Easy Lasagna Recipe with Ricotta

This easy lasagna recipe stacks tender noodles with a beef and Italian sausage meat sauce, a creamy ricotta and mozzarella filling, and a golden layer of melted cheese on top. It uses jarred marinara, one pot for the sauce and one 9×13 dish, and it comes out of the oven in neat, sliceable layers.

You get 12 generous squares from one pan, so it works for a family dinner tonight with leftovers for lunch, or for a crowd on the weekend. It also holds up well when you assemble it a day ahead or freeze it.

Why This Easy Lasagna Recipe Works

• Two meats, one sauce. Equal parts ground beef and Italian sausage give the sauce more flavor than beef alone, because the sausage brings its own fennel, garlic and seasoning.
• Jarred marinara, upgraded. A splash of chicken broth lifts the browned bits off the bottom of the pot, and small amounts of tomato paste, Worcestershire and hot sauce deepen a store-bought sauce without making it spicy.
• A ricotta layer that holds its shape. An egg and two cups of mozzarella are stirred into the ricotta, so the filling sets as it bakes and the slices stay tall instead of sliding apart.
• Covered first, uncovered last. Foil traps steam so the layers heat through, then the last 10 minutes uncovered melt and brown the cheese.
• A 15 minute rest. The sauce thickens as it cools slightly, which is what gives you clean squares.

Ingredient Notes

The full list with amounts is in the recipe card below. These are the ingredients worth a closer look before you shop.

• Lasagna noodles: regular dried noodles with ruffled edges, the kind you boil. You need 12, four per layer. Cook two or three extra, because one always tears.
• Ricotta cheese: one 15 ounce tub, which is about 2 cups. Whole milk ricotta is creamier and less grainy than part-skim. If there is liquid sitting on top, pour it off first.
• Mozzarella: 4 1/2 cups in total. Two cups go into the ricotta filling and 2 1/2 cups go on top. Low-moisture mozzarella shredded from a block melts more smoothly than pre-shredded bags, which are coated to stop clumping.
• Parmesan: freshly grated. It seasons the ricotta layer with a salty, nutty note.
• Ground beef and Italian sausage: 3/4 pound of each. Buy bulk sausage, or squeeze links out of their casings. Mild or hot both work.
• Marinara sauce: 40 ounces. That is one large jar and part of a second, or a jar and a half of the standard 24 ounce size. Pick one you would happily eat on pasta, since it is the base of the whole dish.
• Chicken broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire and hot sauce: small amounts that round out the jarred sauce. One teaspoon of hot sauce adds depth, not heat.

What You Need to Make This Easy Lasagna Recipe

Nothing special, but the right sizes make the job easier.

• A 9×13 inch baking dish. Choose a deep ceramic or glass one, since three layers fill it close to the rim.
• A large, heavy pot or Dutch oven for the meat sauce. It needs to hold 1 1/2 pounds of meat and 40 ounces of marinara with room to stir.
• A second large pot for boiling the noodles.
• A medium bowl for the ricotta filling.
• Foil and nonstick spray to cover the dish.
• Parchment or wax paper for laying out the cooked noodles.
• A rimmed baking sheet to slide under the dish and catch drips.

How to Make Lasagna with Ricotta, Step by Step

Here is the short version so you can see how the work flows. Exact amounts and times are in the recipe card.

1. Mix the ricotta filling. Stir the ricotta, egg, 2 cups of mozzarella, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper in a bowl. Set it aside.
2. Soften the onion. Cook the diced onion in olive oil over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until soft and translucent.
3. Brown the meat. Add the beef and sausage, turn the heat up to medium-high, and break the meat into small crumbles as it cooks, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic for the last minute, then drain the grease.
4. Build the meat sauce. Pour in the broth and scrape the pot clean. Add the marinara, tomato paste, hot sauce and Worcestershire. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer, partly covered, while you cook the noodles.
5. Boil the noodles. Cook them in salted water until al dente, drain, and rinse with cold water so they stop cooking and are easy to handle. Lay them flat on parchment so they do not stick together.
6. Layer. Sauce on the bottom of the dish, then three rounds of noodles, ricotta filling and meat sauce. Finish with the rest of the mozzarella.
7. Bake and rest. Bake at 375°F, covered for 35 minutes and uncovered for 10 minutes more. Let it stand 15 minutes before you cut it.

