Classic Ricotta Lasagna Recipes

CLASSIC LASAGNA

Steps:

• Make the sauce: Heat oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add sausage, if using, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it's starting to brown but not yet crisp, about 5 minutes.
• Add onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is totally softened and translucent (without letting it brown), 8 to 10 minutes. Add tomato paste and continue to cook, stirring until the tomato paste has turned a deeper brick red color, tinting the oil and onions a fiery orange color, about 2 minutes.
• Using your hands, crush the whole tomatoes into smaller, bite-size pieces and add them and the crushed tomatoes, stirring to scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pot. Fill one of the tomato cans halfway with water and add it to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomato sauce has thickened and flavors have come together, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Make the lasagna: Heat oven to 375 degrees and set a large pot of salted water to boil.
• Set aside 1 cup mozzarella. In a medium bowl, combine remaining mozzarella, ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan and cream; season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Cook lasagna noodles in the large pot of salted boiling water until just softened (before they are even aldente), about 4 minutes. Drain and separate any noodles that are trying to stick together, slicking them with a bit of olive oil to prevent them from sticking further.
• Spoon a bit of sauce on the bottom of a 3-quart baking dish and top with a layer of noodles, avoiding any heavy overlap.
• Top with about 1 ¼ cups of sauce, and dollop ¼ of the cheese mixture over. Top with another layer of noodles and repeat three more times, ending with the last of the noodles (depending on size of the noodle/shape of the baking dish, you may have a few extra noodles) and the last of the sauce. Top with reserved 1 cup mozzarella and more Parmesan, if you like.
• Cover loosely with aluminum foil and place baking dish on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet (to prevent any overflow from burning on the bottom of your oven).
• Bake until pasta is completely tender and cooked through and sauce is bubbling up around the edges, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove foil and increase temperature to 450 degrees. Continue to bake until lasagna is golden brown on top with frilly, crispy edges and corners, another 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool slightly before eating.

CLASSIC LASAGNA RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add ground beef and increase heat to medium-high. Cook until the meat begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
• Lower heat to low and add marinara sauce. If you want the lasagna to be extra saucy, I suggest adding more sauce. Let the sauce continue to simmer.

EASY RICOTTA CHEESE LASAGNA

Steps:

• 1. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. 2. In a large skillet, combine pasta sauce and browned ground chuck. Bring to a simmer and heat through. 3. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, egg, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and parmesan cheese. Stir together well. 4. Pour approximately 1 cup of meat sauce into baking dish. Add water and combine with a spoon or fork. 5. Add a layer of lasagna noodles. Do not overlap as the noodles will expand overnight. 6. Add rounded spoonfuls of the ricotta mixture over the noodles and spread evenly. 7. Sprinkle about ¾ cup of mozzarella cheese over the ricotta layer. Top with about 1 cup of meat sauce. Begin a new layer of noodles and repeat as above, ending with remaining meat sauce. Save any remaining mozzarella cheese in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 8. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight. 9. Place the covered casserole in a cold oven. Set oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and top with remaining cheese. Return to oven and bake uncovered for an additional 15 to 25 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the edges are bubbly. 10. Allow the lasagna to rest for 10-15 minutes prior to cutting and serving.

WORLD'S BEST LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

CLASSIC CHEESE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine ricotta, egg, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl. Season with pepper. Coarsely grate 1/2 of the mozzarella, and stir into ricotta mixture. Using your fingers, shred remaining mozzarella into 2-inch strips, and reserve.
• Spread 1/2 cup marinara in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Place a layer of noodles over marinara. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over noodles, and sprinkle with 1/3 of the Parmesan. Place a layer of noodles over the cheese layer. Spread 1 cup marinara over noodles. Repeat layering (noodles, marinara, noodles, ricotta mixture, Parmesan) 2 more times. Spread remaining marinara over cheese layer, then sprinkle with shredded mozzarella.
• Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until cheese is golden brown and sauce is bubbling, 45 to 50 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

EASY LASAGNA RECIPE WITH RICOTTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• In a large glass bowl, combine ricotta cheese, beaten egg, 3 tablespoons Italian seasoning, and fresh parsley. Stir to combine.
• Spray a 13 x 9" glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Add enough meat sauce to cover the bottom of the pan and then cover with 3 lasagna noodles. Top with an even layer of the ricotta cheese mixture, followed by a layer of shredded mozzarella and Gruyere cheese, using equal amounts of each. Finish with a layer of grated Parmesan and Asiago cheese, also in equal amounts.
• Repeat this process three more times: meat, noodles, ricotta mixture, shredded cheeses, and grated cheeses. Sprinkle the remaining Italian seasoning across the final layer.
• Loosely tent dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for another 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 20 minutes before serving.

