If you are looking for the best homemade lasagna recipe then you are going to love this homemade meat lasagna recipe. Lasagna is a recipe that every family needs to have in their recipe box, it is a classic dinner recipe. We like to serve this classic lasagna recipe with garlic bread and a tasty salad.
The Best Homemade Lasagna Recipe
I have to admit a secret to all of you. I have not always the best lasagna maker. Making an amazing homemade alfredo sauce, I got that. Amazing pasta sauces like pumpkin pasta sauce or Homemade Marinara Sauce, got that too! Want some dessert like a Salted Caramel Cupcakes or a Turtle cake? I have you there too.
But a homemade classic lasagna was the one thing that no matter what sauce I used, or cheese I used it never came out with the flavor I was hoping for. They never came out bad or inedible but they were just OKAY. If you have been around here for a while you know that just okay is not ok in my book. I want my food to taste amazing! This meat lasagna recipe has all the flavors and tastes amazing!
Putting in all that effort for dinner to just be ok was frustrating to me. I had all but given up on making an amazing lasagna until a visit to our friend’s house. I got to our family friend’s house for dinner one night and saw the most amazing looking homemade lasagna on the dinner table ready for us to enjoy. I took one bite and OH MY GOSH! It was the best meat lasagna I had ever tasted. Of course, me being me I had to ask my friend how she made this homemade meat lasagna recipe because none of mine have ever tasted this amazing.
I am so glad that she was willing to tell me how she makes the most amazing meat lasagna recipe and what her secret is. I am going to tell you the secret to making the best traditional lasagna with meat! You are never going to want to make any other lasagna recipe! Even though the secret does take a little bit more time than most traditional lasagna recipes do.
The Secret to AMAZING Homemade Lasagna
Grinding fresh meat!! She uses fresh under blade chuck roast and grounds it herself in the food processor!
She also told me that she uses jarred sauce, which surprised me. However, she said she has used homemade sauce at times too when making this meat lasagna recipe. If you are looking for amazing sauces to use when you are making this classic lasagna recipe, check these sauce recipes out.
How to ground your own meat for sauce
To ground your own meat you do need to have a quality food processor. I have this Kitchen Aid Food processor and love it! I have had it for like 7 years and it is amazing and grinds meat perfectly! Plus it is easy to clean, and it still works like it is brand new even with me using it 2-3 times per week!
Yes, I have a BIG thing for KitchenAid appliances! They work so well and they last forever! I love them!
How to get Crispy Edges on Lasagna
To get crispy edges, all you have to do is cover the lasagna for the first half of the baking time with tin foil. Then remove the foil for the last half of the baking time.
If you have a household of people who love crispy edges and fight over them you might want to look into getting a 3 section lasagna pan, then everyone can have crispy edges! However I like to use my deep pan that is similar to this one.
What to Serve with Lasagna?
When I want a classic lasagna dinner I serve homemade meat lasagna with a salad like my Avocado Blt Salad and bread with homemade butter. If you are wanting some veggie sides to go with your lasagna dinner check out some of my go to side dish recipes.
How to Freeze Lasagna
You can freeze it before or after baking. If you are freezing lasagna before baking, assemble everything in your pan and allow all of the ingredients too cool to room temperature. Once cooled cover tightly with tin foil and place in the freezer.
If cooling after you have cooked it, allow it to cool completely to room temperature. Then wrap tightly with tin foil or place in an air tight container and put in the freezer.
If I plan on freezing it, then I like to make it in a disposable tin foil pan. I find that it works best for freezing and for reheating.
How long can you freeze lasagna?
You can freeze this lasagna for 2 to 3 months.
How to reheat Lasagna
To cook a frozen lasagna preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Leave only the top layer of tinfoil on the lasagna and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the tinfoil and leave in the oven for an additional 10 minutes.
To reheat a lasagna from the fridge follow the same cooking instructions as if you were cooking it fresh and add an additional 10 minutes to the cook time with the tinfoil on top.
Homemade Lasagna Ingredients
- under blade chuck roast
- salt
- hot or sweet Italian sausage
- uncooked lasagna noodles
- tomato paste with herbs
- dried oregano
- basil leaves
- Classico garlic tomato sauce or a batch of homemade sauce
- eggs
- Parmesan cheese
- mozzarella cheese
- ricotta cheese
How to Make Lasagna
Making this homemade classic lasagna recipe is really easy. It has a few steps and it has some work that has to be done but the steps are super simple!
Put a pot of water on the stove on high heat and bring to a boil. When the water is boiling add your lasagna noodles and cook according to the package.
In a small sauce pot add the pasta sauce, oregano and basil and heat thoroughly. Once it is completely heated remove from the heat.
