Introducing this classic Italian lasagna, a true family favorite that is flavor-perfect and doesn’t take all day to make. And with make-ahead instructions, who can say no to making this delicious meal any time of the week?
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Hello Hello!
I’ve missed you my friends! If you’ve signed up for my newsletter, you know that I was gone all last week to girl’s camp with the 12-18 year old young women in my church congregation. It was a wonderful week up in the middle of nowhere. We played hard and got very little sleep, but the memories are priceless. So glad for the time I got to spend with those wonderful girls.
AND I’m happy to be home. It’s taken me a few days this week to get back into my blogging groove, but here I am! Am happy to be here.
Especially happy to be sharing this amazing lasagna recipe with you.
Growing up, my family had lasagna every single Sunday for dinner. And we all loved it. Lasagna is definitely one of my favorite dishes.
My brother-in-law Mike S. brought this lasagna to a family gathering and oh boy was it a hit. He pitted it against the two other lasagna’s there and pretty much everyone there agreed it won hands down.
I asked him for the recipe and was excited when he shared it with me. After I made it, I was disappointed because it turned out nothing like his. It was okay, but really not anything worth mentioning.
When he brought his famous lasagna again at the next family gathering, I tasted it and accused him of giving me the wrong recipe. In a nice way. Hahaha.
Better lasagna for the world
As it turns out, he had modified the original recipe so significantly that it really was no longer recognizable. When I asked him if I could officially recreate his recipe and share it on my blog, he said, “Go for it. I’m all for promoting better lasagna in this world.”
Now that’s a cause I can definitely get behind. Better lasagna in the world. Truly there are a lot of mediocre lasagnas out there.
Lasagna is lasagna, you say? Well not for me. There’s good lasagna and then there’s great lasagna and this recipe definitely falls in the category of great lasagna.
The flavor is amazing. We love the sweet Italian sausage flavor that stands out in the sauce. Just be aware that not all Italian sausage is created equal. I’ve made it with several brands, but the sweet Italian sausage that comes in the links at Costco is probably my favorite.
For a little less meat, you can leave out the ground beef. I’ve made it that way and it’s really not necessary ingredient, but it does make it a bit more “meatier” with it.
The sauce to noodle ratio in this recipe is pretty much perfect. My mathematical brain loves it when that all works out, don’t you?
Plus there’s plenty of cheese. I love a good cheesy lasagna. Mike usually makes this recipe with cottage cheese and it’s good, but be sure to try it with the ricotta cheese at least once in your life. I think it makes it better. I usually make my own ricotta (It is SO SO GOOD), but you can also buy it from the store.
Okay my friends be sure to give this one a try. If you’re like me, it will turn into your new favorite lasagna recipe. Yes indeed this recipe is the proof that I am also all for promoting better lasagna in this world.
Classic Italian Lasagna
Introducing this classic Italian lasagna, a true family favorite that is flavor-perfect and doesn't take all day to make. And with make-ahead instructions, who can say no to making this delicious meal any time of the week?
Ingredients
For Meat Sauce:
- 1 to 1 ¼ pound sweet Italian sausage see note
- ½ pound ground beef see note
- ½ cup chopped yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2 6-ounce cans tomato paste
- 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or 2 teaspoons dried
For Ricotta Cheese Mixture:
- 2 cups (16-ounces) ricotta cheese see note
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or 2 teaspoons dried
Lasagna:
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 4 cups (1 pound) grated mozzarella cheese
- ¼ to ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
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In a large saucepan, brown sausage and ground beef over medium heat, breaking the meat apart into pieces with a wooden spoon. Add the chopped onion while the meat as it is browning and cook until onion is transparent. Drain excess grease.
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Add minced garlic, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, water, sugar, basil, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley. Stir until well mixed. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes to incorporate flavors, stirring occasionally.
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In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg and remaining parsley.
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Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water according to package directions until barely tender (about 8-10 minutes). Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water.
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
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To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange 3 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with a third of ricotta cheese mixture, then 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce and 1 cup of grated mozzarella cheese. Repeat with remaining layers, noting that the top layer will have no ricotta cheese mixture but will have 2 cups of grated mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on very top.
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Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 30 minutes on a baking sheet (to collect any drips). Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
1. I’ve found that the type of Italian sausage you use really does affect the flavor. We like the sweet Italian sausage (that comes in links) at Costco.
2. We’ve also successfully left out the ground beef in this lasagna and it’s still really good.
3. I’ve also made this lasagna with cottage cheese instead of ricotta. It is still really good, but I like the texture and taste of the ricotta slightly better. Here is the homemade ricotta cheese recipe I use. YUM.
4. For make-ahead instructions: Assemble as recipe states, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 24 hours before baking as directed in the recipe. You may need a few extra minutes baking time if the lasagna has been refrigerated first.
Recipe Source: Heather @ The Cook’s Treat, adapted slightly from a recipe shared with me by my brother-in-law Mike S.
All images and text ©The Cook’s Treat
Disclaimer: post contains affiliate links for items on Amazon.
