The Ultimate Lasagna Recipe
The Ultimate Lasagna Recipe is a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs kind of meal. Combining three different kinds of meat and three different kinds of cheese with lasagna noodles and an easy homemade sauce, this one will be your go-to lasagna recipe. So good!
Meat Lovers Lasagna
I’m obsessed with a good lasagna. In fact, I don’t shy away from ordering lasagna at a good Italian restaurant because I’m always looking for inspiration to make mine better. Which is why this recipe just got a necessary makeover.
I decided to use my homemade marinara sauce because I feel it really is the best (and super easy too). My seasonings also got adjusted slightly, and the end result? 10/10 – in my opinion! 😀
What are your requirements for a good lasagna? Meaty? Saucy? Cheesy? Well, this one is all of that and more.
Why This Recipe Works:
- HEARTY – This recipe feeds a crowd. It’s full of protein and great for carb-loading if you’re a runner! 😀 (BTW, the pan of cooked lasagna weighs a ton.)
- CHEESY – Extra cheese makes everything better, right?
- IMPRESSIVE – The perfect lasagna for serving guests.
- GREAT MEAL PREP – Leftover meat lasagna freezes beautifully but it’s also great for meal prep for lunches during the week.
Other Lasagna Recipes:
Looking for other delicious lasagna recipes? Look no further!
Ingredients needed for The Ultimate Lasagna Recipe:
The Meat Sauce:
- Olive Oil – Used to sauté the onion and garlic.
- Onion and Garlic – These will be sautéed for the sauce.
- Meat – THREE meats…ground beef, ground sausage, and pepperoni.
- Tomatoes – You’ll need crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and some tomato paste. All of these will help make the perfect sauce!
- Broth – Some broth for additional flavor. You can use either chicken or beef.
- Seasonings – Dried Italian Seasoning, basil, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
- Sugar – Just a pinch to balance the tomatoes.
The Cheese Layer:
- Ricotta – Use full-fat or at least 2%.
- Mozzarella – Buy a good quality cheese so it melts. I usually prefer to buy a block of cheese and grate it myself.
- Parmesan – Use a wedge of parmesan and grate it fresh!
- Egg – This helps keep the cheese layer intact.
Pasta: 15 Lasagna noodles!
Warning: This lasagna feeds a crowd. If you have a smaller family or don’t like a lot of leftovers, I suggest making it in two smaller dishes. Enjoy half now, and then pull the other half out of the freezer on a rainy day.
How to make The Ultimate Lasagna Recipe:
Step 1
Make the meat sauce.
- In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil to medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until soft, or 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds or so.
- Then add the ground beef, ground sausage, salt, and pepper – and cook until completely browned, breaking it apart as you go.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken broth, sugar, and seasonings, and simmer on medium-low for 20-30 minutes or until partially reduced. Remove from heat, and add pepperoni. Let cool slightly.
Step 2
Cook the pasta. While the sauce is cooking, cook the lasagna noodles until al dente. You want the noodles to be a bit under-cooked. Spread the noodles on a towel to dry flat.
Step 3
Mix the cheese layer. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, about 10 oz. of the mozzarella, half of the parmesan cheese, and the egg. Stir to combine.
Step 4
Assemble. Add about 1/2 cup of the meat sauce to the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish. Then add 1/3 of the noodles, 1/3 of the meat sauce, and 1/3 of the cheese mixture. REPEAT three times, and then top with extra mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
Step 5
Bake. Bake the lasagna at 350 degrees, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove foil, and bake another 10 minutes, or until top is nice and bubbly.
Step 6
Rest. Let the lasagna sit in the pan for about 15-20 minutes before slicing it. This will allow the juices to absorb into the pasta and the servings will hold their shape.
Make-Ahead Instructions: You can prep this lasagna a day ahead of time. Just wrap tightly with wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake.
Freezing: You can also freeze this lasagna by wrapping tightly and freezing for a month or two. Set it in your refrigerator for a few days until it’s completely unthawed. Then bake for a bit longer than instructed below.
What to serve with the ultimate lasagna:
- A simple green salad, or Arugula Caprese Salad.
