The Greatest Lasagna | Cookies & Cups

By: Shelly
Posted: Apr 14, 2025

That is hands-down one of the best lasagna ever with juicy floor beef, sausage, and three kinds of cheese! Layered with savory tomatoes and tender noodles, no different recipe compares.

Some recipes are simply one of the best, whether or not it’s tacky beef and noodles, the best homemade chili, and even the best bruschetta.

A slice of lasagna on a white plate with the rest of the lasagna in a ceramic baking dish in the background.

We’re massive followers of consolation meals (who isn’t?), particularly selfmade lasagna. I’ve favourite recipes like this creamy chicken lasagna, my straightforward Instant Pot lasagna, and even a one-pot lasagna soup. And it began with this recipe! The perfect lasagna wants just a few key issues, IMO: loads of sauce, loads of cheese, and each of these items in good concord with the remainder of the substances.

What Makes This the Greatest Lasagna Recipe?

Filled with taste. Between the juicy floor beef, sausage, herbs, and three kinds of cheese, this lasagna packs all of the traditional, comforting flavors right into a casserole dish. The magic is within the ratio of substances, and that’s what makes this lasagna one of the best.
Make it forward. There’s the choice to organize this lasagna to bake immediately, or you possibly can refrigerate or freeze it forward of time.
Three kinds of cheese. Nearly any recipe is one of the best when these many layers of melty cheese are concerned!

The best lasagna ingredients with text labels overlaying each ingredient.

Components You’ll Want

These are the substances you’ll have to make the last word lasagna. Scroll right down to the recipe card on the backside of the put up for the complete checklist and recipe quantities.

Floor Beef – I exploit lean floor beef. You could possibly additionally make this recipe with floor turkey, rooster, pork, or a mixture of floor meats.
Breakfast Sausage – Sure, like Jimmy Dean! It’s one in all my secret substances for one of the best lasagna. It’s also possible to use floor Italian sausage in case you want.
Garlic – Freshly minced. In case you don’t have recent garlic, substitute garlic powder (about ¼ teaspoon of powder per recent clove).
Tomatoes – Canned diced tomatoes and tomato paste. If you will discover San Marzano tomatoes, these are a range from Italy recognized for his or her sweeter taste.
Herbs – Dried parsley and basil, or you can substitute an Italian herb mix for the person herbs. An alternative choice is to make use of recent herbs. On this case, you’ll want roughly 3 occasions the quantity of recent than dried.
Cottage Cheese – I exploit low-fat cottage cheese, however you can even use ricotta cheese in case you’d like.
Eggs – Evenly crushed.
Parmesan Cheese – Grated Pecorino cheese additionally works properly.
Olive Oil – Or your selection of cooking oil.
Lasagna Noodles – Select your favourite model of lasagna sheets. The higher high quality pasta you utilize, the higher your lasagna will probably be.
Mozzarella Cheese – I exploit pre-sliced mozzarella as a substitute of recent mozzarella. You’ll discover slices within the cheese aisle close to the pre-grated cheese.

Easy methods to Make the Greatest Lasagna

Making lasagna takes a little bit of time, however as quickly as you serve up that first gooey, saucy slice it’s greater than price it! Comply with the steps beneath, and scroll to the recipe card for the printable directions.

Canned tomatoes, tomato paste, and seasonings added to browned ground beef and sausage in a skillet. — Brown the meat and add seasonings.

Brown the meat. First, sauté the bottom beef, sausage, and garlic in a skillet over medium-high warmth. As soon as that’s browned, drain about half the fats from the pan.
Mix and simmer. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs, and slightly salt. Decrease the warmth and simmer for 45 minutes whilst you put together the remainder of the layers.

Cottage cheese, parmesan, egg, and parsley combined in a bowl. — Mix the cottage cheese filling substances.

Put together the cheese layer. In the meantime, combine cottage cheese with crushed eggs, parmesan, parsley, and salt. Set the combination apart.
Cook dinner the noodles. Subsequent, boil the lasagna sheets in salted water with a spoonful of olive oil. Drain the noodles as soon as they’re cooked al dente.

Cottage cheese mixture layered over lasagna noodles in a baking dish. — Layer the cheese over the noodles.

