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A close-up of a thick, layered slice of Classic Meat and Cheese Baked Lasagna on a blue plate.

Classic Meat and Cheese Baked Lasagna

This recipe honors the tradition of classic meat and cheese baked lasagna, perfect for family dinners. You will layer rich meat sauce, creamy ricotta mixture, and tender noodles before baking until golden.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Cooling Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 463

Ingredients
  

For the Meat Sauce
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
  • 1 (15 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
  • 2 (6 oz.) cans tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 teaspoons salt divided
  • 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning divided
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley divided
For the Cheese Filling and Assembly
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
  • 15 oz. whole milk Ricotta cheese (1 ¾ cups)
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese divided
  • 1 large egg
  • 12 lasagna noodles

Equipment

  • Large skillet
  • Large bowl
  • 13x9 inch baking dish

Method
 

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Make the meat sauce. Add the beef and sausage to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Break the meat apart with a wooden spoon. Add the onion and garlic. Cook until the meat is browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. Drain the fat from the meat. Return the meat to the skillet.
  3. 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 everything is combined. Cover the skillet and reduce the heat to low. Simmer the sauce for 30 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the minced parsley.
  4. As the sauce cooks, make the ricotta mixture. In a large bowl, add 1 cup mozzarella, the ricotta, ¼ cup parmesan, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the egg, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, and ½ teaspoon basil. Stir until the mixture is incorporated.
  5. Cook the pasta al dente, following the package directions.
  6. Assemble the lasagna. In a 13x9 inch baking dish, add a very thin layer of meat sauce (about ¼ cup). Layer 3 lasagna noodles, ⅓ of the ricotta mixture, and 1 ½ (level) cups of meat sauce. Repeat these layers twice.
  7. Add a final layer of the remaining noodles, meat sauce, 1 cup mozzarella, and ¼ cup parmesan.
  8. Cover the dish with foil that you have sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil. Bake for 15 more minutes.
  9. Let the lasagna cool for 15 to 20 minutes before you cut and serve it.

Nutrition

Calories: 463kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 25gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 91mgSodium: 1420mgPotassium: 812mgFiber: 3gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 1115IUVitamin C: 14.9mgCalcium: 274mgIron: 3.7mg

Notes

This recipe respects tradition while offering a comforting meal. If you want to adapt this for a low-carb diet, you can substitute the traditional noodles with zucchini slices or low-carb lasagna sheets.

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