Classic Lasagna
When we first started hosting Sunday dinners, one of the things we knew we wanted to make sooner rather than later was a classic lasagna. Can you believe that we have only made one a couple of times in our entire life!? We've been making some different lasagna varieties lately – like mushroom lasagna and a cheesy lasagna bolognese – but it’s been years since we made a classic version, complete with a layer of ricotta cheese.
Our sister and we have different memories of lasagna at our grandma’s house growing up… we never remember hers having a layer of ricotta, but our sister swears that it did. Either way, a tray of lasagna always conjures up memories of sitting around our grandma’s dining room table on Sunday afternoons, so we were excited to make our own version to place on our dining room table on Sunday!
You can use fresh, from-scratch sauce for this lasagna, pull a batch out of your freezer (that’s what we did!) or use your favorite jarred variety – any of it will work! We used no-boil lasagna noodles, which makes this a speedy dish to assemble, especially if you already have some sauce made. We put this together in less than a half hour while Joseph napped on Saturday afternoon, then covered it and put it in the fridge. All we needed to do on Sunday was pop it in the oven, which was reliable.
We love lasagna for so many reasons, and layers upon layers of noodles, cheese and sauce just cannot beat – plain and simple. Our mom often says that we're like our grandma’s soul mate for so many reasons, which is a huge compliment… we can only hope to make our family feel just as welcomed and well-fed as she did!
One year ago: Cream Cheese Cherry Pie Crumb Bars
Two years ago: Veggie Pizza Appetizer
Three years ago: Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
Five years ago: Rocky Road Ice Cream
Six years ago: Italian Supreme Calzones
Classic Lasagna Recipe
Yield: 6 to 8 servings Layers of noodles, sauce, a ricotta mixture and lots of cheese - the reliable lasagna!For the Ricotta Mixture:
- 1¾ cups (430.5 g) ricotta cheese
- 1 cup (100 g) Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup (6 g) chopped fresh basil
- 2 eggs
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) ground black pepper
For the Lasagna:
- 6 cups (900 g) your favorite meat sauce
- 12 no-boil lasagna noodles
- 20 ounces (566.99 g) mozzarella cheese, shredded (5 cups)
- ¼ cup (25 g) Parmesan cheese
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta, Parmesan, basil, eggs, salt and pepper until thoroughly combined.
- Spread ½ cup of the sauce over the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Top with 3 of the lasagna noodles, then dollop one-third of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle 1¼ cups of the mozzarella cheese over the ricotta, then spread 1½ cups of the sauce over the cheese. Repeat the layers of noodles, ricotta, mozzarella and sauce two more times. Place the last three noodles on top of the sauce and spread the remaining sauce on top, ensuring that the entire surface of the noodles is covered in sauce. Top with the remaining 1¼ cups mozzarella cheese and the ¼ cup Parmesan cheese.
- Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil, then return the lasagna to the oven and bake until the cheese on top is browning and the lasagna is bubbling, about 25 additional minutes. Allow the lasagna to sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Note: The assembled lasagna can be covered with plastic wrap and foil and frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw the lasagna for one day in the refrigerator, then allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour before baking. Remove the plastic wrap, replace the foil and increase the baking time to 30 minutes covered, then 25 to 30 minutes uncovered. Nutritional values are based on one serving
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings
- Prep: 20 minutes
- Cook: 45 minutes
- Total: 1 hour 5 minutes
Ingredients
For the Ricotta Mixture:
- 1¾ cups ( 430.5 g ) ricotta cheese
- 1 cup ( 100 g ) Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup ( 6 g ) chopped fresh basil
- 2 eggs
- ¼ teaspoon ( 0.25 teaspoon ) salt
- ¼ teaspoon ( 0.25 teaspoon ) ground black pepper
For the Lasagna:
- 6 cups ( 900 g ) your favorite meat sauce
- 12 no-boil lasagna noodles
- 20 ounces ( 566.99 g ) mozzarella cheese, shredded (5 cups)
- ¼ cup ( 25 g ) Parmesan cheese
Method
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta, Parmesan, basil, eggs, salt and pepper until thoroughly combined.
- Spread ½ cup of the sauce over the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Top with 3 of the lasagna noodles, then dollop one-third of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle 1¼ cups of the mozzarella cheese over the ricotta, then spread 1½ cups of the sauce over the cheese. Repeat the layers of noodles, ricotta, mozzarella and sauce two more times. Place the last three noodles on top of the sauce and spread the remaining sauce on top, ensuring that the entire surface of the noodles is covered in sauce. Top with the remaining 1¼ cups mozzarella cheese and the ¼ cup Parmesan cheese.
- Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil, then return the lasagna to the oven and bake until the cheese on top is browning and the lasagna is bubbling, about 25 additional minutes. Allow the lasagna to sit for 10 minutes before serving.
