This classic meat lasagna is layered with rich Italian meat sauce made with spicy Italian sausage, ground beef, and red wine. Each bite is filled with a cheesy herbed ricotta filling, melty mozzarella, and freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano. It is one of my family’s favorite recipes of all time!
Lasagna is one of my favorite foods of all time, and my family’s too! This specific meat lasagna is at the top of my list for my favorite version—right next to my bolognese lasagna. Although they are both “meat sauce” lasagnas, their meat sauces are quite different. This specific Italian meat sauce is very tomato-y and uses spicy Italian sausage and ground beef with red wine for robust flavor!
The ricotta filling is ultra creamy, as I recommend using whey ricotta. We then pack it with plenty of fresh herbs and Parmigiano to enhance the flavors.
The red wine infused into the sauce elevates this lasagna above so many others I’ve tried. My family can attest to that, too! That simple addition to the sauce dramatically changes the results.
We love to serve this lasagna for any occasion! It’s cheesy and so flavorful, and the leftovers are typically fought over in my family. 😉
Ingredients
Lasagna noodles—I like to use boiled noodles because of their texture and ribbon-like edges. But if you’d prefer to use no-boil lasagna noodles to save time and energy, please do so instead!
Meat sauce—I use my Italian meat sauce for this lasagna to bring out all the flavor. This robustly flavored red-wine meat sauce is made with spicy Italian sausage and ground beef. Lasagna is only as good as the sauce you use in it, and this one truly makes it what it is!
Ricotta—This creamy Italian cheese can make or break a lasagna, just like the sauce can. I like to use a super creamy ricotta with whey. This type of ricotta gives the creamiest layers without being watery or needing a bechamel sauce to attain a creamy layer. I recommend the brand BelGioioso or any of your favorite creamy ricotta!
Fresh herbs—I recommend using a generous amount of fresh basil and parsley to bring bright flavor to the ricotta filling.
Mozzarella – This mild and creamy Italian cheese creates the perfect cheesy filling for any classic lasagna recipe.
Parmigiano Reggiano—I like to use Parmigiano Reggiano to add a salty flavor to the ricotta filling and layer it with the mozzarella. It adds great flavor to the entire lasagna!
Garlic – Fresh garlic will help flavor the ricotta filling.
How to Make It
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1
Make the ricotta filling. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the ricotta, egg, fresh parsley and basil, 2/3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, minced garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon each of black pepper and salt.
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2
Layer the sauce. The first layer in a lasagna is the sauce. In a 9×13 baking dish, spread a thin layer of the meat sauce on the bottom (just enough to cover the bottom of the dish).
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3
Layer lasagna noodles. Then over top of the sauce, place 3 sheets of cooked lasagna noodles.
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4
Layer the ricotta. Then over the lasagna noodles, spread 2-3 tablespoons of ricotta filling over each noodle.
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5
Layer the sauce again. Over the ricotta spread another thin layer of sauce (just enough to cover the ricotta filling).
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6
Top with cheese and bake. Then sprinkle a generous amount of mozzarella and then Parmigiano Reggiano. Repeat the layers until you’ve used all the ingredients in this order – lasagna noodles, ricotta, sauce, and cheese. Then cover with foil and bake at 375F for 20 minutes covered then 20 minutes uncovered.
Don’t over-fill the layers. Two things can happen in layering a lasagna, either the layers are too thin and the lasagna comes out dry or it’s overly filled and the whole thing becomes a soupy mess. Keep the layers in equal proportion and don’t over-fill them. This will help give you nicely shaped slices of lasagna when it’s finished.
Use al dente lasagna noodles. “Al dente” means to the tooth in Italian, meaning there’s a bite of texture to the tooth that remains and the pasta isn’t cooked to a soft texture. Since the noodles are baked in the oven after they’re boiled, it’s best to cook the lasagna noodles until they’re “al dente” so they won’t become super soft and delicate once they’re baked in the lasagna.
Always use freshly grated quality cheeses. Since cheese is a key star ingredient in any lasagna, it’s important to use freshly grated cheeses for the best results in flavor, cheesy consistency, and overall quality. A lot of pre-shredded cheese have anti-caking ingredients and also have a different taste and texture when melted. Use freshly grated cheese for the best results!
Fresh herbs are best, skip the dried herbs. I never recommend the use of dried herbs for a lasagna. Fresh basil and parsley both add beautiful bites of freshness to the whole dish and lighten up the cheesy ricotta filling. Dried herbs are not an equal swap for fresh herbs and the flavor is very muted, so i do not recommend using dried herbs in a lasagna.
Use no-boil noodles to save time. If you’d prefer to skip boiling water and cooking the lasagna noodles yourself, you can save time and energy by using no-boil pasta noodles. These are dried noodles that cook while they’re baked in the lasagna. I do find a textural difference with these, so I personally like to use boiled noodles but these are always an option to make things easier!
Glass or ceramic are the better baking vessel. As much as I love using my cast iron pots and pans for baking, I have found they get too hot and suck up a lot of the moisture in lasagnas. Which is why I only recommend using glass or ceramic dishes for lasagna – this will help prevent a dry lasagna and give you the best results!
Stir the lasagna noodles once you add them to boiling water: The best way to prevent the lasagna from sticking while they boil is to gently stir them a good bit once you add the dry noodles to boiling water.
Cold water bath: Typically lasagna noodles stick pretty quickly together once the boiling water has been drained from them. If you are still prepping ingredients and are not layering the noodles right away, my mom taught me to place the noodles in a cold dish of ice water. You can lay the noodles flat in the water to help keep their shape and prevent breakage. Be sure to shake off any excess water from the noodles before layering into the lasagna.
Pairing Suggestions
Side salad: We love to serve this lasagna with a beautiful side salad such as our Apple walnut salad, Pear salad, or our Apple Pomegranate salad.
Bread: crusty bread is always a wonderful pairing with lasagna. We love a good Italian loaf, baguette, homemade sourdough, or rosemary garlic bread!
Classic Meat Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 lb lasagna noodles
- 5 cups Italian Meat Sauce
- 1 lb mozzarella, finely shredded
- 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Ricotta Filling
- 2 cups (16 oz) ricotta cheese, I recommend a super creamy whey ricotta such as Belgioioso
- 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Cook the lasagna noodles: Fill a tall pot with water and salt it generously. Bring the water to a boil and stir in the lasagna noodles (stirring helps prevent them from sticking). Then, cook the pasta until "al dente" according to the package instructions, and drain once finished. Note: If you are not layering the noodles right away into the lasagna, place the cooked lasagna noodles in ice-cold water.
- Make the ricotta filling: Mix all the ricotta filling ingredients together and set aside or refrigerate if using later.
- Layer the lasagna: In a 9×13 ceramic or glass baking dish, spread a thin layer of meat sauce on the bottom. Then layer with lasagna noodles, after the noodles spread a thin layer of ricotta filling (about 2-3 Tablespoons per noodle). Spread another layer of meat sauce, then sprinkle with freshly grated mozzarella cheese and Parmigiano Reggiano. Then repeat the layers in this order until you've used up the ingredients: lasagna noodles, ricotta, meat sauce, and freshly grated cheese. Note: Keep the layers thin – not too much but not too little of each ingredient. Everything will come together in the end.
- Bake: Cover the lasagna with foil (I like to tent the foil so the cheese doesn't stick, or you can spray the foil with a bit of oil). Then, bake at 375F for 40 minutes – the first 20 minutes covered with foil, then the last 20 minutes uncovered. I like to broil on HIGH for the last minute to brown the cheese. Let it cool for several minutes before slicing into 9 pieces. Serve and enjoy!
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