EASY HOMEMADE LASAGNA WITH RICOTTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Scramble the ground chuck/beef with the chopped onion until browned. Add some salt, pepper and garlic powder, if desired. Drain grease off, if needed.
• Add pasta sauce, tomato sauce, a cup of water and stir.
• Mix ricotta, 2 cups of mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup of parmesan, the beaten egg and Italian seasoning until blended.
• Take a cup of the sauce and spread it on the bottom of a 13x9 casserole pan. Lay down the 3 lasagna noodles and add a fourth, at the bottom of the pan (if needed.). You may have to break a small portion off to get it to fit.
• Take ⅓ of the cheese mixture and spread it over the noodles.
• Repeat layers of sauce, noodles, the cheese mixture 2 more times, ending with the sauce.
• Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan.
• Spray a sheet of foil with cooking spray and cover and bake for 45 minutes.
• Let stand about 10 minutes before serving.

CLASSIC MEAT LASAGNA

Steps:

• Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to medium pot set over medium high heat. Add sausage, pork, and beef and cook until browned and almost done all the way through, about 5 minutes.
• Add the chopped onion. Cook until onions are soft, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more until fragrant.
• Pour crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce into the pan, along with the salt, pepper, and herbs.
• Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes until thickened slightly. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Remove from heat.
• Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking or casserole dish.
• In a bowl, combine the ricotta cheese with the basil, salt and pepper.
• Spread a thin layer of meat sauce over the bottom of the pan. Top with a single layer of lasagna noodles, breaking a few as needed to cover entire pan. Dollop with ½ of the ricotta mixture and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle with ⅓ of the mozzarella cheese.
• Repeat these layers one more time, using ½ of remaining meat sauce this time (not a thin layer).
• Add one more layer of noodles. Top with remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Top with parmesan cheese.
• Cover with foil and bake for about 35 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until sauce is bubbling and cheese is lightly browned, 15-20 minutes more.
• Remove from the oven and let rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving.
• Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 1 week.

CLASSIC LASAGNA

Steps:

• Place the onions, garlic, carrot and celery in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade; pulse until finely minced but not puréed.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage into the pan and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking the sausage into small pieces, until slightly browned but not cooked all the way through, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the partially cooked sausage to a plate. Set aside.
• Add the remaining tablespoon olive oil to the pan, reduce the heat to medium, and add the minced vegetables. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are very soft, 6 to 8 minutes. Do not brown; reduce the heat if necessary.
• Add the wine; continue cooking, stirring to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, until the wine is mostly absorbed by the vegetables, a few minutes.
• Add the tomatoes, cream, salt, pepper, sugar, thyme and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the sauce is thickened, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, transfer the sausage to a cutting board and chop into smaller pieces (big chunks don't work well in lasagna).
• Add the sausage back to the pan and continue simmering, covered, until the sausage is fully cooked and the flavors meld together, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Fish out the bay leaves and discard.
• Combine the ricotta, cream cheese, egg, garlic, Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process until evenly combined. Add the basil and pulse until finely chopped.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Spread about 1½ cups of sauce in the bottom of a 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Arrange 3 noodles over the sauce. Dollop a third of the ricotta filling over the noodles, then spread evenly to cover. Sprinkle with ¾ cup of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layering of sauce, noodles, ricotta filling and mozzarella 2 more times. Top with the remaining 3 noodles. Spoon the remaining sauce over the noodles, then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and ¼ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano.
• Spray a large piece of foil with nonstick cooking spray. Cover the lasagna tightly with the foil, sprayed side down. Bake for 40 minutes. Carefully uncover and increase the oven temperature to 400°F. Bake, uncovered, until the noodles are tender, the sauce is bubbling, and the edges are golden and puffed, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for about 15 minutes before serving.
• Make-Ahead Instructions: The lasagna can be assembled and refrigerated up to 1 day ahead of time.
• Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The lasagna can be frozen for up to 3 months. If freezing it prior to baking, when you're ready to cook it, defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours, then proceed with the baking instructions in the recipe. If the lasagna is already cooked, you can either put it in a freezer-safe container that just fits the leftover piece, or you can cut into individual pieces and wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap and then foil. Reheat it, covered with foil, in a 325°F oven until hot.