The Right Order to Layer Lasagna

Layering is where most homemade lasagna goes wrong, usually because the sauce runs out before the top. Measure the first two rounds and you will have plenty left for the last one. From the bottom of a 9×13 inch dish to the top:

Layer	What goes in	How much
Base	Meat sauce	About 1 heaping cup, spread thin
Round 1	Noodles, ricotta filling, meat sauce	4 noodles, 1/3 of the filling, about 1 1/2 cups sauce
Round 2	Noodles, ricotta filling, meat sauce	4 noodles, 1/3 of the filling, about 1 1/2 cups sauce
Round 3	Noodles, ricotta filling, meat sauce	4 noodles, the rest of the filling, all the remaining sauce
Top	Shredded mozzarella	2 1/2 cups

The thin base of sauce keeps the first noodles from sticking to the dish. Overlap the noodles slightly so there are no gaps, and spread the ricotta filling with the back of a spoon in short strokes so it does not drag the noodles around.

Regular or No-Boil Noodles?

This easy lasagna recipe is written and tested for regular noodles that you boil first. No-boil, or oven-ready, noodles soften by soaking up liquid from the sauce while they bake, so they need a wetter sauce and usually a longer time under the foil. Swapping them in without changing anything else can leave dry, firm patches. If oven-ready noodles are all you have, follow the liquid and timing directions on the box instead of the times given here.

Boiled noodles are easy to handle when you rinse them until cool and lay them out flat right away. A pile of hot noodles left in a colander sets into one solid block.

The Ricotta Filling: Why Lasagna with Ricotta Is Creamier

The cheese layer is what separates a creamy lasagna with ricotta from one that is only noodles and sauce. Ricotta on its own is mild and can bake up slightly grainy. Mozzarella gives it stretch, Parmesan adds salt, Italian seasoning adds flavor, and the egg holds everything together. Stir until no streaks of egg remain, but do not whip it. You want a thick mixture that spreads without running.

Dividing the filling evenly matters as much as measuring the sauce. Score the surface of the bowl into thirds with your spoon before you start, and use one third per layer. Drop spoonfuls across the noodles first and then join them up, which is easier than pushing one big mound from the center.

Tips for the Best Homemade Lasagna

• Crumble the meat small. Fine crumbles spread evenly and make the layers easier to cut than large chunks.
• Drain the grease. Sausage releases a lot of fat. Leaving it in the pot is the fastest way to a greasy, loose lasagna.
• Stop the noodles at al dente. They keep cooking in the oven, so they should still have a little bite when you drain them.
• Spray the foil. Coat one side with nonstick spray and put that side down. The cheese stays on the lasagna and not on the foil.
• Put a baking sheet under the dish. The pan is full, and a tray on the rack below catches any sauce that bubbles over.
• Do not skip the rest. Cut it straight from the oven and the layers will slump. Fifteen minutes makes the difference.

The meat in the sauce is fully cooked before the dish goes in the oven. If you like to check with a thermometer, ground beef and pork sausage are done at 160°F, the safe minimum internal temperature for ground meat.

How to Tell When Homemade Lasagna Is Done

Time is a guide, but ovens run differently. This meat lasagna is ready when the sauce bubbles steadily around the edges of the dish, the mozzarella is fully melted with golden brown spots, and a knife pushed into the center slides through the noodles with no resistance. On a thermometer, the middle should read at least 165°F.

Because the meat sauce and noodles are already cooked, the oven only has three jobs: heat the layers through, set the ricotta filling and brown the top. That is why homemade lasagna made this way needs 45 minutes in the oven and not well over an hour.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
Watery lasagna	Wet noodles, undrained ricotta, or it was cut too soon	Let rinsed noodles drip dry on parchment, pour off liquid from the ricotta, and rest the pan the full 15 minutes
Greasy layers	Fat from the beef and sausage left in the pot	Drain the meat well before adding the broth and marinara
Slices fall apart	No rest time, or the egg was left out of the filling	Keep the egg in the ricotta mixture and wait before cutting
Dry or tough edges	Noodles not covered by sauce, or baked uncovered too long	Spread sauce right to the edges and keep the foil on for the first 35 minutes
Cheese stuck to the foil	Foil touching the cheese without spray	Spray the foil and place it sprayed side down
Pale top	Not enough time uncovered	Leave it uncovered a few minutes longer, watching closely, until the cheese is golden in spots

Easy Swaps

Instead of	Use
Half beef, half sausage	1 1/2 pounds of all ground beef, or all Italian sausage
Mild Italian sausage	Hot Italian sausage for a spicier meat lasagna
Chicken broth	Beef broth
Italian seasoning	A mix of dried basil and oregano
Fresh parsley garnish	Fresh basil, torn

Keep the totals the same when you swap: 1 1/2 pounds of meat, 40 ounces of sauce and 12 noodles. That balance is what fills a 9×13 dish without overflowing.

