Homemade Lasagna

June 12, 2020

Written by Danielle Dunn

This homemade lasagna is the hearty, delicious and the perfect crowd pleaser. Made with a from-scratch sauce, beef, sausage and cheeses, this lasagna is sure to become one of your favorites!

What is lasagna?

Homemade lasagna is a classic Italian casserole made with layers of pasta sheets, seasoned meat sauce, creamy ricotta or béchamel, and melted mozzarella cheese. Baked until bubbly and golden, it’s a hearty, comforting dish perfect for family dinners, holidays, or meal prep. This traditional recipe is customizable with beef, sausage, or vegetables for a delicious, crowd-pleasing meal.

How to prepare homemade lasagna

Ingredients:

Ground chuck – Its fat content and meat-to-fat ratio help it cook down into a tender, juicy texture that blends well with tomato sauce and cheese layers. It also holds up well during the baking process, maintaining a meaty, satisfying bite. Because lasagna bakes for a long time, meat with a little extra fat helps prevent the dish from drying out. The fat from ground chuck adds moisture and keeps the meat sauce from becoming too crumbly or tough.
Italian sausage – Adds a bold, savory depth that ground beef alone can’t provide. The spices infuse the sauce and layers with a distinctly Italian taste. Blending sausage with ground chuck creates a richer, more complex sauce.
Salt & pepper to taste – Flavor enhancer.
Extra virgin olive oil – EVOO adds a rich, slightly fruity flavor that enhances the overall taste of the meat and the dish. It forms the base of many Italian recipes and brings out the savory depth of the ingredients. When sautéing ground meat, EVOO helps prevent it from sticking to the pan, especially when using lean meats like ground beef or turkey. The oil distributes heat more evenly across the pan, helping the meat brown uniformly and develop flavor through caramelization.
Yellow onion (chopped) – Yellow onions provide a mildly sweet, savory depth that enhances the overall flavor of the meat sauce or marinara. They’re a foundational ingredient in many Italian sauces. When sautéed—especially in olive oil or butter—yellow onions release natural sugars and aromatic compounds that create a rich, comforting base for the dish.
Bell pepper (chopped) – brings a natural sweetness that complements the acidity of the tomato sauce and the richness of the meat and cheese. Bell peppers contribute to a more complex flavor profile in the meat sauce, especially when combined with onion, garlic, and Italian herbs.
Garlic cloves (minced or diced) – Garlic has a pungent, slightly spicy flavor when raw and a mellow, sweet nuttiness when cooked. It enhances the overall taste of the sauce and meat layers. Cooked garlic helps build the “umami” flavor—the savory depth that makes lasagna so satisfying and crave-worthy.
Tomato paste – Tomato paste is highly concentrated, offering a deep, rich tomato taste that enhances the overall sauce without adding too much liquid. It brings a savory, almost meaty flavor that rounds out the sauce—especially when browned slightly in olive oil before adding other ingredients.
Crushed tomatoes – Crushed tomatoes provide the bulk and body for marinara or meat sauce, giving the lasagna a saucy, juicy texture that soaks into the noodles and keeps the dish moist.
Tomato sauce – Diced tomatoes provide small pieces of tomato throughout the sauce, offering a slightly chunky consistency that contrasts nicely with the smooth layers of cheese and pasta. The juices from diced tomatoes help keep the sauce moist, which in turn keeps the lasagna from drying out during baking.
Diced tomatoes – Diced tomatoes are added to lasagna to enhance texture, flavor, and overall freshness in the sauce. Diced tomatoes provide small pieces of tomato throughout the sauce, offering a slightly chunky consistency that contrasts nicely with the smooth layers of cheese and pasta.
Sugar – Sugar is added to lasagna sauce to balance the acidity of the tomatoes and create a more rounded, flavorful sauce.
Crushed red pepper – Crushed red pepper is added to lasagna sauce to introduce a subtle heat and complexity that enhances the overall flavor. Just a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes gives the sauce a gentle kick without making it overly spicy, waking up the taste buds and balancing the richness of cheese and meat.
Fresh basil (chopped) – Basil is added to lasagna to bring fresh, aromatic flavor that balances and elevates the richness of the dish.
Fresh parsley – Parsley is added to lasagna for both flavor enhancement and visual appeal. Parsley has a clean, slightly peppery, and grassy taste that lightens up the richness of lasagna’s cheese, meat, and sauce layers. It adds balance without overpowering the dish
Lasagna noodles – Lasagna noodles are used for lasagna because they serve as the essential structural foundation of the dish, creating its iconic layered form. Lasagna noodles are wide and flat, perfect for stacking into layers that hold meat, sauce, and cheese. This layered construction is what defines lasagna.
Egg – Egg is added to ricotta cheese in lasagna primarily to bind and stabilize the cheese layer. Egg acts as a natural binder that firms up the ricotta mixture when baked, preventing it from being too runny or loose inside the lasagna.
Whole milk Ricotta cheese – Ricotta cheese is added to lasagna because it brings creamy texture, mild flavor, and richness that balance the hearty meat sauce and pasta layers. Ricotta has a smooth, fluffy consistency that adds moisture and creaminess to each layer, making the lasagna luscious and tender.
Dash of nutmeg – Nutmeg is added to ricotta cheese in lasagna to subtly enhance and warm up the flavor of the cheese layer. Nutmeg has a mild, sweet-spicy aroma that complements the creamy, mild flavor of ricotta. It adds a subtle warmth that makes the cheese taste richer and more complex.
Italian seasoning – Italian seasoning is added to lasagna sauce to bring herbal depth, balanced flavor, and a touch of authentic Italian character to the dish. Italian seasoning is a blend of dried herbs like oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, and marjoram—staples in Italian cuisine. Together, they infuse the sauce with a familiar, comforting flavor profile.
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese – Parmesan is a hard, aged cheese with a strong, savory umami flavor that intensifies the taste of the sauce and cheese layers, making the dish more complex and satisfying. Its sharp, nutty, and slightly salty taste complements the mild mozzarella and creamy ricotta, balancing the flavors in the lasagna.
Shredded Mozzarella cheese – Mozzarella cheese is added to lasagna because it plays a crucial role in creating the dish’s signature creamy, gooey texture and rich flavor. Mozzarella melts smoothly and evenly, creating those irresistible stretchy, gooey layers that make lasagna so comforting and satisfying.
Provolone cheese – Provolone cheese is added to lasagna to bring a rich, slightly sharp flavor and a smooth melting texture that enhances the overall depth and creaminess of the dish. Provolone has a more pronounced, tangy flavor compared to mild mozzarella. It adds a bold, slightly smoky or nutty edge that complements the sauce and meats.

