Go Back
A freshly baked tray of savory beef lasagna with melted cheese on top

Beef Lasagna

This recipe provides a proven way to create the best beef lasagna, featuring rich meat sauce and creamy cheese layers.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 450
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Meat Sauce
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 28 oz crushed tomatoes
  • 6 oz tomato paste
  • 0.5 cup water
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 0.5 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper
Cheese Mixture
  • 15 oz ricotta cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 0.5 cup Parmesan cheese grated
  • 0.5 cup parsley fresh, chopped
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper
Other
  • 12 lasagna noodles oven-ready
  • 1 lb mozzarella cheese shredded

Equipment

  • large skillet
  • medium bowl
  • 9x13 inch baking dish

Method
 

Prepare Meat Sauce
  1. Cook ground beef, onion, and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat until meat is browned and vegetables are tender. Drain off any excess fat.
  2. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, water, sugar, basil, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat, cover, and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Prepare Cheese Mixture
  1. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, egg, grated Parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
Assemble Lasagna
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Spread 1 cup of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
  2. Arrange 3-4 lasagna noodles over the sauce. Spread half of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles, then top with 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese and 1.5 cups of meat sauce.
  3. Repeat the noodle, ricotta, mozzarella, and meat sauce layers once more.
  4. Top with the remaining noodles, then the remaining meat sauce and mozzarella cheese.
Bake Lasagna
  1. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.
  2. Let the lasagna stand for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

For best results, allow the lasagna to rest for 10-15 minutes after baking to help the layers set and make it easier to slice.