Then cut the chuck roast into 2 inch pieces and place them in the food processor. Grind them with the food processor until you have the texture of ground beef.
In a medium skillet on medium heat, add the ground beef and salt. Cook until the meat is done and then drain your beef on a plate that is lined with paper towels.
While the ground beef is draining cook the sausage in the same skillet over medium heat. Once cooked, drain your sausage on a plate that is lined with paper towels.
Place your ground beef back into the food processor with half of the tomato paste and grind it again. When it is done, remove the ground beef from the food processor and set aside in a bowl.
Next add the sausage with the second half of the tomato paste and add to the bowl of ground beef and mix well.
In a smaller food processor if you have one, or in the same food processor rinsed out add 16 ounces of mozzarella cheese, the eggs and the ricotta cheese and grind.
Pour the cheese mixture into a small bowl and stir in the Parmesan cheese.
Now all of the lasagna ingredients are prepped and it is time to layer the lasagna!
How to Layer Lasagna
Spray a 9×13 pan with non stick cooking spray. Then spread out a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the dish.
Top the noodles with a layer of sauce.
Top the sauce with a layer of meat mixture.
Add a layer of the ricotta cheese mixture.
Repeat the layering until you are at the top of the baking dish and have made the final layer.
Spread the remaining sauce on top and then sprinkle a cup of mozzarella cheese on top.
Now you can either put the lasagna in the oven to bake or cover it with a layer of tin foil and put it in the fridge for later.
How to Bake Lasagna
Leave the lasagna covered with tin foil and bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.
Remove the tinfoil and bake for another 15 minutes or until its golden brown.
Let it sit for 15 minutes before cutting. This is VERY IMPORTANT!
Easy Pasta Recipes
- Sausage Baked Penne Pasta
- Chicken Alfredo Pasta Recipe
- Homemade Pasta sauce recipe
- Shrimp Alfredo Pasta
- Olive garden chicken pasta
- Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
- Meatless baked Ziti
Homemade Lasagna
Ingredients
Sauce and Meat Layer
- 1 pound under blade chuck roast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 16 oz hot Italian sausage or sweet Italian Sausage
- 6 oz tomato paste with herbs
- 24 ounces Classico garlic tomato sauce or a batch of homemade sauce
Cheese Layer
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon basil leaves
- 3 eggs
- 16 oz mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese
- 8 ounce ricotta cheese
Noodle Layer
- 1 pound lasagna noodles
- 8 oz mozzarella cheese
Instructions
Prepping Lasagna Ingredients Instructions
- Making homemade lasagna is really easy. It has a few steps and it has some work that has to be done but the steps are super simple!
- Put a pot of water on the stove on high heat and bring to a boil. When the water is boiling add your lasagna noodles and cook according to the package.
- In a small sauce pot add the pasta sauce, oregano and basil and heat thoroughly. Once it is completely heated remove from the heat.
- Then cut the chuck roast into 2 inch pieces and place them in the food processor. Grind them with the food processor until you have the texture of ground beef.
- In a medium skillet on medium heat, add the ground beef and salt. Cook until the meat is done and then drain your beef on a plate that is lined with paper towels.
- While the ground beef is draining cook the sausage in the same skillet over medium heat. Once cooked, drain your sausage on a plate that is lined with paper towels.
- Place your ground beef back into the food processor with half of the tomato paste and grind it again. When it is done, remove the ground beef from the food processor and set aside in a bowl.
- Next add the sausage with the second half of the tomato paste and add to the bowl of ground beef and mix well.
- In a smaller food processor if you have one, or in the same food processor rinsed out add 16 ounces of mozzarella cheese, the eggs and the ricotta cheese and grind.
- Pour the cheese mixture into a small bowl and stir in the Parmesan cheese.
- Now all of the lasagna ingredients are prepped and it is time to layer the lasagna!
How To Layer
- Spray a 9×13 pan with non stick cooking spray. Then spread out a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the dish.
- Top the noodles with a layer of sauce.
- Top the sauce with a layer of meat mixture.
- Add a layer of the cheese mixture.
- Repeat the layering until you are at the top of the baking dish.
- Spread the remaining sauce on top and then sprinkle a cup of mozzarella cheese on top.
- Now you can either put the lasagna in the oven to bake or cover with a layer of tin foil and put it in the fridge for later.
How to Bake Lasagna
- Leave the lasagna covered with tin foil and bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.
- Remove the tinfoil and bake for another 15 minutes or until its golden brown.
- Let it sit for 15 minutes before cutting. (This is VERY IMPORTANT!)
18 Weight Watchers SmartPoints per serving
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