This Homemade Lasagna recipe is my ultimate go-to. I take a few easy ways out, but it is ALWAYS delicious, semi-homemade, and will transport you right back to childhood. It is a perfect weeknight dinner with only about 30 minutes of active cooking time required, another 30 in the oven, and 20 to cool after. This is also my go-to Christmas Eve Lasagna recipe, because it requires minimal effort, exceptional taste, and can even be made ahead of time to make dinner a cinch to pull off!
What you need to make Homemade Lasagna!
The one shortcut I take that makes this recipe SUPER QUICK is using a jar of premade marinara sauce. Get your hands on a nice quality brand, something with little to no preservatives in it. Victoria is my favorite sauce, you will need 2 of their regular jars for this recipe or one Costco size jar!
The second shortcut, use oven-ready lasagna noodles. They are key and the only way to make lasagna in my opinion, it is the way they do in in restaurants and will give you a better than restaurants taste!
Then, it is a simple as browning some Italian sausage and seasoning some ricotta cheese. Layer it all up in a pan, and dinner is ready for the oven!
Things to remember when making Homemade Lasagna
Depending on the pan you use you might have to snap a few pieces of the oven-ready lasagna noodles to cover all the way to the edges of the pan. In my photos I used an 8x8x3-inch pan, you could spread this out and make it in a 9x13-inch pan. I just like the drama of a tall lasagna, but that's just me.
Be sure to cover the noodles completely in sauce or cheese. They depend on the moisture to cook through and become soft during the cooking process.
This recipe can be assembled 3-4 days in advance and held in the fridge, well covered until you want to bake it. It can also be made in two smaller pans and frozen in you have a smaller family and don't want a lot of leftovers. Assemble, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and store in the freeze up to 6 months.
Quick and Easy Homemade Lasagna
I love this recipe. It is my go-to for weeknight dinners as well as Christmas Eve. It comes together in NO TIME and is the most heartwarming dinner around!
Ingredients
- 2 lb Italian Sausage
- 1, 40 oz jar Marinara Sauce
- 1, 1 lb pkg Oven-Ready Lasagna Noodles
- 2, 16 oz tubs Ricotta Cheese
- 2 tablespoons Italian Seasoning
- 2 teaspoons Oregano
- 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
- ½ cup Parmesan Cheese, + more for topping
- ½ cup Mozzarella Cheese, + more for topping
- Parsley, chopped for garnish
- Crust Bread, optional - for serving
- Butter, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375˚F.
- In a heavy-bottomed pan, heated over medium heat, brown the Italian sausage. When no pink remains in the pot, add the marinara and bring the mixture to a simmer. Remove the sauce from the heat.
- While the sausage is browning, combine the ricotta, Italian seasoning, oregano, salt, pepper, parmesan, and mozzarella in a bowl and stir to combine.
- Grease the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan or baking dish with pan spray. Begin with a layer of the sausage sauce, pasta, ricotta, pasta, sauce, and repeat until you have used all the ingredients. I usually try to get 2-3 layers of ricotta in, depending on how much I fill my layers.
- Top the last layer of pasta with sauce and more mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes in the preheated oven, just until the cheese melts and browns on top.
- Let the lasagna rest for 20 minutes before cutting. Top with more parmesan and parsley when serving, along with some buttered crusty bread.
- Enjoy!
Notes
This can be made in an 8x8x3-inch square metal baking pan, or a 9x13-in baking pan, depending on how tall a lasagna you like or the pan you have available. If you go the square pan route, it will be filled to the brim and need a pan underneath it during baking.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
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