Homemade Lasagna (Easy & Delicious)
Homemade Lasagna (Easy & Delicious) …
Coogan’s Homemade Lasagna has been an evolving family favorite recipe for well over a decade now. The original recipe was gifted to Corey by his mom years ago and since then it has been tweaked into this scrumptious and easy-to-prepare version we are sharing with you!
We’ve tried many traditional lasagna recipes over the years and we firmly believe this is the best homemade lasagna recipe AND homemade sauce out there!
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What do you need to make Classic Lasagna recipe?
The ingredients in this rich meat sauce, blend and simmer together, amplifying each other’s flavor and intensity. It is truly a delicious sauce and will ensure this lasagna to be a family favorite recipe for generations to come. In our opinion, this is the world’s best lasagna!!
Homemade Meat Sauce
Here’s the key ingredients you’ll need for your trip to the grocery store:
- Lasagna noodles, 1 1-pound box – boil noodles according to package instructions
- Lean ground beef, 1 pound
- Sweet Italian Sausage, 1 pound ground (or substitute hot Italian sausage, if you’d like to spice it up!)
- Olive oil, 1 to 2 tablespoons
- Onion, 1 large – diced
- Garlic, 5 cloves – minced
- Crushed tomatoes, 1 28-ounce can
- Tomato Sauce, 1 15-ounce can
- Diced Tomatoes, 1 15-ounce can – undrained
- Italian seasoning, 3 tablespoons
- Kosher salt, 1 tablespoon
- Sugar, 2 tablespoons
- Black pepper, 1 teaspoon
- Fennel seeds, 1/2 teaspoon *optional
- Mozzarella cheese, 4 cups – shredded
- Parmesan cheese, 1 cup – freshly grated
- Fresh basil, 1 tablespoon – chopped
- Fresh bay leaves, 3-4 whole bay leaves
Ricotta Cheese Mixture
Here’s your grocery list to make the ricotta cheese filling:
- Ricotta cheese, 16-ounces
- Egg, 1 large
- Kosher salt, 1 tablespoon
- Fresh parsley, 2 tablespoons (fresh or dried)
How to make this Easy Homemade Lasagna Recipe …
I’m confident that you will find this dish to be a super easy lasagna recipe to make and assemble … and it’s a great recipe that’s perfect for holiday and celebration meals too … the ultimate comfort food for generations! Sample the pasta sauce as it simmers and you’ll discover the treat you’re in for … it is so yummy!
Let’s get started …
First, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a large pot of water, boil lasagna noodles and cook to al dente (meaning the cooked noodles are firm yet chewy) or according to the package instructions. Then drain the water, and then set it aside for assembly.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Drop in the chopped onions and cook until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant. Then brown the Italian sausage and lean ground beef in the onions and garlic mixture until the meat is no longer pink.
Taste test your meat mixture and if it needs a little more garlic flavor, you can add 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder. Then be sure to stir well to mix it in.
Drain the fat from the meat mixture and then add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Cook over medium heat. Continue stirring to mix well and then add Italian seasoning, sugar, salt, fennel, and your fresh herbs.
Once the sauce begins to bubble, reduce the heat to medium-low to simmer.
Cover and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Taste test the sauce and add additional seasonings, fresh herbs, or even a little tomato paste if needed. Be sure to remove the bay leaves prior to assembling your lasagna layers.
How to make the Ricotta Cheese Mix …
Simply whisk together ricotta, egg, salt, and parsley in a large bowl. Easy peasy.
How to assemble lasagna layers for this delicious recipe …
In a 9×13-inch casserole dish or a lasagna pan, cover the bottom of the dish with the meat sauce. Then layer in this order after the sauce: noodles, ricotta mix, mozzarella, meat sauce, then sprinkle with parmesan and repeat the layers ending with 1 cup mozzarella cheese as your top layer.
Cover with aluminum foil and cook for 30 minutes in the preheated oven.
What’s the difference between a lasagna pan and a baking dish?
The biggest difference between a lasagna pan and a casserole or baking dish is the depth of the pan. A traditional lasagna recipe typically has three or more layers of noodles with a layer of sauce and a ricotta cheese mixture or cottage cheese in between. And then, a single layer of one cup mozzarella cheese on the top of the lasagna.
A lasagna pan may have a depth of 3 to 5 inches whereas a casserole or baking dish may allow you to create 2 to 3 layers only.
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Then remove the aluminum foil and give it a bake time of another 30 minutes.
Remove and allow the lasagna to cool for about 15 to 20 minutes prior to cutting and serving.