Layer the lasagna. Begin by arranging a layer of pasta sheets within the backside of a casserole dish. Unfold about half the cottage cheese combination over the noodles, adopted by a layer of mozzarella slices. Then, add about half of the meat sauce. Repeat two extra occasions, ending with a last layer of meat sauce. Sprinkle the highest with additional parmesan.
Bake (or don’t). Bake the lasagna immediately in a 350ºF oven for 20-Half-hour, till it’s sizzling and bubbly. Or, cowl the baking dish and refrigerate the unbaked lasagna for as much as 2 days. See the part beneath for extra particulars.

Overhead view of the best lasagna in a ceramic baking dish.

Ideas and Variations

Bake in a glass or ceramic dish. Acidic substances, like tomato sauce, can react with aluminum pans and provides the meals a metallic style. Because of this, I at all times suggest baking lasagna in a glass or ceramic baking dish.
Dry the noodles. After boiling the pasta sheets, pat them dry earlier than you layer them into the baking dish. It retains the lasagna from being too watery.
Layer the substances evenly. Attempt to divide the cottage cheese combination and sauce evenly between the layers, so that you don’t wind up with some layers which might be thinner or thicker than others.
To keep away from soupy slices, let the lasagna relaxation at room temperature for 10-Quarter-hour after baking it earlier than serving. This enables the layers to arrange, for cleaner slices.
Make it spicy. In case you’d want your meat sauce with slightly kick, sprinkle in crimson chili flakes or cayenne.

A slice of the best lasagna being lifted from the rest of the lasagna in a ceramic baking dish.

Make It Forward

As talked about, after assembling the lasagna, there’s the choice to bake it instantly or retailer it for later. Wrap or cowl the unbaked lasagna tightly both with plastic wrap or foil, and place it within the fridge. Uncover and bake inside 2 days. Chances are you’ll want to extend the baking time if the lasagna is chilly from the fridge (additionally be certain that the baking dish can safely go from chilly to sizzling with out cracking!).

Close up of a slice of lasagna on a white plate next to a fork.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

Refrigerate. Retailer leftover lasagna coated within the fridge for 4-5 days.
Reheat. Heat the lasagna within the oven at 350ºF, or you possibly can reheat slices in increments within the microwave.
Freeze. Let the lasagna cool fully to room temperature after which double-wrap it in plastic wrap or foil. Freeze it for as much as 2 months and thaw it within the fridge earlier than reheating.

Extra Consolation Meals Recipes

Description

Make one of the best lasagna (ever!) with juicy floor beef and sausage, three kinds of cheese, and herbs layered with tender noodles.

1 1/2 – 2 kilos lean floor beef
1 pound breakfast sausage (like Jimmy Dean) or floor Italian sausage
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes
2 (6-ounce) cans of tomato paste
4 tablespoons dried parsley, divided
2 tablespoons dried basil
1 tablespoons, plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
3 cups low-fat cottage cheese
2 eggs, crushed
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
10-ounce bundle of lasagna noodles
1 pound sliced mozzarella cheese (not recent mozzarella) you should buy it pre-sliced within the cheese part close to the grated cheese.

In a big skillet or saucepan, mix floor beef, sausage, and garlic. Cook dinner over medium-high warmth till browned. Drain about half the fats. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons parsley, basil and 1 teaspoon salt. After including the tomatoes, the sauce combination ought to simmer for 45 minutes when you are engaged on the opposite steps.
In a medium bowl, combine cottage cheese, crushed eggs, grated Parmesan, 2 extra tablespoons of parsley, and 1 extra teaspoon salt. Stir collectively effectively. Put aside.
Carry a big pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt and olive oil to the boiling water, then prepare dinner the lasagna noodles till al dente (not overly cooked). Drain.
To assemble: Organize 4 cooked lasagna noodles within the backside of a 9×13 baking dish, overlapping if obligatory. Spoon half the cottage cheese combination over the noodles. Unfold evenly. Cowl cottage cheese with a layer of mozzarella cheese. Spoon rather less than half the meat/sauce combination excessive. Repeat 2 extra occasions so you will have 3 layers, ending with meat/sauce combination. Sprinkle the highest generously with additional Parmesan.
You may refrigerate for as much as 2 days, or bake instantly in a 350°F oven till the highest is sizzling and bubbly, 20 to Half-hour.