Homemade Lasagna

Homemade Lasagna is the king of pasta casseroles. The layers of noodles, the ricotta cheese, and an easy bolognese sauce, crowned with a layer of melted cheese. It never fails to please!

5 from 5 votes

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Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 40

Total Time: 1

Servings: servings

Calories: 446kcal

Author: Jennifer Stewart

Ingredients

16 ounces lasagna noodles
2 teaspoons Olive Oil
1 medium Yellow Onion diced
3 cloves Garlic minced
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
1 Bay Leaf
1.5 pounds lean Ground Beef
4 tablespoons Tomato Paste
2 cups Tomato Sauce
8-10 slices Provolone Cheese non-smoked
4 cups shredded Mozzarella Cheese
32 ounces Ricotta Cheese

Instructions

Boil the lasagna noodles
Bring 6 quarts water to a boil in a large pot over medium high heat.
Cook noodles according to package directions, to al dente. Do not over cook.
Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
Prepare the meat sauce
In a large skillet, over medium heat, heat olive oil.
Add the onions, garlic, bay leaf, and Italian seasoning. Cook until the onions are soft.
Add the ground beef. Cook until no longer pink. Drain if desired.
Return the pan to the heat and add the tomato paste. Stir to combine and heat through for 1-2 minutes. Set aside.
Assemble the lasagna
Preheat the oven to 350F.
In a deep 9x13 baking dish add 1/2 cup tomato sauce. Spread to cover the bottom of the dish.
Place a layer of lasagna noodles, slightly overlapping, over the sauce. I use 5 noodles across.
Remove the bay leaf from the meat mixture and gently spread all the meat over the noodles.
Top with the provolone slices, spreading out to cover as much of the meat as possible.
Top with another layer of noodles. Add 1/2 cup sauce and gently spread around.
Remove the ricotta cheese from the container and place on the noodles. I like to scoop or spoon it around the layer and then spread using a spatula or spoon (or my hands) to cover the layer evenly.
Top the ricotta cheese with half the shredded mozzarella cheese.
Add a final layer of lasagna noodles. Top with remaining tomato sauce, spreading to cover the noodles evenly.
Top with remaining mozzarella cheese.
Bake at 350F for 30-45 minutes or until the sides are bubbly and the cheese is melted. If the cheese starts to brown too quickly, you can cover the lasagna with aluminum foil until it is finished cooking.
Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes.
Slice and enjoy!

Notes

Let the lasagna rest for 10-15 minutes after removing from the oven to allow the layers to set and keep them from running out of the noodles. Trust me it will still be hot. When reheating, you don’t need to let it sit.
You can add an egg to the ricotta cheese to make it thicker if you like, but it is not necessary. If you are using a low fat ricotta or cottage cheese you might want to add an egg to thicken it up.
If the top layer is browning too quickly, you can cover it with foil until baking is done. Remove the foil when removing from the oven so the cheese doesn’t stick to it.
You can use fresh herbs instead of the dried seasoning. Just be sure to use double the amount.
Baking times can vary from 30 minutes to 45 minutes depending on dish size and oven temperatures.
You can prep the meat sauce and noodles up to 2 days in advance and keep stored in the refrigerator until ready to assemble the lasagna.

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