Make Ahead, Storage and Freezing

• Make ahead: assemble the lasagna, cover it tightly and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. It goes into the oven cold, so it needs longer under the foil. Bake until the center is hot and the sauce bubbles at the edges, then uncover to brown the cheese.
• Refrigerate: cool leftovers, cover, and keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
• Freeze: wrap the whole pan or single squares in plastic wrap and then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
• Reheat: warm single slices in the microwave, or cover the dish with foil and reheat in a 350°F oven until hot in the middle, 165°F on a thermometer.

How to Cut and Serve Meat Lasagna

After the 15 minute rest, cut the pan into 12 squares: three rows along the length and four across. Use a sharp knife and wipe the blade between cuts for clean edges. The first piece is always the hardest to lift out, so slide a small spatula underneath and steady the top with a spoon. If dinner is running late, tent the dish loosely with foil to keep this homemade lasagna warm.

What to Serve With It

Lasagna is rich, so the best sides are simple: cheesy garlic bread to catch the extra sauce, a green salad with a sharp vinaigrette, a Caesar salad, or roasted broccoli or green beans.

If your family likes this one, try spaghetti and meatballs next, or another layered bake like this chicken enchilada casserole. For more dinners that start with a pound of ground meat, see classic meatloaf and easy beef chili, or browse all my pasta recipes and casserole recipes.

Want another Italian-style dinner with marinara and melted mozzarella? Try my easy chicken parmesan recipe, with a crispy panko crust.

Have Italian sausage left over? Use it in my creamy Italian sausage pasta, made in one skillet in about 40 minutes.

For dessert, bake my 5-ingredient easy blackberry cobbler while the lasagna rests.

Easy Lasagna Recipe FAQ

How many layers should lasagna have?

Three layers of noodles is the standard for a 9×13 inch pan. This recipe uses 12 noodles, four per layer, with ricotta filling and meat sauce on each one and mozzarella on top.

What is the correct order to layer lasagna?

Start with a thin layer of meat sauce in the dish. Then repeat noodles, ricotta filling and meat sauce three times, and finish with shredded mozzarella.

Do you put an egg in ricotta for lasagna?

Yes. One egg binds the ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan so the filling sets in the oven and the slices hold together when you serve them.

Do you bake lasagna covered or uncovered?

Both. Bake it covered with foil at 375°F for 35 minutes so it heats through without drying out, then uncovered for 10 minutes so the cheese melts and browns.

How long should lasagna rest before cutting?

Let it rest for 15 minutes. The sauce thickens and the cheese firms up, so each square comes out in clean layers.

Can I make lasagna ahead of time?

Yes. Assemble it up to 24 hours ahead, cover and refrigerate. A cold pan takes longer to heat through, so bake until the center is hot and bubbling before you uncover it.

Can you freeze lasagna?

Yes. Wrap it well and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight and reheat covered at 350°F until it reaches 165°F in the center.

Can I use cottage cheese instead of ricotta?

Cottage cheese is the most common stand-in. Drain it well and expect a slightly looser, tangier filling. This easy lasagna recipe was tested with ricotta, so use ricotta if you want the result shown in the photos.

Why is my homemade lasagna watery?

The usual causes are noodles that went in wet, liquid left in the ricotta tub, grease left in the meat sauce, or cutting too soon. Drain everything well and give the pan its full 15 minute rest.

What meat is best for meat lasagna?

A half and half mix of ground beef and Italian sausage. The beef gives the sauce body and the sausage brings seasoning, so the meat lasagna tastes like it simmered far longer than it did.

Can I double this easy lasagna recipe?

Yes. Build two 9×13 pans and not one deeper pan, so the layers heat evenly. Bake one tonight and freeze the other for later.