Lasagna (family-size) Recipe
Serves 4-6 people. Delicious meat lasagna.
Was this page helpful?
Help improve this recipe for others.
Send this recipe to your inbox.
We'll email it straight to you - plus weekly cooking inspiration.
Ingredients
Some product links may be affiliates. If you buy through them, you're supporting the site and Pekin may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Meat Sauce
Cheese Filling
Pasta & Assembly
Method
Meat Sauce
- 1
Prep and sweat aromatics
Heat a large heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil. When shimmering, add the chopped onion, grated carrot, and chopped celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 6–8 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
- 2
Brown the meat
Increase heat to medium-high. Add the ground beef and ground pork in batches, breaking up with a spoon. Cook until no longer pink and nicely browned in places, about 6–8 minutes. Drain off excess fat if there is more than about 1 tablespoon, leaving fond on the pan.
- 3
Develop the tomato base
Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1–2 minutes to caramelize slightly. Add the red wine (if using) and deglaze the pan, scraping up browned bits; simmer 2 minutes to reduce slightly. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and stock. Stir in dried oregano, dried basil, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 3/4 teaspoon black pepper, and the bay leaf.
- 4
Simmer
Bring sauce to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to low. Cover partially and simmer gently for 25–30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened and flavors have melded. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Remove and discard bay leaf. If sauce is too thin, simmer uncovered an additional 5–10 minutes.
Cheese Filling
- 5
Mix cheeses
While the sauce simmers, in a medium bowl combine 2 cups ricotta, 1 beaten egg, 3/4 cup grated Parmesan, 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella (reserve 1 cup shredded mozzarella for topping), chopped parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Stir until smooth and uniform. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Pasta & Assembly
- 6
Prepare noodles (if using regular/boil-type)
If using regular lasagna noodles (not no-boil), bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook noodles according to package instructions until just al dente (usually 8–10 minutes). Drain and lay flat on a lightly oiled baking sheet to prevent sticking. If using no-boil noodles, skip this step and follow package guidance to ensure adequate sauce to hydrate them.
- 7
Preheat oven and prepare pan
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly oil a 9x13-inch (or similar family-size) baking dish with 1 teaspoon olive oil or nonstick spray.
- 8
Assemble lasagna - first layer
Spread about 1 cup of the meat sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish to prevent noodles from sticking. Arrange 3–4 lasagna noodles in a single layer over the sauce (overlap ends slightly as needed). Spoon and spread about half of the ricotta-cheese mixture evenly over the noodles (about 1/3 of the total cheese mixture). Dollop and spread about 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce over the cheese layer, then sprinkle with about 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella.
- 9
Assemble lasagna - second layer
Repeat with another layer of 3–4 noodles, the remaining ricotta mixture (the remaining 2/3 of mixture), another 1 1/2 cups meat sauce, and 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella.
- 10
Assemble lasagna - final layer
Top with the final 3–4 noodles. Spread the remaining meat sauce evenly over the top layer of noodles (about 1 cup). Sprinkle the reserved 1 cup shredded mozzarella and the remaining 1/4 cup grated Parmesan evenly over the top. Cover loosely with aluminum foil (tenting so cheese doesn't stick) or use a lid if available.
- 11
- 12
Rest and garnish
Remove lasagna from the oven and let rest, uncovered, for 10–15 minutes to set (this makes slicing neater). Garnish with fresh basil leaves if desired. Slice into 6–8 pieces and serve hot.