Lasagna is an Italian favorite that we’ve all come to know and love. It’s a classic comfort food that’s layered with tender lasagna noodles, meaty sauce, and creamy cheese filling with extra melted cheese on top, and a perfect, crispy crackly crust. Lasagna is perfect for entertaining a crowd or as a dinner for the holiday! This can be made in advance and freezes well.
I LOVE LASAGNA. It’s a perfect dish for entertaining. Every time I go to a party of some sort, I always looked for lasagna or any other baked pasta dish. I used 3 different types of meat for the meat sauce. Ground pork, veal, and beef were a perfect choice! You’ll commonly find it named meatloaf mix. I felt it gave more flavor than just ground beef. I’ve been working on a lasagna recipe for a few months now—writing down different recipes and trying to find the opportunity to test them. New Year’s Eve was a perfect time! After writing about 20 different meat lasagna recipes, I’d say this is the best lasagna recipe out there (tooting my own horn) since it gives the most flavor and texture. The secret: red wine!
How to make Ultimate Meat Lasagna
While this does take a while to prepare, the result is so worth it. Make the lasagna a day in advance and bake it off the next day. (Full ingredient amounts and complete instructions are available in the recipe card down below).
- Lasagna Noodles: You can use no-boil noodles!
- Meatloaf Mix: The mix consists of ground pork, ground veal, and ground beef. It’ll come in either 1 pound or 1 1/2 pounds. You can use all ground beef if you really want.
- Ricotta Cheese & Mozzarella
- Crushed Tomatoes, Tomato Sauce, & Tomato Paste: This is used to make the meat sauce. If you wanted to skip making the sauce from scratch, you can use jarred sauce and add the cooked meat to it instead.
- Onions & Garlic: Used in the meat.
- Red Wine: The secret success to my lasagna! I used cabernet sauvignon, but any dry red wine will work.
- Fresh Parsley & Basil, Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Instructions will be available in the recipe card below. I can’t make it short and sweet!
Tips & FAQs
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Storage: Store in an airtight container or in the baking pan in the fridge for 3 days.
- Make Ahead: This can be assembled up to 2 days in advance. You can also freeze it before or after baking!
- Freeze: Store lasagna (either uncooked or cooked) in the freezer for up to 3 months, covered in foil. I would recommend using a disposable 9×13 aluminum pan for assembling the lasagna in if you are planning to freeze it.
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Reheat:
- From Frozen: To reheat frozen uncooked lasagna, allow it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then bake according to recipe instructions. To reheat frozen cooked lasagna, allow it to thaw in the refrigerator. Cover with aluminum foil and place in the oven at 350F for 30 minutes, or until heated through. You can also reheat in the air fryer, uncovered, at 350F for 5-10 minutes, or in the microwave for a few minutes.
- From Fridge: Cover with aluminum foil and place in the oven at 350F for 30 minutes, or until heated through. You can also reheat in the air fryer, uncovered, at 350F for 5-10 minutes, or in the microwave for a few minutes.
- Can I use no-boil noodles instead of cooking lasagna noodles? Yes! Skip the steps of boiling the noodles and shocking them in cold water. Make the sauce and ricotta mixture as instructed. Assemble the lasagna as instructed.
Want the recipe? Click print below! Let me know how it came out for you by tagging me on Instagram (@missravenskitchen) and using #missravenskitchen! Follow my Facebook page for updates as well! Let me know if I need to tweak anything.
Meat Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb meatloaf mix (1/3 ground beef, 1/3 ground pork, 1/3 ground veal)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 6 oz can tomato paste
- 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 24 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- 1 lb lasagna noodles, cooked, or no-boil noodles
- 16 oz fresh mozzarella, shredded, or more
- 1 1/2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large saucepot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown the ground meat until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Drain the meat and return to the pot.
- Stir in the onions and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes until the onions are slightly translucent. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Pour in the wine and allow to reduce for about 4 minutes. Stir often.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, basil & parsley. Stir to incorporate. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 35-40 minutes.
- If using jarred sauce instead of making the fresh sauce: Follow steps 1 & 2, then add in your preferred jarred sauce. Stir to incorporate the meat with the sauce. Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Combine all ingredients together. Set aside.
- Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions 1 minute before al dente. It’ll continue cooking when baking.
- Drain, then submerge the lasagna noodles in cold water to stop them from cooking and to keep them from sticking together.
- Assemble as follows: evenly spread 1 cup of the meat sauce in a 9×13 baking pan, place 3 lasagna noodles evenly apart over the meat sauce, spread half of the ricotta cheese mixture evenly over the noodles, ladle some meat sauce on top, sprinkle 1/3 of the mozzarella, then repeat with the remaining ingredients, ending with sauce and the remaining mozzarella & the parmesan on top.
- If using no-boil noodles: Skip cooking the noodles & submerging them in cold water entirely and assemble the lasagna as instructed.
- Place the lasagna pan on top of a baking sheet, to avoid anything from boiling over into your oven (trust me, this is important!).
- Place a greased piece of aluminum foil on top of the lasagna to prevent the cheese from sticking.
- Bake the lasagna, covered, for 1 hour. Uncover the lasagna, then bake for another 30 minutes until the mozzarella is bubbly and golden brown.
- Optionally, turn the broiler on high and broil for 3-4 minutes to get a crispy and brown cheesy crust. Keep a close eye on the broiler since things can burn quickly if ignored.
- Remove from the oven and allow the lasagna to sit for about 20 minutes before slicing. This is key—if you slice into it too soon, the lasagna will fall apart and you won’t get that picture-perfect slice.
- If you have remaining sauce, top with extra sauce and parmesan if desired.
Notes
Storage: Store in an airtight container or in the baking pan in the fridge for 3 days.
- Make Ahead: This can be assembled up to 2 days in advance. You can also freeze it before or after baking!
- Freeze: Store lasagna (either uncooked or cooked) in the freezer for up to 3 months, covered in foil. I would recommend using a disposable 9×13 aluminum pan for assembling the lasagna in if you are planning to freeze it.
- Reheat:
- From Frozen: To reheat frozen uncooked lasagna, allow it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then bake according to recipe instructions. To reheat frozen cooked lasagna, allow it to thaw in the refrigerator. Cover with aluminum foil and place in the oven at 350F for 30 minutes, or until heated through. You can also reheat in the air fryer, uncovered, at 350F for 5-10 minutes, or in the microwave for a few minutes.
- From Fridge: Cover with aluminum foil and place in the oven at 350F for 30 minutes, or until heated through. You can also reheat in the air fryer, uncovered, at 350F for 5-10 minutes, or in the microwave for a few minutes.
Can I use no-boil noodles instead of cooking lasagna noodles? Yes! Skip the steps of boiling the noodles and shocking them in cold water. Make the sauce and ricotta mixture as instructed. Assemble the lasagna as instructed.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
534.37Fat (grams)
27.61Sat. Fat (grams)
13.47Carbs (grams)
37.78Fiber (grams)
2.73Net carbs
35.06Sugar (grams)
4.87Protein (grams)
35.02Sodium (milligrams)
627.38Cholesterol (grams)
115.19The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and the brands of ingredients used.
