Worlds Best Lasagna (Printer-friendly)

Comforting Italian classic with tender pasta layers, rich meat sauce, and three cheeses bubbling to golden perfection.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta and Cheese

01 - 12 sheets lasagna noodles, uncooked
02 - 15 oz ricotta cheese
03 - 1 large egg
04 - 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
05 - 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

→ Meat Sauce

06 - 1 lb ground beef, lean
07 - 1 lb Italian sausage, casing removed
08 - 4 cups marinara sauce
09 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
10 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
11 - 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
12 - 1 teaspoon salt
13 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat your oven to 375°F.
02 - In a large skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant, approximately 1 minute.
03 - Add ground beef and Italian sausage to the skillet. Cook while breaking up the meat until fully browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain excess fat.
04 - Stir in marinara sauce, salt, pepper, and chopped basil. Simmer for 10 minutes to blend flavors thoroughly.
05 - In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese and egg. Mix until smooth and well incorporated.
06 - Spread a layer of meat sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
07 - Add 4 sheets of uncooked lasagna noodles, slightly overlapping.
08 - Spread half of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Top with one-third of the mozzarella, then additional meat sauce.
09 - Repeat the layering sequence: noodles, ricotta mixture, mozzarella, meat sauce.
10 - Top with the last layer of noodles, remaining meat sauce, then remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
11 - Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes.
12 - Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes until cheese is golden and bubbly.
13 - Let the lasagna rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

# Cooking Tips:

01 -
  • The uncooked noodles soak up all the sauce flavor as they bake, making every bite incredibly tender.
  • You can assemble it hours ahead and just slide it in the oven when guests arrive.
  • Leftovers taste even better the next day after all the flavors have had time to settle.
  • It feeds a crowd without requiring you to stand over the stove the whole time.
02 -
  • Don't skip the resting time or your first slice will be a saucy mess, patience here makes all the difference.
  • If your sauce seems thick, add a splash of water before assembling so the uncooked noodles have enough liquid to soften.
  • Press down gently on each layer as you build so there are no air pockets that can cause uneven cooking.
03 -
  • Use a sharp serrated knife to cut clean slices, wiping the blade between cuts so the layers stay neat.
  • Let the meat sauce cool for a few minutes before assembling so it doesn't melt the ricotta too early.
  • If the edges start to brown too fast, tent foil loosely over just those spots.
  • Double the recipe and freeze one whole pan for a future dinner when you don't feel like cooking.
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