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Lasagna

Lasagna

Time

  • Prep: 30 min
  • Cook: 2 hr 15 min
  • Total: 3 hr 15 min (2 hr inactive)

Servings: 12
Pan: 9×13×3-inch baking dish
Serving: 1 slice

Ingredients

Meat Sauce

  • Olive oil: 15 ml (1 Tbsp)
  • Ground beef: 454 g (1 lb) — 80/20
  • Italian pork sausage: 454 g (1 lb) — raw; mild or hot, casings removed
  • Onion: 200 g (1 large) — finely diced
  • Garlic: 6 cloves — minced
  • Tomato paste: 60 g (4 Tbsp)
  • Dry red wine: 120 ml (½ cup) — optional; substitute water if omitted
  • Crushed tomatoes: 1588 g (56 oz) — two large cans for the base recipe
  • Dried oregano: 2 tsp
  • Chili flakes: ¼ tsp — optional; reduce or omit with hot sausage
  • Bay leaf: 1
  • Kosher salt: 3 g — start here; adjust after simmering because sausage and cheese add salt
  • Black pepper: ½ tsp
  • Fish sauce: 5 ml (1 tsp) — optional, for extra savory depth

Ricotta Filling

  • Whole-milk ricotta: 680 g (24 oz) — drain first if visibly wet
  • Eggs: 1 large
  • Parmesan: 85 g (3 oz) — finely grated
  • Parsley: 15 g (¼ cup) — finely chopped
  • Black pepper: ¼ tsp

Pasta and Assembly

  • Lasagna noodles: 340-454 g (12-16 oz) — regular dried noodles that require boiling; about 12-16 sheets, enough for four complete layers; have a full 1 lb box available for the base recipe
  • Kosher salt: to taste — for the pasta water
  • Olive oil: 5 ml (1 tsp) — for lightly greasing the baking dish and noodle trays
  • Low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella: 454 g (16 oz) — shredded from a block; divided into four equal portions
  • Parmesan: 28 g (1 oz) — finely grated, for the top

Instructions

1. Brown the meat

  • Heat 15 ml (1 Tbsp) olive oil in a large Dutch oven or wide heavy pot over medium-high heat.
  • Brown 454 g (1 lb) ground beef and 454 g (1 lb) Italian pork sausage in batches. Spread the meat in a single layer with good pan contact and let the underside brown before breaking it into small crumbles.
  • Allow roughly 15–20 minutes for all the meat. Look for a brown crust and browned bits on the pan; cook off pooled liquid before adding the next batch.
  • Transfer the browned meat to a bowl. Spoon off excess rendered fat, leaving enough to coat the bottom of the pot for the aromatics.

See: Browning Ground Meat.

2. Build the tomato base

  • Reduce the heat to medium. Add 200 g (1 large) onion and cook 6–8 minutes, stirring and scraping, until softened and lightly golden at the edges.
  • Add 6 cloves garlic, 2 tsp dried oregano, and ¼ tsp chili flakes, if using. Stir for 30–60 seconds, until fragrant.
  • Stir in 60 g (4 Tbsp) tomato paste. Cook 2–3 minutes, stirring, until it darkens to brick red and begins sticking lightly to the pot.
  • Pour in 120 ml (½ cup) dry red wine, or the same amount of water. Scrape up the browned bits and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 2–4 minutes.
  • Return the meat and its juices to the pot. Add 1588 g (56 oz) crushed tomatoes, 1 bay leaf, 3 g kosher salt, ½ tsp black pepper, and 5 ml (1 tsp) fish sauce, if using.

3. Simmer to the right consistency

  • Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce to medium-low or low. Partially cover and simmer 45–60 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom.
  • Uncover toward the end if the sauce needs to reduce. If it begins catching before the tomatoes taste mellow, add a small splash of water and lower the heat.
  • The finished sauce should be thick but easy to spread: meat suspended in tomato sauce, with no watery liquid separating around a spoonful. It should settle slowly after stirring, without standing in a dry mound.
  • For the base recipe, aim for approximately 8 cups of finished meat sauce. Use the consistency as the main guide; if it has reduced too far, loosen it with a little water.
  • Remove the bay leaf. Taste and adjust salt and pepper, keeping the salty cheeses in mind. Keep the sauce warm while assembling.
  • Prepare the filling and noodles while the sauce simmers.

4. Prepare the ricotta filling and cheeses

  • If 680 g (24 oz) whole-milk ricotta has pooled whey or looks loose, drain it in a fine-mesh strainer in the refrigerator for 20–30 minutes while the sauce cooks.
  • Mix the ricotta with 85 g (3 oz) Parmesan, 15 g (¼ cup) parsley, and ¼ tsp black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning before adding the egg.
  • Beat 1 large egg and stir it into the filling until evenly combined. Refrigerate until needed.
  • Divide the filling into three equal portions.
  • Shred 454 g (16 oz) low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella and divide it into four equal portions. Keep 28 g (1 oz) Parmesan separate for the top.

5. Cook and lay out the noodles

  • Heat the oven to 375°F / 190°C, with a rack in the middle.
  • Use 5 ml (1 tsp) olive oil to lightly grease the baking dish and trays for the cooked noodles.
  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with kosher salt.
  • Boil 340-454 g (12-16 oz) lasagna noodles, working in batches if needed, until flexible but still a little firmer than al dente—usually 1–2 minutes short of the package directions. They will finish cooking in the sauce.
  • Drain and lay the noodles flat in a single layer on the prepared trays. Avoid leaving them piled in the colander, where they can stick together.
  • Plan for four complete pasta layers. Sheet dimensions vary; trim to fit with a small overlap, and use trimmed pieces to fill gaps.

