Home Style Lasagna Recipe

Sauté vegetables

Heat 2 tbs olive oil in a large sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, diced carrot, and diced celery and cook until softened and translucent, about 6–8 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook 30–45 seconds until fragrant.

Brown the meat

Increase heat to medium-high. Add ground beef and ground pork to the pan. Break the meat into small pieces with a spoon and cook until no longer pink and beginning to brown, about 6–8 minutes. Drain excess fat if there is more than 1 tbs.

Deglaze and simmer

If using, add 1/2 cup dry red wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up browned bits; cook 2–3 minutes until mostly evaporated. Stir in 2 tbs tomato paste and cook 1–2 minutes to caramelize. Add the canned diced tomatoes, 1 cup stock, dried oregano, dried basil, bay leaf, 1.5 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low and let gently simmer, partially covered, 25–30 minutes to thicken. Adjust seasoning to taste and remove bay leaf.

Make the marinara

In a medium saucepan, warm 1 tbs olive oil over medium heat. Add sliced garlic and cook 30–60 seconds until fragrant but not browned. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, 1/2 tsp sugar (optional), 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer, reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened. Stir in 2 tbs chopped fresh basil off heat.

Prepare ricotta mixture

In a medium bowl combine 2 cups ricotta cheese, 1 egg, 3/4 cup grated Parmesan, 2 tbs chopped parsley, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Stir until smooth and well combined. Taste and adjust salt if needed.

Preheat and prepare pan

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with 1 tsp olive oil.

Assemble layers

Spread a thin layer (about 3/4 cup) of the house-made marinara over the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Place 3–4 lasagna noodles in a single layer over the sauce (if using no-boil noodles, follow package and overlap slightly). Spoon about one third of the meat ragu (about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups) evenly over the noodles. Dollop and gently spread half of the ricotta mixture (about 1 cup) over the ragu. Sprinkle about 1 cup shredded mozzarella and roughly 1/3 cup shredded fontina/provolone over the ricotta. Repeat: a light layer of marinara (about 1/2 cup), another layer of noodles (3–4), one third of the meat ragu, the remaining ricotta mixture, another 1 cup mozzarella and 1/3 cup fontina. Top with final layer of noodles, spread remaining meat ragu across the noodles, spoon remaining marinara to cover (about 1/2–3/4 cup) and finish with remaining mozzarella and fontina, spreading evenly.

Bake

Cover the dish tightly with foil (tent foil to avoid touching cheese) and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15–20 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden and edges are simmering. If you prefer a deeper golden top, broil 1–2 minutes while watching carefully.

Rest and garnish

Remove lasagna from oven and let rest uncovered 10–15 minutes to set (this makes slicing cleaner). Garnish with fresh basil leaves before serving. Serve warm.