Simple steps

Heat olive oil in a dutch oven or large enameled pot over medium-high heat. Crumble ground chuck and Italian sausage, and seasoned lightly with salt and pepper. Stir until meat is browned.
Remove from heat and drain meat, then return to pot.
Add onion and bell pepper. Stir and cook about 5 minutes.
Add tomato paste ,crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, garlic, salt, sugar, Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper. Stir together. Add basil and parsley. Stir together.
Bring to simmer, and reduce heat to low. Cook covered for minimum of 1 hour.
Cook pasta according to instructions until al dente. Drain pasta. Do not rinse.
In a small mixing bowl, lightly beat egg. Add Ricotta cheese, dash of nutmeg and tsp of Italian seasoning. Mix together thoroughly.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In baking dish, spread a generous amount of meat sauce in bottom of dish (about 1 cup). Align 4 noodles over sauce (I align 3 horizontally, then 1 vertically at the end). Spread half of ricotta mixture over noodles. Sprinkle 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese evenly over ricotta mixture. Add layer of meat sauce (about cup and a half). Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.
Align 4 noodles over sauce. Spread rest of ricotta mixture over noodles. Sprinkle 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese evenly over ricotta mixture. Add layer of meat sauce (about cup and a half). Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.
Align 4 noodles over sauce. Spread remainder of meat sauce over noodles. Sprinkle rest of mozzarella over sauce. Layer pieces of provolone with mozzarella. Sprinkle with rest of Parmesan.
Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, then uncovered for 20 min.

Danielle Dunn