- My Mom’s French Bread or some Whole Wheat Honey Bread!
- For dessert? How about French Silk Pie (my fav), White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies, or some Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Blondies.
Recipe FAQs:
While I haven’t tested no-boil recipe, I believe you could use them as long as they are surrounded by plenty of moisture.
Yes, you can assemble lasagna ahead of time and refrigerate it overnight. This allows the flavors to meld. Alternatively, you can freeze it for longer storage. Just be sure to adjust cooking times accordingly.
While ricotta is a traditional choice, you can substitute it with cottage cheese or a mixture of cottage cheese and cream cheese. Some people also use a béchamel sauce for added creaminess.
Generally three to four layers is needed for a nice, thick lasagna. Make sure you have enough meat sauce and cheese mixture to cover each layer evenly.
Allowing the lasagna to rest for about 10-15 minutes after removing it from the oven helps the layers set, making it easier to slice and preventing it from falling apart.
Kitchen Tools Used: (affiliate links)
xoxo ~Sue
The Ultimate Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients
- 15 lasagna noodles
For the meat sauce:
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- salt and pepper – to taste
- 1 pound Lean ground beef
- 1 pound Italian sausage
- 28 oz. crushed tomatoes
- 15 oz. diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 3-4 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 3/4 cup broth – chicken or beef
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 5 oz. pepperoni
For the cheese layer:
- 15 oz. ricotta cheese
- 16 oz. mozzarella cheese – divided
- 4 oz. freshly grated parmesan cheese – divided
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Boil noodles until al dente. Drain and rinse. Lay flat on clean dish towel.15 lasagna noodles
- In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, 10 oz. of mozzarella cheese, and 2 oz. of parmesan cheese. Add egg and mix well. Keep in refrigerator until ready to assemble lasagna.15 oz. ricotta cheese, 16 oz. mozzarella cheese, 4 oz. freshly grated parmesan cheese, 1 egg
- Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook until soft. Add garlic, ground beef, sausage, salt, and pepper (to taste) – and cook until browned. Drain excess fat and return meat to pan.1 Tablespoon olive oil, 1 medium onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 pound Lean ground beef, 1 pound Italian sausage, salt and pepper
- Add crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, broth, tomato paste, sugar, and seasonings. Simmer on medium low for 20 – 30 minutes, or until reduced slightly. Remove from heat, add pepperoni, and cool slightly.28 oz. crushed tomatoes, 15 oz. diced fire-roasted tomatoes, 3/4 cup broth, 3-4 Tablespoons tomato paste, 2 teaspoons sugar, 2 teaspoons dried Italian Seasoning, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 5 oz. pepperoni
- To assemble lasagna, add a small amount of sauce to bottom of pan. Layer noodles, meat sauce, and cheese mixture. Repeat three times, and add remaining mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese to the top.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake lasagna (covered) for 30 minutes or so. Then remove cover and cook for another 10-15 minutes, or until top is slightly browned.
- Let the lasagna sit in the pan for about 15-20 minutes before slicing it. This will allow the juices to absorb into the pasta and the servings will hold their shape.
Could you double the ricotta mixture for this recipe ?
Yes, you could double it for extra cheesiness. Let me know how that turns out for you!
The kids and grandkids are all coming over the Christmas holiday for several days of skiing. This will be perfect for everyone to have for dinner. I’ll make it now and freeze it to make it super easy when they’re here. Thank you!
Sounds like a perfect plan!
IT WAS SO GOOD & I MADE A PROMISE
I recently retired and no longer walk in the door at 6pm then eat 15minutes later. this was my first real try at cooking. My wife helped along the way with tips and tricks but for the most part let me do most everything. I made the full recipe, took two smaller pans an ended up with way more than 2 could ever eat. Froze the second pan for another day. If you lack freezer space do yourself a favor and cut the pasta in half and only make one small pan. It’s still enough to feed four.
Ultimate is right! Wow! It really was SUPER delicious!
Thanks for giving it a try, Laura!
Ok, the addition of pepperoni? AMAZING. We made this ahead of time for Christmas and my test piece was so good, I didn’t want to put it in the freezer!! Can’t wait to open my best Christmas present on Christmas Eve, LOL. Thanks, Sue!