CLASSIC ITALIAN LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan with cooking spray or with a napkin dipped lightly in olive oil and set aside.
• In a large skillet, brown the ground turkey over medium-high heat, breaking the meat apart into pieces with a wooden spoon. When turkey is cooked through, drain the grease and set aside.
• In a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and one tablespoon butter. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. When oil/butter is hot, add the garlic, stirring constantly. When the garlic is lightly browned, but NOT burned, add the onion and mushrooms. Continue cooking on medium-high heat until the vegetables are soft and browned and the fluid has mostly cooked out.
• Remove from heat and either using a handheld immersion blender or transferring the vegetables to a blender, blend the vegetables to a paste-like mixture. Return the pot to the heat (pour the pureed vegetables back in, if using a stand-alone blender) and add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Stir to combine. Then add the diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir.
• Cover and let the sauce sauce simmer for 30 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Right before using the red sauce in the lasagna, stir in the reserved ground turkey.
• While the red sauce simmers, if using lasagna noodles that need to be boiled, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and boil the noodles for half the time suggested on the box. Once the noodles are cooked, drain, but do not rinse. Add a dab of olive oil to keep them from sticking together. If you are using no-boil noodles, you can skip this step.
• Also while the red sauce is cooking, melt the four tablespoons butter and when melted, add the flour, stirring constantly to combine and letting the mixture cook, while stirring, for a minute or two. Gradually add in the milk, whisking constantly. Add the salt and pepper. Slowly whisk the white sauce, ensuring it doesn't burn on the bottom of the pan, while cooking it over medium heat. Continue slowly stirring or whisking while the white sauce cooks and thickens quite a bit, about 5-7 minutes. Add a pinch of mozzarella for good luck, if you wish!
• To begin layering the lasagna, keep in mind that you'll have three layers of noodles as well as three layers of the sauces and cheese - so plan on splitting all the sauce and cheese piles into thirds so you don't run out at the end! On the bottom of your lightly greased baking pan, layer three pre-boiled noodles or four no-boil noodles, slightly overlapping the no-boil noodles. Layer the red sauce, white sauce, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, spreading all to the edges and top with another layer of noodles. Again, layer the red sauce, white sauce, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses and top with the final layer of noodles. Layer the sauces and cheeses again.
• Cover the lasagna with a greased layer of aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and let the lasagna sit for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

BEST CLASSIC LASAGNA RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Make the meat sauce. Add beef and sausage to a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon. Add the onion and garlic. Cook until meat is browned, about 6-8 minutes. Drain the fat from the meat. Return the meat to the skillet.
• Add the tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, water, sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon basil, and the black pepper. Stir until well combined. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer the sauce for 30 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the minced parsley.
• As the sauce cooks, make the ricotta mixture. In a large bowl, add 1 cup mozzarella, the ricotta, 1/4 cup parmesan, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the egg, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, and 1/2 teaspoon basil. Stir until well incorporated.
• Cook the pasta al dente, according to it's package directions.
• Assemble the lasagna. In a 13x9 inch baking dish, add a very thin layer of meat sauce (about 1/4 cup). Layer 3 lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, and 1 1/2 (level) cups of meat sauce. Repeat the layers twice.
• Add a final layer of the remaining noodles, meat sauce, 1 cup mozzarella, and 1/4 cup parmesan.
• Cover with foil that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil. Bake 15 more minutes.
• Let the lasagna cool for 15-20 minutes before cutting.

CLASSIC LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the lasagna noodles and olive oil; cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes; drain.
• Cook the ground beef and sausage in a large pot over medium heat; drain. Stir in the mushrooms, garlic salt, oregano, thyme, basil, and tomato sauce. Season with salt and pepper; simmer 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, mix together the ricotta cheese, eggs, and Parmesan cheese in a bowl.
• Ladle enough of the meat sauce into a 9x13 inch baking dish to cover the bottom in a thin layer. Form a layer atop the sauce with 3 of the lasagna noodles. Spread about 1/4 of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle about 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese over the ricotta cheese mixture and then ladle about 1/3 of the meat sauce over the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layering twice more, topping with the remaining 1/4 pound of mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven 90 minutes. Allow to sit 10 to 15 minutes before serving.