Lasagna

5 from 11 votes

The ultimate lasagna recipe is here! Layered with a rich tomato meat sauce and 3 types of cheese, this homemade lasagna dish is beyond delicious! It can be made ahead of time, feeds a crowd and is freezer-friendly, too!

Prep Time2 hrs

Cook Time1 hr 15 mins

Total Time3 hrs 15 mins

Course: dinner, Italian, Main Course, Main Dishes

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: people

Calories: 484kcal

Author: Amanda Mason

Ingredients

Sauce

2 lbs Ground Beef
½ Yellow Onion, chopped
3 teaspoons Oregano, dried
½ teaspoon Thyme, dried
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 6 ounces can Tomato Paste
2 Garlic Cloves
3 cups Water, divided
1.5 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 Bay Leaves

Lasagna Layer

1 box Lasagne Noodles, uncooked (I use Barilla)
6 slices Provolone Cheese
1.5 cups Mozzarella Cheese
6 ounces Cottage Cheese
1 Egg
1 cup Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
Pepper, to taste

Instructions

Directions for Preparing The Sauce

In a large pan, add the 2 lbs of hamburger meat. Chop the onion and add to the hamburger meat. Brown the meat until it is no longer pink.
Brown the meat until it is no longer pink. Drain and set aside.
In a large pan, add the browned hamburger meat and all other sauce ingredients together and cook at a slow rolling boil for about 2 hours on medium-low heat. The secret to this sauce is nursing it. Taste periodically and adjust salt, brown sugar and oregano, as needed for the taste you prefer. I find myself starting the sauce out with 2 cups of water and adding in an additional cup over the span of 2 hours as it thickens while it cooks. .
Once the sauce is done, turn off the burner and set aside.

Directions for Preparing Lasagna

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook the box of lasagna noodles according to package directions.
After the noodles are done cooking, drain and rinse with cold water.
In a large 9×13 oven safe dish, spread ¼ cup of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of the dish and spread around evenly. This ensures that the noodles don’t stick to the bottom of your dish.
Lay 3 cooked lasagna noodles over the sauce.
Next, lay out 6 slices of Provolone cheese over the lasagna noodles.
Lay 3 more cooked lasagna noodles over the Provolone cheese.
Next, add some sauce over the cooked lasagne noodles.
Grab a bowl, take the cottage cheese and mix the egg into the cottage cheese until it is well mixed. Add a pinch of pepper into the cottage cheese and spread evenly into the sauce layer.
Lay 3 more cooked lasagna shells on top of the sauce and cottage cheese layer.
Sprinkle 1.5 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese on top of the lasagne noodles.
Place 3 more cooked lasagne noodles on top of the shredded mozzarella cheese layer.
Pour the remaining sauce on top of the lasagna noodles and spread evenly.
Sprinkle the Parmesan Cheese evenly on top of the sauce.
Cover the dish with aluminum foil and cook for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Once done, remove the lasagna from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Notes

Nutritional Value

The nutritional value showing in this recipe is for the entire pan of lasagna. If you break it down by pieces, we're estimating the following nutritional information per slice:
- 387 calories
- 24 grams protein
- 25 grams carbs
- 21 grams fat

Cooking Tips

If using a gluten free noodle, follow the directions on the package and adjust the recipe accordingly.
By using a higher fat ground beef, it adds more flavor to the lasagna.

Freezer Meal

If you want to prep ahead and make this a freezer meal, get yourself a disposable aluminum pan, do all the steps above but don't cook the lasagna. Instead, place a piece of aluminum foil over the prepped lasagna and freeze. When you're ready to pull that lasagna out of the freezer and cook it, let it thaw on your counter for 2 hours before cooking it. Once thawed, leave the aluminum foil on and cook as normal.
For best quality, the lasagna can stay frozen for up to 2 months.

Substitutions

If you want a more saucy sauce, you can add in 1 can of petite diced tomatoes.
If you want a more saucy sauce, you can also add in half a jar of Newman's Own Marinara Sauce.

Nutrition