Worlds Best Lasagna (Printable)

Layers of pasta, seasoned meat sauce, ricotta and three cheeses baked until golden and bubbly.

# Ingredient List:

→ Pasta & Cheese

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

→ Meat Sauce

06 - 1 pound ground beef, lean
07 - 1 pound 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:

01 - Set oven to 375°F and allow to reach full temperature.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add ground beef and Italian sausage to the skillet. Cook while breaking apart with a spatula for 8 to 10 minutes until fully browned. Drain excess fat.
04 - Stir in marinara sauce, salt, pepper, and fresh basil. Simmer for 10 minutes to meld flavors.
05 - In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese and egg. Stir until smooth and well incorporated.
06 - Spread a thin layer of meat sauce on the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch baking dish.
07 - Arrange 4 lasagna noodles over the sauce, overlapping slightly to cover the bottom.
08 - Spread half of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Top with one third of the mozzarella cheese, then layer additional meat sauce.
09 - Add 4 more noodles, remaining ricotta mixture, another third of mozzarella, and remaining meat sauce.
10 - Arrange final 4 noodles on top. Cover with remaining meat sauce, then top with remaining mozzarella and all Parmesan cheese.
11 - Cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 25 minutes.
12 - Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes until cheese is golden and bubbling.
13 - Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The meat sauce has enough depth that people will ask if you simmered it for hours (spoiler: just 10 minutes, but the sausage and beef together do the heavy lifting).
  • You can assemble everything ahead and bake it when guests arrive, which means you're actually relaxed when people show up.
  • Leftovers taste better the next day, so there's built-in permission to make extra without guilt.
02 -
  • Using uncooked noodles saves steps and honestly produces better texture than pre-boiling, as long as you have enough sauce; they hydrate during baking instead of getting mushy.
  • Resting the finished lasagna is non-negotiable—I learned this by cutting into one too early and watching it collapse into a pile of separated layers, which defeats the entire purpose of assembly.
03 -
  • If your marinara sauce tastes too acidic, add a pinch of sugar or a splash of heavy cream to round it out—sometimes store-bought sauce needs this small adjustment.
  • Shred your own mozzarella from a block rather than using pre-shredded when possible, since pre-shredded contains anti-caking agents that prevent silky melting.
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