Classic Homemade Lasagna Recipe - Simply Scratch (2024)

This Classic Homemade Lasagna Recipe is delicious and cheesy. Layers of homemade sauce, with ricotta, mozzarella cheese and noodles baked until perfection.

I lovea classic homemade lasagna recipe and this is hands down the best lasagna my lips have ever had the pleasure to come across.

The sauce is made with San Marzano plum tomatoes, Italian sausage and just the right amount of herbs. I usually make it once a year when Pat’s on one of his hunting trips because he’s not the biggest fan of ricotta (I know right?). So when he’s gone hunting is when I get to cook all the things us girls like. And every time I make this recipe I think to myself: “I need to make this more often!”

It’s that good.

The girls and I even had the leftovers the next night for dinner and they’re always good if not better then the night before. I swear something magical happens to Italian dishes in the fridge overnight.

To Make This Classic Homemade Lasagna Recipe You will Need:

• olive oil
• yellow onion
• garlic
• ground sirloin
• bulk (hot) Italian sausage
• kosher salt
• basil (dried)
• oregano (dried)
• parsley flakes (dried)
• whole San Marzano tomatoes
• tomato paste
• water
• whole milk ricotta
• eggs
• freshly ground black pepper
• parsley
• parmesan cheese
• mozzarella cheese
• flat “no boil” lasagna noodles

MAKE THE SAUCE:

Start by chopping up 1 large yellow onion. Heat a large Dutch oven on medium to medium-low heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add the onion.

While sautéing the onions, smash, peel and mince up the 2 cloves of garlic and add that in with the softening onions.

Once the onions are softened, add 1 pound of both ground (hot) Italian sausage and ground sirloin. Use a wooden spatula to break up the meat, stirring and cooking it over medium heat until no longer pink.

Continue to cook the meat thoroughly until there is no trace of pink left; do not drain off the fat!

Measure and add in 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and 1 tablespoon of each dried basil, parsley flakes and oregano.

To the cooked meat mixture, add 12 ounces tomato paste.

Next you’ll need 1 large (28 ounce) can of whole San Marzano tomatoes. These are like the Cadillac of tomatoes and they make for an excellent, less acidic sauce.

Ps. It doesn’t matter if the can that say ‘with basil’, it really doesn’t matter as long as they’re whole San Marzanos.

Now let’s make a hand-crushed sauce! Simply pluck out a tomato, hold it in your hand like so.

Squeeze the life out of it. Do this over the pot because they contain some juice and so the pot can catch the juices that squirt out. Add the crushed tomatoes and (of course any juices) into the pot.

And so now you can tell everyone that you make a hand-crushed tomato sauce.

Next, pour any remaining sauce out of the can and then add 1/4 cup of water back into the can, swirl to loosen any sauce that’s still clinging to the sides and pour that in to the pot as well.

Stir until the ingredients are all combined. Smells heavenly.

Reduce the heat to low, put a lid on it and let it simmer for 45 minutes, I stirred it only occasionally.

While that’s simmering away on the stove-top grate 16 ounces of mozzarella cheese. Reserve 1/2 cup for the ricotta and pop the rest into the fridge.

Make the ricotta:

Start with 3 cups of whole milk ricotta. I like to use whole milk ricotta because it’s rich and more authentic. But if you want to use… the other kind (aka cottage cheese) then go on right ahead. I won’t judge.

To that crack and add 2 eggs and 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper.

Toss in 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley. I’m using fresh in the filling so the green specks stand out against all the red and white.

Lastly add in 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan and the reserved 1/2 cup of mozzarella.

Use a spatula to stir until everything is thoroughly incorporated.

Depending on how much time you have left on the sauce, you might want to put it in the fridge too.

BUILD THE LASAGNA:

Once the sauce has finished simmering, I like to set up a lasagna making station. Keeps me organized and I like need that.

First let’s talk about no-boil noodles.

These noodle sheets are my go-to for pretty much all my lasagna recipes! Who wants to boil noodles only to have them tear and who wants to dirty one more pot? Not this girl. I’m a huge fan because these noodles don’t need to be boiled! Just simply layer in your lasagna as is. These sheets not only fit perfectly but they also shave off a lot of time in lasagna making so I highly recommend using them.

Let’s build this classic homemade lasagna, shall we?

Preheat your oven to 375° and lightly spray your lasagna pan with nonstick spray.

First layer:

• a scant cup of sauce
• 4 noodles
• 1/3 of the ricotta mixture
• 1-1/2 cups of sauce.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup of grated mozzarella over top.

Second Layer:

• 4 noodles
• 1/3 of the ricotta mixture
• 1 cup of sauce
• sprinkle a 1/2 cup of mozzarella.

Third Layer:

• 4 noodles
• last 1/3 of the ricotta mixture

Spread 1 cup of sauce over top.

FINAL LAYER:

• 4 noodles layer
• remaining sauce
• last of the mozzarella

Bake in a preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes rotating the pan half way through.

Multiple layers of deliciousness are going on in this classic homemade lasagna!

Yes I did eat this whole giant piece and the salad. Hey I’m a hunters widow and it’s how I cope.

Enjoy! And if you give this classic homemade lasagna recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!