Classic Lasagna

Make this classic lasagna when you want layers of meat sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, and noodles in a 9×13 — not a soup with broken noodles. Brown the beef, mix ricotta with an egg so it slices, bake at 375°F covered then uncovered, then rest 15 minutes or the first square collapses. Regular noodles get a short boil; no-boil noodles need a wetter sauce. This is not the creamy lasagna soup already on this site. Don’t boil no-boil noodles for 12 minutes and also don’t skip the rest.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe ❤️

• One 9×13, one skillet for the sauce.
• Ricotta + egg sets. Skip the egg and it oozes.
• 375°F, foil then no foil so the top browns without drying the edges at minute 10.
• Rest is structural, not plating fuss.
• Leftovers freeze in squares.

Recipe at a Glance

Prep: 30 minutes  ·  Cook: 45–50 minutes + 15 minute rest  ·  Total: about 1 hour 35 minutes  ·  Servings: 8  ·  Difficulty: medium (assembly, not technique)  ·  Method: oven, 375°F

Ingredients 🛒

Sauce

• 1 pound (450 g) ground beef (85–90% lean)
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara or 3 cups meat sauce
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper

Cheese filling

• 15 ounces (425 g) ricotta
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup grated Parmesan, plus more for the top
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Assembly

• 9–12 lasagna noodles (regular, boiled shy of al dente, or no-boil — pick one method and stick to it)
• 3 cups (12 ounces) shredded mozzarella

Regular noodles: boil 2 minutes less than the box. They finish in the oven. Mushy noodles in the pot become paste in the pan.

No-boil noodles: extra ¼–½ cup water or thin sauce so they hydrate. A dry jar plus no-boil is cardboard in the center.

Whole-milk ricotta slices. Part-skim works and weeps more. Drain if it’s sitting in a puddle in the tub.

If you wanted lasagna as a bowl of soup, creamy lasagna soup is that pot. Don’t break these noodles into the soup and skip the bake.

Equipment

A 9×13 pan, at least 2.5 inches deep. A shallow brownie pan overflows. Foil. A skillet. Resting time on the counter is equipment too — a cutting board and a sharp knife after 15 minutes.

How to Make It 👩‍🍳

Heat oven to 375°F. If using regular noodles, boil them now, drain, lay flat so they don’t glue.

Skillet, medium-high. Onion 4 minutes, garlic 30 seconds, beef until no pink. Drain extra fat. Stir in marinara and Italian seasoning. Taste salt. You need about 3½–4 cups sauce total. A skimpy jar plus dry beef is a dry lasagna — add a splash of water if the jar is thick paste.

Stir ricotta, egg, Parmesan, parsley, ½ teaspoon salt.

Layer: thin sauce on the pan bottom (so noodles don’t weld). Noodles. Half the ricotta. A third of the mozzarella. Sauce. Noodles. Rest of ricotta. A third of mozzarella. Sauce. Noodles. Remaining sauce. Remaining mozzarella. Parmesan. The top should be sauce and cheese, not naked pasta.

Foil tented so it doesn’t stick to the cheese (spray the underside). Bake 30 minutes covered. Foil off, 15 minutes until bubbling at the edges and the top is browned in spots. If the center isn’t hot, 5 more minutes. Rest 15 minutes. Cut.

Why the Technique Works

375°F is the lasagna number. 350°F takes longer and the top stays pale. 400°F browns cheese while the middle is still cold ricotta. Covered first so steam cooks the noodles; uncovered so it isn’t a steamed dairy brick.

Egg in ricotta is binder. Cottage cheese is a swap some people like; pulse it if the curds bother you, still add the egg.

Rest 15 minutes. Cheese and starch set. Cut at minute zero and you serve a slide. That’s not “juicy,” that’s un-set.

Three noodle layers is classic in a 9×13 with 9–12 noodles. Five layers in a shallow pan spills. Don’t invent a 12-layer project in a cake pan.

1 pound of beef is enough for a jar of sauce. Two pounds is a meat pie. Drain fat or the top is an oil slick.

Cooking Tips

Spray the foil. Cheese will still grab a little. Peel slowly.

Sausage instead of half the beef is the better meat sauce for a lot of people. Brown it the same way.

Variations and Substitutions

Half beef, half Italian sausage: drain well.

No egg: it’ll be looser. Add extra Parmesan.

Spinach: 10 ounces frozen, squeezed dry, in the ricotta. Wet spinach waters the pan.

Gluten-free noodles: follow that box; they overcook fast. Rest still required.

Serving Suggestions

Salad. Garlic bread if that’s the house. Don’t force a wine pairing. A square is dinner.

Storage, Freezing & Reheating

Fridge 4 days. Reheat 350°F covered until hot, or microwave a square with a damp towel so the edges don’t leather.

Freeze up to 3 months, whole or in squares, wrapped well. Thaw in the fridge. Bake 350°F covered until the center is hot. Don’t freeze, thaw, refreeze.

You can assemble, fridge unbaked 24 hours, then bake (add 10 minutes). Unbaked freeze: thaw overnight, then bake as written.

Troubleshooting

Watery: undrained beef, wet ricotta, no rest, no-boil noodles without enough sauce (they pull liquid then dump it). Drain, rest, sauce the noodles.

Dry: not enough sauce, overbaked uncovered, no-boil without extra moisture. Sauce on every layer, foil for 30.

Collapses: no rest, or you skipped the egg.

Burnt cheese, cold middle: no foil, oven too hot. 375°F, covered first.

Mushy noodles: boiled fully before the oven. Undercook the boil.

FAQ

Regular or no-boil noodles?

Both work. Don’t mix methods. No-boil needs a wetter sauce.

Can I use cottage cheese?

Yes. Drain it. Egg still helps.

Why 375°F not 350°F?

Better brown on the time this recipe uses. If your oven runs hot, tent longer.

How do I know it’s done?

Bubbling edges, hot center, browned top. A knife in the middle should come out hot, not cool ricotta.

Is this lasagna soup?

No. Different recipe, different URL.

Nutrition, Allergens & Dietary Notes

Approx, per 1 of 8 squares:

• Calories: 480–580
• Protein: 32–38 g
• Carbs: 32–40 g
• Fat: 24–32 g

Contains: wheat, dairy, egg, beef. Not gluten-free unless you use GF noodles and check the sauce. Don’t call it low-carb. Ricotta brands vary in water — that’s why you drain if needed.

Final Thoughts

Sauce, ricotta with egg, noodles, 375°F covered then not, rest 15. If you wanted soup, make the soup. If you cut it hot, you made lasagna serving accident.