Easy Lasagna

Easy Lasagna – a classic hearty dinner made with layers of cheeses, lasagna noodles and rich meaty sauce baked until golden brown and bubbly. A fantastic casserole dish for causal family dinners or special occasions. And it’s a great make-ahead meal, too!

This is the perfect season to talk about hearty and crowd-pleasing dishes like this classic Italian lasagna recipe. Whether you’re serving this on a regular night or as potluck dinner for a large crowd, you’ll hear nothing but oohhhs and ahhhs as they reach for seconds or thirds.

While I may have gotten accustomed to this Puerto Rican Plantain Lasagna HERE (oh, they’re sooo good, trust me!), I also love to enjoy this easy lasagna from time to time. In fact, this is what I’ll be bringing to potluck gatherings this holiday season. And if you think there is no such thing as too many casseroles this Thanksgiving, then by all means, include this as well to your menu. You won’t regret it!

What is Lasagna?

Lasagna is a classic Italian dish made with stacked layers of wide flat pasta alternated with a meaty sauce, cheeses and sometimes with vegetables like zucchini, olives and mushrooms. It is baked to perfection until golden bubbly and usually served with another carb like crusty bread or simple salads.

Lasagna Ingredients

This easy homemade lasagna is not one of those dishes you’ll want to skimp on the ingredients. Every component of this dish is based on proper proportions, seasonings and quality ingredients.

Meat Sauce

Homemade lasagna lets you enjoy comfort food without the hefty price. You see, lasagna is sold in tiny squares at restaurants at an unbelievable price. With our recipe for today, you can have more than what you desire at almost half the price of one single slice that you can order at any restos. 

As for our meat sauce, I decided to combine lean ground beef and ground pork seasoned primarily with my homemade Italian seasoning, fennel seeds and other aromatics for an authentic Italian flare. However, if you use Italian pork sausage instead of ground pork, feel free to omit the fennel seeds since it’s already present in the sausage. Fennel seeds adds warmth to our dish and that sweet anise-like taste.

Here’s a list of ingredients that you need for the meat sauce:

• olive oil
• lean ground beef
• ground pork or Italian sausage
• yellow onion and garlic
• Italian seasoning
• fresh parsley and basil, bay leaf
• fennel seeds
• crushed tomatoes with juices
• tomato paste and tomato sauce
• Worcestershire sauce
• water
• chicken bouillon
• lasagna noodles (for layering)

You can also use my homemade Bolognese Sauce HERE as an alternative meat sauce to this easy lasagna recipe.

Ricotta with Parmesan Mixture

And you’ve probably wondered by now what’s the best cheese for lasagna. Well, after many little tweaks here and there for this recipe, the best combination so far for me are ricotta, dried parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Here I use slices of mozzarella instead of shredded ones for easy and even distribution. 

Below is the complete list of our ricotta mixture layer:

• ricotta cheese
• egg
• parsley
• shredded parmesan cheese
• salt
• nutmeg
• slices of mozzarella cheese

Even our cheese layer is jam-packed with flavors, too!

 

How to Layer Lasagna?

I know this dish sounds like a lot of work. But when you see the finish product, you’ll definitely say to yourself that it’s totally worth it.  Here’s a breakdown on how to approach this recipe:

Ricotta Mixture. Combine the cheese layer ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside or refrigerate until ready to use.

Meat Sauce. Cook the meat sauce in a large pot.

Lasagna Noodles. While the meat sauce is simmering, place lasagna noodles in a large dish or 9×13 pan or a bread pan and cover with boiled hot water and soak for 30 minutes. This is a great alternative method to boiling the noodles as it results to better texture every time.

Layering the Lasagna

1. Divide ricotta mixture and meat sauce in thirds and prepare your mozzarella slices.
2. Preheat the oven and grease the casserole dish with olive oil.
3. Layer the dish first with the meat sauce, followed by the soaked and drained lasagna noodles.
4. Spread the ricotta cheese mixture and top it with mozzarella cheese slices. Repeat the layers ending with the remaining mozzarella.
5. Cover it with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated oven for 50 minutes, taking out after 25 minutes to remove foil, then reinserting into oven to continue baking or until cheese on top is golden brown.

 

How to Freeze Lasagna?

You’ll love this timeless family dinner even more as you can easily make them ahead and freeze. I usually make two casseroles in one go. Then serve one for dinner and freeze the other one.  Or you can serve them in smaller portions and freeze. To freeze cooked lasagna:

• Let it cool completely on the counter top.
• Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for an hour or so.
• Then cover the lasagna tightly with another layer of plastic wrap and then with an aluminum foil. (If freezing small portions, transfer them to a freezer-safe container before freezing.)
• Label the dish.
• And freeze for up to 1 month.

How to Reheat Lasagna?

The pleasure of making this dish is that it still taste so good even on the following day. For leftover lasagna, store it in the fridge for  5 days. Then reheat the slices in the microwave or pop the whole casserole covered with foil in the oven at 35oF until hot and bubbly .

To reheat frozen baked lasagna. Remove the plastic wrap and thaw the lasagna (covered only with foil) in the fridge overnight. Then, reheat the whole casserole dish (covered in foil) in the oven at 350°F until hot and bubbly.

What to Serve with Lasagna?

This easy homemade lasagna is already a complete meal on its own. But we love serving it with the following below:

• Easy Dinner Rolls
• Homemade Garlic Bread
• Garlic Knots
• Wedge Salad
• Cucumber Tomato Salad
• Balsamic Baked Brussel Sprouts
• Buffalo Chicken Wings

More Easy Hearty Casserole Recipes 

• Easy Baked Ziti
• Chicken Divan
• Ground Beef Casserole
• Chicken Spaghetti
• Tuna Noodle Casserole

 

How To Make Lasagna

Heat a large pot with olive oil over medium heat, add in ground beef and pork. Use a spoon to break up the meat into small pieces. If there’s any excess fat, remove with wooden spoon and discard. Add in onion and garlic and cook until meat is well browned, stirring constantly. Stir in Italian seasoning, parsley, basil, fennel, bay leaves, salt and pepper to taste. Pour in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, water, and chicken bouillon. Stir to combine and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If sauce gets too thick, add ½ cup water. Make sure sauce doesn’t get too thick. If mixture gets too dry, add ¼ cup tomato sauce.

Soaking Lasagna Noodles

Meanwhile, place lasagna noodles into the bottom of a large. Pour boiled hot water directly over the noodles (they can be stacked), making sure each noodle is covered with water.. Let them soak for 30 minutes, then drain and rinse with cold water to prevent them from sticking together.

Mixing Ricotta Cheese Layer

In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, 2 tablespoons parsley, dried parmesan, ½ teaspoon salt, and nutmeg. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 375 °F and spray a 9×13 casserole dish with olive oil. To start, divide ricotta mixture and meat sauce into thirds. Spread about 1 ½ cup of meat sauce in the bottom of the dish. Place noodles on top, lengthwise. Spread with 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with 1/4 of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella. Repeat this two more times for a completed three layers. To finish, place a final layer of pasta, topped with another 1 cup of meat sauce to cover the pasta. Top with remaining mozzarella. Cover dish with aluminum foil.

Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes, taking out after 25 minutes to remove foil, then reinserting into oven or until cheese on top is golden brown.