LOL – I love this idea, Lynn!
My kids were sold on the added pepperoni! Great idea! This recipe is going into our meal rotation!
We love the pepperoni too, Janelle!
I am with you, if I see lasagna on the menu at a restaurant I always order it! Yours caught my eye because of the pepperoni, to say it was divine would be an understatement! Definitely a keeper!
I’m so glad to hear this, Kathleen!
The guys loved this! I tend to make my lasagna with lots of cheese and sauce and they were presently surprised when I served this meaty version! There were no leftovers and plenty of requests to make it again!
I’m so happy to hear this!
I got a question, can I use sour cream or cream cheese instead of Ricotta cheese?
Hi Nora. You could use cream cheese but I’d thin it with milk. Cottage cheese is also a great substitute.
Thanks. I will try it.
Delicious lasagna recipe! I used two pounds of ground beef instead of italian sausage. Love how much leftovers we had.
The leftovers are the best part!
My husband loved this. It was hearty and delicious.
AMEN!
We love homemade lasagna and this dish was rich, thick, and delicious. The only problem I had was we didn’t have too many leftovers!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Julie!
Did you use ground Italian sausage, or links? I just found the answer to my question in the photos you posted, this recipe looks amazing, can’t wait to try it.
Did you use ground Italian sausage, or links?
I’m so excited to try this and will update after I make it. **Question… what kind of pepperoni? Deli style? Or the kind that comes in bags? I don’t want something so simple to cause the lasagna to not be as good as it can be lol. Thanks!!
You can really use any pepperoni you like best! Good luck!
We added some chopped bacon and a small can of mushrooms and OMG this was well worth it! Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Thanks for your feedback, Krystal!
Definitely going to make this! What can I substitute for the fire roasted diced tomatoes?
Hi Mona. You can use regular diced tomatoes or just some tomato sauce, if preferred.
Out of this world , the pepperoni adds the perfect tang to the sweet sauce, I used spicy pepperoni! Definitely enough for myself , hubby , two sons in college and our 3 year old daughter! My son took extra to his study group!
I’m so happy to hear this, Nadiya! Thank you!
Hi,
Can you please tell me how big your casserole dish was for this recipe?
Thank you,
Suzy
My casserole dish is about 10×14. I bought it at World Market.
I just recently found your site, and I am glad I did! Last Sunday I had dinner guests and I served this lasagna and your Chewy French bread.They are both great recipes! Thank you for them!!
Hi Virginia! That sounds like an excellent dinner. Thank you for trusting in my recipes!
Made his for my family tonight. HUGE HIT! Will be making this again very soon. I added a little more seasoning and instead of putting pepperoni in sauce i added it as a layer in the lasagna. This will be my go to recipe. Thank you
I’m so glad you enjoyed the lasagna, Drea! Thank you for your feedback! 🙂
We don’t make casseroles for just the two of us, but we had family and I wanted to try a new lasagna recipe. It was very good and we loved the sauce. I did use extra sauce and will add even more the next time. My husband likes it saucy. It is a big recipe, perfect for company. We had salad and homemade French bread. Oh, and dessert.
Loved making this lasagna, the lasagna is great for meal prepping as it freezes great for meals to save for later. Love the amount of pepperoni!
Thanks Josh!
We had a young male visitor from Germany staying with us for a few weeks, and I thought I needed to step up my game a little to cook for more than just my husband and I (especially since I tend to cook lean and mean). I decided to look for a great lasagna recipe and found it. Our young friend enjoyed eating this for three days (with no complaints), although I did cook something different in between. My husband commented that Jan needed to visit more often. He totally enjoyed the carbs and calories, and he will get to enjoy it again, I’m sure. 🙂 Anyway, this is a delicious recipe and you should try it!!!
I’m glad y’all enjoyed it, Jackie!
Meat lovers anything is always good at my house!! This is so yummy and filling!!
Thanks Shari! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
This is a top ten meal! If you want a special meal, take the tip and make the French Bread and get a bottle of wine!
Amen!
Will definitely try your version the next time we cook lasagna!
I hope you love it! 🙂