Meat Lasagna Recipe
Make Meat Lasagna Recipe in just 2h . Get the full recipe with step-by-step instructions at pekinthechef.com.
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Ingredients
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Meat sauce
Cheese filling
Assembly and topping
Method
Meat sauce
- 1
Prepare aromatics
Heat a large heavy skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 2 tbs olive oil. When shimmering, add the finely chopped onion, grated carrot and chopped celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are 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 to the pan. Break up with a spoon and brown until no pink remains, about 6–8 minutes. Drain excess fat if more than 2 tbs remains, leaving some for flavor.
- 3
Build the sauce
Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1–2 minutes to deepen flavor. Add the crushed tomatoes, beef/chicken stock, dried oregano, dried basil, sugar, salt, black pepper, bay leaf, and red pepper flakes (if using). Bring to a gentle simmer.
- 4
Simmer
Lower heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced and flavors meld, 25–30 minutes. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, or sugar as needed. Remove and discard the bay leaf. If the sauce is very thin, simmer a few minutes longer; if too thick, add up to 1/4 cup water or stock.
Cheese filling
- 5
Mix cheeses
While the sauce simmers, combine ricotta, 1 cup shredded mozzarella, 1/2 cup grated parmesan, 1 large egg, chopped parsley, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper and 1/8 tsp nutmeg (if using) in a medium bowl. Stir until smooth and homogenous. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.
Assembly and topping
- 6
Preheat and prep pan
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch (23x33 cm) baking dish with 1 tsp olive oil.
- 7
Assemble lasagna
Spread a thin layer (about 1 to 1 1/2 cups) of the meat sauce across the bottom of the prepared baking dish to prevent sticking. Arrange 4 lasagna noodles in a single layer over the sauce (if using no-boil noodles, they can overlap slightly). Spread one third of the ricotta-cheese mixture evenly over the noodles. Spoon about 1 to 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over the cheese layer, spreading gently. Sprinkle about 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella and 2 tbsp grated parmesan over the sauce. Repeat two more times: noodles, cheese layer, meat sauce, mozzarella/parmesan. Finish with a final layer of noodles (or skip noodles and finish with sauce if you have extra), remaining sauce spread evenly on top, and the remaining 2 cups shredded mozzarella and 1/2 cup grated parmesan sprinkled evenly.
- 8
- 9
Rest and serve
Remove lasagna from oven and let rest, uncovered, for 15–20 minutes to set (this helps with cleaner slices). Garnish with fresh basil leaves, slice into 8 to 10 portions and serve warm.