Mom's Easy Lasagna
Looking for an easy lasagna recipe that tastes like it simmered all day in an Italian kitchen? You will love this simple lasagna that is full of flavor and will be your new go to casserole for family dinners or company alike.
Servings 16 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet Italian Sausage optional
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup onion, minced
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 28 ounces fire roasted tomatoes
- 2 6 oz cans tomato paste
- 16 ounces tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 Tablespoons sugar (or honey)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons parsley
- 9 oz package Oven Read Lasagna Noodles
- 16 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 3-4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium-high brown meat in 1 tablespoon olive oil while breaking meat apart. Add minced onion and garlic and cook 2 additional minutes. Add cans of diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and water; stir. Add in seasoning an mix thoroughly. Allow sauce to simmer over low-medium heat.
- In a medium bowl mix together ricotta, 2 cups mozzarella, eggs, and 1/2 cup parmesan.
- In a 9x13 pan ladle in about 2 cups of sauce. Add oven ready lasagna noodles to cover meat sauce. Pasta should form a single layer (you can break the noodles if you like). Dollup cheese mixture on top of noodles and spread with a spoon. Repeat above twice so you have 3 layers finishing with a cheese layer. Now sprinkle the casserole with an additional 1-2 cups mozzarella.
- Top casserole with foil. Cook covered for 50 minutes. Remove foil and allow it to brown lightly for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to sit 10 minutes before serving. Cut into 16 pieces. Serve with garlic bread and side salad.
- **HINT: Instead of cooking the lasagna, you can put the covered casserole in the fridge for 1-3 days. When you are ready to eat, simply cook at 400 F for 60 minutes covered and an additional 15 minutes uncovered. Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge. I suggest reheating any leftovers covered at 350 for 35 minutes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1piece