes, garnishing with parsley and serving warm.
pro tip
Make the meat sauce the night before and store in the fridge overnight.
The flavors will deepen even further, and the thick chilled sauce will make assembly so much easier!
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.
Tools For This Recipe
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. Here is a turkey veggie version that I also love.
Yes! Feel free to use your favorite store-bought tomato sauce (I 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.
A well-structured lasagna starts with a protective layer of sauce, then noodles, then cheese, a repeat of layers (sauce, noodles, cheese), and then one final layer of noodles, sauce and a cheese-heavy top.
It’s important to remove the excess liquid from the ingredients before assembling the lasagna. For example, you’ll need to reduce the sauce, dry the lasagna noodles thoroughly, avoid fresh mozzarella, and allow the lasagna to rest prior to serving.
Yes, lasagna is very freezer-friendly! 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
Video
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
- 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. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 10-15 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, 1/2 cup mozzarella and egg; set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9 x 13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.
- 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.
Equipment
Notes
- Reduce the sauce. Gently simmer the meat sauce for 10-15 minutes (for a quick weekday version), stirring the pot occasionally to prevent sticking. The sauce should be thick, not watery. If it is too wet, the lasagna will be soggy. When time permits, simmer for 1-2 hrs, allowing the flavors to really meld and marry.
- 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 prior to baking.
- 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.
- Avoid fresh mozzarella. Use low-moisture, whole milk mozzarella cheese. Fresh mozzarella will have too much liquid, resulting in a watery lasagna.
- Cover with foil. If the lasagna is browning too quickly, cover with foil, spraying the foil with nonstick spray first so the cheese does not stick.
- 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.
Did you make this recipe?
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First successful lasagna! WOO HOO!! I added one tablespoon of tomato paste and a beef stock cube and can confirm it was truly delicious, enjoyed by all at the dinner table. Thank you.
Use onion soup mix when cooking the beef it makes the beef taste so good you can just put it over rice or with noodles and you have an extra meal idea
Looks amazing! Can this be frozen before step 6? (Before baking it at all?)
Yes! 🙂
*TO FREEZE: Cover lasagna tightly with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. Freeze up to 3 months. To bake, remove plastic wrap, cover and bake for 90 minutes. Uncover; bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until completely cooked through.
I’m looking forward to making this for Easter Sunday. If I put it together the day before, do I cook it then refrigerate til the next day and reheat? Or do I wait until the next day to cook it?
You can make this ahead of time by covering the lasagna tightly with plastic wrap (prior to baking). Refrigerate up to 24 hours. To bake, remove plastic wrap, cover and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover; bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until completely cooked through. Hope that helps, Theresa!
This is an amazing recipe – but it is far from ‘easiest’. Prep time takes me about 45 minutes. But I will keep on making it, because it has great flavour. The whole family loves it! Thank-you!
I’ve made this probably 5 or 6 times in the last few years. It never disappoints. I usually add 2-3 Italian sausages to the ground beef to add a little flavour – but it’s also great on its own.
Great recipe! I have made it three times already! Each time though, I can’t seem to get two ricotta cheese layers. I can only get one ricotta layer. Am I spreading the ricotta too thick? Thanks!
Possibly! But then again, you can never have enough ricotta, right?
First, divide your ricotta mixture in two so you see how much you have to work with per layer. Rather than trying to spread it, just drop teaspoons full of it at intervals on each layer. It’s almost impossible to spread. I add some quickly sauteed/steamed fresh spinach to my ricotta to try to stretch it a bit, while adding flavor and color, too. But just give up spreading your ricotta and drop it on in dribs and drabs. You can also add another egg to make it a bit more liquidy.
thanks for this feedback! going to try this recipe this week
I’m going to try this recipe out so I’ll foreward with that. Never made it yet. But I’m scrolling through the comments, reading them as always because often, previous readers that have tried recipes published online, have great tips and tricks for making the recipe prep, taste and cook it’s best + easiest.. Never in life have I seen as many people COMPLAIN about the most petty, small on a SINGLE recipe? Wasn’t the “easiest recipe in the world?” Wow. That’s definitely open to interpretation… Just a lot of trolls here. I feel embarrassed for the author who put this up to try and share something with people… Ugh.. Such gross behavior..
I’ve made this so many times and love it! Super easy. And it’s amazig left over!
I’m planning to make it for a large crowd. Do you think it will bake well if I increase the recipe by 50%? I have a very large lasagna pan that should fit everything, I just worried it might not bake as well. Have you ever tried increasing the recipe?
I actually have not. Sorry!
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!