What can I serve with Coogan’s Lasagna?
Our favorite side item to serve with this homemade baked lasagna recipe is B R E A D! We love some bread and Corey bakes the best, in my opinion! Here are a few of our favorite recipes you can try:
- Rosemary French Bread
- Garlic Rosemary Breadsticks
- Garlic Bread
- Dinner Rolls (with cinnamon honey butter, if you’d like!)
Or a few other great options to serve with your delicious dinner is:
- Side salad or caesar salad
- Steamed green beans
How do I store leftover lasagna and can I freeze this recipe?
Lasagna will freeze so well! If you intend ahead of time to create a frozen lasagna, then it is always best to substitute lasagna noodles with no-boil lasagna noodles. The quality and taste of the dish will be yummy no matter which noodles you use, but the no-bake noodles make the frozen-to-oven version 100 times better!
We recommend using a disposable foil baking pan to assemble and then tightly cover it with a few layers of aluminum foil. Use a permanent marker to identify what’s in there and be sure to add the date.
When you are ready to bake, it’s easier to transfer your unbaked lasagna to the refrigerator the night before and allow it to thaw overnight or even 24 hours. It will have a much faster bake time. Then you can preheat and bake at the temperature and time specified in the recipe. BUT … if baking from a frozen state you will need to double your baking time but at the same temperature as the recipe. Keep the foil tightly sealed and ONLY remove it during the last 10-15 minutes of baking time. This will give your lasagna a chance to brown the cheese topping a bit and have enough time to fully soften the no-bake noodles.
After dinner leftovers …
If you have LEFTOVERS that you wish to freeze, I suggest cutting them into individual servings. Then wrap them in several layers of plastic wrap and then several layers of aluminum foil, followed by storing them in a freezer storage bag. Use a permanent marker to write Lasagna on it along with the date you’re going to freeze it.
Otherwise, just wrap up your leftovers in plastic wrap, aluminum foil, or place in an airtight container and then refrigerate to eat at a later date. We suggest eating the remaining lasagna within three days and you can reheat it in the microwave.
Looking for more tasty and easy recipes? Try a few here:
- Italian Chicken and Acorn Squash Couscous
- Chicken & Pork Crostina Pasta
- Creamy Beef and Potatoes
- Wild Rice Chicken Casserole – (Easy Recipe)
- Meat and Potato Timballo Pie
Coogan’s Lasagna
Equipment
- Pasta pot
- Large Skillet or Large Dutch Oven
- Medium bowl
- Whisk
- Baking dish, 9×13-inch or a deep lasagna pan
Ingredients
- 1 1-lb box lasagna noodles
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion , diced
- 5 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 lb ground sweet Italian sausage , or substitute hot Italian sausage
- 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 15-oz can tomato sauce
- 1 15-oz can diced tomatoes , undrained
- 3 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp fennel seeds , optional
- 4 cups mozzarella cheese , shredded
- 1 cup parmesan , freshly grated
- 1 tbsp fresh basil , chopped
- 3-4 fresh bay leaves , whole
Ricotta Cheese Mix
- 16 oz ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp parsley , fresh or dried
Instructions
Lasagna Sauce
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Cook lasagna noodles according to the package instructions, then drain the water, and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Drop in the chopped onions and cook until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant. Then brown the Italian sausage and lean ground beef in the onions and garlic mixture until the meat is no longer pink.Drain the fat from the meat mixture and then add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Cook over medium heat. Continue stirring to mix well and then add Italian seasoning, sugar, salt, fennel, and your fresh herbs.Once the sauce begins to bubble, reduce the heat to medium-low to simmer.Cover and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Taste test the sauce and add additional seasonings, if needed.
Ricotta Cheese Mix
- Whisk together the ricotta, egg, salt, and parsley in a medium mixing bowl.
Assembly
- In a 9×13-inch baking dish, cover the bottom of the dish with the meat sauce. Then layer in this order after the sauce: noodles, ricotta mix, mozzarella, meat sauce, then sprinkle with parmesan and repeat the layers ending with mozzarella cheese sprinkled on top.
- Cover with foil and cook for 30 minutes in the preheated oven.Then remove the foil and cook for another 30 minutes.Remove and cool for about 15 to 20 minutes prior to cutting and serving.
Notes
© Coogan’s Kitchen. All content and images are copyright protected. Sharing the link for this recipe is encouraged and greatly appreciated, however copying and/or posting full recipes to any social media/blog/website without full credit and the appropriate link is prohibited. Thank you so much for understanding!
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