This truly is the best homemade lasagna recipe ever! Perfectly balanced flavors in every bite that’s sure to be a family favorite in no time.
Step right up and try the World’s best lasagna. While this recipe may not have won any awards, it has won the hearts of many and how could it not? Layers of noodles, rich sauce, delicious meats and cheeses in every bite, and the best part? No boiling required.
This no boil lasagna recipe is perfect for any occasion. Serve it up as a nice weeknight meal or save it for the holidays if desired. It is an impressive meal perfect for when guests come over too, so serving it at your next dinner party could be a great occasion if you’re looking for excuses.
Unlike some other lasagna recipes, we’re making our meat sauce from scratch. I recommend using ground beef, sausage, or a combination of both. Using both can really help to give a nice diversity in flavors.
Ingredients for Lasagna
- Ground beef OR sausage OR a combination of both
- Onion
- Garlic
- Dried basil
- Dried oregano
- Red pepper flakes
- Crushed canned tomatoes
- Whole canned tomatoes
- Tomato paste
- Water
- Half and half
- Ricotta cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Egg
- Spinach frozen or fresh
- Salt
- Pepper
- No boil lasagna noodles
- Mozzarella cheese
- Fresh parsley
How to make cook lasagna
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a large dutch oven, brown the ground beef. Drain any excess grease.
- Add in the onion, garlic, and spices, cooking until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Add in your tomato products, water, and half and half. Stir to combine. Let the mixture come to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and allow the mix to simmer for 15 minutes. This will help to get the flavor melded together nicely.
- While the sauce is simmering, combine all of the ingredients needed for the cheese mixture in a bowl and set aside.
How to assemble lasagna
- In a large 9×13 baking dish, spread about ½ cup of the sauce on the bottom. Try not to get any large meat chunks down there, just the sauce will do. This will help prevent noodles from sticking to the pan, making it easier for removal later.
- Arrange about 3-4 noodles along the bottom of the pan, side by side in a single layer.
- Spread half of the cheese mixture evenly over the top of the noodles. I use my hands to do this as I find that’s what works best.
- Sprinkle 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese over the top of the cheese mixture.
- Layer about 2-3 cups of the sauce over the top of the cheeses.
- Repeat the layers by laying down noodles, spreading the cheese, sprinkling mozzarella, and then top with more sauce.
- Place a final layer of noodles on top.
- Spread the remaining sauce over the top.
- Sprinkle any remaining mozzarella over the top of the sauce.
- Bake covered in foil, in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and cook for an additional 25 minutes or until the cheese is slightly browned and the lasagna is bubbly.
- Sprinkle some chopped parsley over the top for garnish.
Yes, you can. Just replace the ounces 1:1 so keep a scale handy. 15 ounces of canned whole tomatoes can be replaced with 15 ounces of fresh or frozen tomatoes depending on what you have on hand.
I like to use tomatoes from my garden when they’re in season. You don’t have to chop the tomatoes if you don’t want to. I also recommend adding 1 teaspoon of sugar per 15 ounces of fresh tomatoes to balance the acid.
Yes, I do this all of the time! You can make this lasagna recipe in two 8×8 baking dishes instead of one 9×13. Then wrap it well and place it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Baking frozen lasagna is easy. Thaw in the fridge overnight or on the counter for a few hours and bake as directed. You can see more freezer meal tips here.
Lasagna will be finished when the internal temp reaches 165 degrees F. This will ensure the eggs are cooked through and the center is hot.
Yes, lasagna can be considered a casserole. A casserole is a dish that is a combination of ingredients all baked together, so, using that definition a lasagna is a casserole.
You will need to cook the lasagna for a total of 50 minutes. 25 minutes covered and 25 minutes uncovered. Details are in the recipe card below.
How to Reheat Lasagna
Place your pan of leftover lasagna in the oven after covering the top with foil. This will help to trap the warmth inside and prevent additional browning to the top meaning that the top noodles won’t become dry and brittle.
Cook your lasagna at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes and then check to see if it is done. Extend the baking time if needed as different-sized portions will cook at different speeds.
The Best Homemade Lasagna
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 1 pound ground beef OR sausage OR a combination of both
- 1 medium onion chopped fine
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes 1 large can
- 15 ounces whole tomatoes 1 can, see note
- 6 ounces tomato paste 1 small can
- 6 ounces water fill up the tomato paste can
- 1 cup half and half
For the Cheese Mixture
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup spinach frozen or fresh, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
For Assembly
- 1 pack no boil lasagna noodles see note
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a large pot or dutch oven, brown ground meat. Drain any excess grease, if necessary.
- Add onion, garlic, and spices, saute until onion is translucent.
- Add tomato products, water, and half and half. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to simmer and simmer until flavors are melded, about 15 minutes.
- While the sauce is simmering, combine all ingredients for the cheese mixture (ricotta, parmesan, egg, spinach, salt and pepper).
To Assemble
- In a 9×13 casserole dish, spread about 1/2 cup of the sauce, avoiding any large meat chunks.
- Arrange about 3-4 lasagna noodles in a single layer on top of the sauce. The number of noodles will vary depending on the shape you are using. They should just form a single layer with minimal overlap. You might have to break some
- Spread half of the cheese mixture evenly over the noodles. I find this works best if I use my hands.
- Sprinkle 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese over the cheese mixture.
- Layer about 2-3 cups of sauce over the cheeses.
- Repeat laying down a layer of noodles, spreading the cheese mixture, sprinkling mozzarella, and then layering sauce.
- Place a final layer of lasagna noodles down.
- Spread remaining sauce on top.
- Sprinkle remaining cup of mozzarella cheese on top of the lasagna.
- Bake for 25 minutes covered with foil, then remove foil and bake an additional 25 minutes or until the cheese is slightly browned and the lasagna is bubbly.
- Sprinkle chopped parsley on top for garnish.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Looking for more great recipes and ideas?
- Roasted Asparagus and Tomatoes
- Corn Side Dish Recipes
- Puff Pastry Cheese Danish
- Self Watering Window Box
- How to Make Cake Balls
- How to Make Ham Steak
- Mixed Fruit Cobbler
- Bottle Feeding Calves
- Bacon Green Beans
- Old Fashioned Apple Fritters
- Smoked Turkey Breast Recipe
- How Long Do You Cook Salmon on the Grill?
- Tart Crust
- Homemade Syrup Recipe
- Grilled BBQ Chicken Breast
- Instant Pot Marinara
- Meat Hand Pie Recipe
- Almond Sugar Cookies
Sammi Windley says
This lasagna really is the best! Thanks for sharing
Emily says
This sounds really good and fairly simple. If I use no boil noodles, will they fully cook in the 30-35 minutes?
Alli says
Hi Emily! I think they may be a bit underdone in only 30 minutes. But if you add 1/4 cup water to the sauce and extend the cooking time by about 10 minutes, I think it should work out! Let me know if you try it.
Emily says
I made it for Christmas dinner. I added a ladle of water, baked covered for 30, uncovered somewhere between 10 and 15… It was delicious!!!