Homemade Lasagna Recipe

Prep and sweat aromatics

Heat a large heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add olive oil. Once shimmering, add diced onion, carrot, and celery. Season lightly with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 6–8 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook 30–60 seconds until fragrant.

Brown the meat

Raise heat to medium-high. Add ground beef and pork/sausage, breaking up with a spatula. Cook until no longer pink and beginning to brown, about 6–8 minutes. Drain excess fat if more than 2 tablespoons remain, leaving a glossy coating for flavor.

Build the sauce

Stir in tomato paste and cook 1–2 minutes to deepen flavor. Pour in red wine (if using) and scrape up browned bits; let wine reduce by half, about 2–3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, stock, dried oregano, dried basil, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and sugar. Stir to combine.

Simmer

Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to low so sauce bubbles very gently. Partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, 25–35 minutes until flavors meld and sauce thickens. Taste and adjust seasoning (add up to 1 tsp more salt if needed). Remove bay leaf before assembling.

In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, grated Parmesan, egg, chopped parsley, chopped basil, salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg (if using). Mix until smooth and uniform. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.

Prepare noodles (if using regular)

If using regular lasagna noodles, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook noodles 1–2 minutes less than package instructions so they finish cooking in the oven. Drain and lay sheets on a lightly oiled tray to prevent sticking. If using no-boil noodles, you can skip this step.

Preheat and butter pan

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly butter a 9x13-inch (or similar) baking dish to prevent sticking.

Assemble lasagna

Spread a thin layer (about 1 cup) of meat ragu over bottom of prepared baking dish to prevent noodles from sticking. Lay 3-4 lasagna noodles in a single layer over sauce (depending on noodle size). Spread approximately one-third of the ricotta mixture evenly over noodles (about 1 cup). Sprinkle about 1 to 1 1/3 cups shredded mozzarella over the ricotta. Spoon about 1 1/2 cups meat ragu over the cheese, spreading gently. Repeat two more layers: noodles, ricotta (1 cup), mozzarella (1–1 1/3 cups), ragu (1 1/2 cups). Finish with a final layer of noodles, remaining ragu spread evenly across top (about 1 cup), then top with remaining mozzarella and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan.

Cover and bake

Cover the dish tightly with foil (spray underside of foil with cooking spray or tent to avoid cheese sticking). Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15–20 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden in spots and internal temperature reaches ~165°F (74°C).

Rest

Remove lasagna from oven and let rest, uncovered, for 15–20 minutes. This helps the layers set and makes slicing cleaner.

Just before serving, sprinkle extra grated Parmesan over the top and scatter fresh basil leaves. Slice into 8 equal portions and serve warm.