6. Assemble the layers

  • Use a deep 9×13×3-inch baking dish and leave about ½ inch of headroom. If your dish is shallower, put the extra layers in a second small baking dish.
  • Spread ⅛ of the meat sauce across the bottom—about 1 cup for the base recipe.
  • Build three filling layers, each in this order:
    • A layer of noodles, covering the bottom with only slight overlaps.
    • ⅓ of the ricotta filling, dotted across the noodles and gently spread.
    • ¼ of the mozzarella.
    • ¼ of the meat sauce, spread all the way to the edges.
  • Add the fourth and final layer of noodles.
  • Cover with the remaining ⅛ of the meat sauce, making sure no noodle corners are exposed.
  • Finish with the remaining ¼ of the mozzarella and all of 28 g (1 oz) Parmesan.
  • The finished stack has four pasta layers and three ricotta layers, with sauce and cheese on top.

7. Bake covered, then brown the top

  • Place the baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet to catch drips.
  • Tent with foil, leaving space above the cheese, and crimp the edges closed to hold in steam.
  • Bake at 375°F / 190°C for 35–45 minutes covered.
  • Uncover and bake another 15–25 minutes, until the sauce bubbles around the edges, the center is hot, and the cheese has golden patches. Check the center for 165°F / 74°C.
  • If the top browns before the center is hot, cover loosely again and continue baking.
  • Optional: Once the center is hot, broil briefly for more browning, watching constantly. Use only a baking dish rated for broiling.

8. Rest and slice

  • Rest 25–30 minutes before cutting. The filling and sauce will settle, making the layers easier to lift out cleanly.
  • For the base recipe, cut into 12 portions with a sharp knife and lift with a wide spatula.

Notes / Make-ahead / Variations

  • Timing: Allow roughly 3–3½ hours, including the final rest. Prepare the filling and noodles while the sauce simmers; longer sauce reduction or a refrigerated pan will take extra time.
  • Sauce flavor: This follows the browning, tomato-paste, and deglazing approach in Red Meat Sauce, with quantities and consistency suited to a layered bake.
  • Make the sauce ahead: Cook it up to 2 days ahead. Divide into shallow containers and refrigerate promptly. Warm gently to make spreading easier if baking immediately after assembly.
  • Assemble ahead: Use cooled sauce and noodles, assemble, cover, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Start with 50–60 minutes covered, then uncover to brown; check the center temperature rather than relying on time alone. Follow your baking dish's instructions for refrigerator-to-oven use.
  • Fresh pasta: Use Yolk-Rich Egg Pasta Dough, rolled to 0.8–1.0 mm using the thickness guide. Cut sheets to fit the same four layers. Briefly blanch until flexible, about 30–60 seconds, cool in cold water, and lay on clean towels to remove surface moisture. One dough batch gives room for trimming; freeze unused sheets. Start checking the covered bake earlier because the pasta is thinner.
  • Oven-ready noodles: They absorb more liquid during baking. Follow the package's sauce and baking guidance if substituting; this recipe's sauce consistency and timings assume preboiled noodles.
  • Cheese choice: Whole-milk ricotta gives a creamy filling. Low-moisture mozzarella melts well without the extra liquid of fresh mozzarella packed in water; grating a block also avoids the powdery coating on some preshredded cheese.
  • Scaling: Keep the same layer proportions and similar depth. For a half batch, use a deep 8-inch square dish, about 3 inches deep; for a double batch, use two deep 9×13-inch dishes. Adjust noodle coverage to the pan and use the center temperature to judge doneness.

Storage & reheating

  • Cut leftovers into portions and refrigerate in shallow covered containers within 2 hours of cooking; the serving rest counts toward that time. Keep refrigerated for 3–4 days.
  • Freeze cooled portions, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 months for best quality. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
  • Reheat refrigerated portions covered at 350°F / 175°C, with a small spoonful of water or sauce around the edges. Start checking after 20–25 minutes and continue until the center reaches 165°F / 74°C; thicker portions take longer.
  • Uncover for the last few minutes if you want the top to firm up again.

Troubleshooting

  • Watery slices: Reduce the sauce until there is no watery separation, drain loose ricotta, and dry the noodles before layering. Give the baked lasagna its full rest before slicing.
  • Layers slide apart: The sauce may be too loose or the lasagna was cut too soon. Keep the filling layers even and rest before serving.
  • Dry or chewy noodle edges: Cover all the pasta with sauce and seal the foil during the first bake. Check that regular dried noodles were boiled before assembly.
  • Greasy surface: Spoon off excess rendered fat after browning the meat. Small beads of melted cheese fat are normal; large pools usually mean too much fat was carried into the sauce.
  • Brown top, cool center: Cover loosely with foil and continue baking until the center is hot. A refrigerated pan needs more covered baking time.
  • Bubbling over: The pan is too shallow or too full. Leave headroom and use a second dish for excess rather than packing the layers higher.

Nutrition

Nutrient Full Recipe Per Serving (1 slice)
Calories 7896 658
Protein 442.8 g 36.9 g
Fat 469.2 g 39.1 g
Carbs 439.2 g 36.6 g
Fiber 42 g 3.5 g
Sugars 96 g 8 g
Sodium 13044 mg 1087 mg
See nutrition details