Classic Lasagna

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Learn how to make a lasagna that rivals the best Italian restaurants, with layers of savory meat sauce, creamy ricotta, and gooey mozzarella. This easy-to-make dish is the perfect balance of comfort and sophistication, sure to become a family tradition.

• Onion, Garlic, Carrots, and Celery: These vegetables form the aromatic base of the sauce.
• Italian Sausage: Adds richness and loads of flavor to the sauce. If you’d like to use ground beef instead, add extra garlic and spices to match the flavor.
• Red Wine: Ådds acidity and complexity to the sauce.
• Canned Crushed Tomatoes: Provides body, acidity, and tomato flavor to the sauce.
• Heavy Cream: Added to the tomato sauce to balance the acidity of the tomatoes and wine.
• Ricotta Cheese: Mixed with egg, cream cheese, and Parmigiano-Reggiano, used as a creamy layer in the lasagna.
• Cream Cheese: Adds extra creaminess and tang to the ricotta mixture, and prevents the ricotta from becoming grainy when baked.
• Egg: Acts as a binder in the ricotta mixture, helping it to set when the lasagna is baked.
• Parmigiano-Reggiano: Mixed into the ricotta for depth of flavor and sprinkled on top for a golden, cheesy finish. Skip the green can and use the real deal—it makes all the difference!
• Oven-Ready (No Boil) Lasagna Noodles: These noodles do not require pre-boiling; they absorb moisture from the sauce and cheese during baking. I like the Barilla brand.
• Mozzarella Cheese: Adds stretchy, melty texture to the layers. Pre-shredded cheese is fine; use the whole-milk variety for best results.
• Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements

Step-By-Step Instructions

Make the Sauce: Place the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery in a food processor. You need to give them a rough chop first, otherwise, they won’t chop evenly. Pulse until minced but not puréed, so that they melt into the sauce. (Alternatively, you can chop by hand.)

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat, and add the sausage. Cook, breaking the sausage into small pieces, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and add the minced vegetables. Cook until the vegetables are very soft, 6 to 8 minutes.

Add the wine and continue cooking, stirring to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, until the wine is mostly absorbed by the vegetables, a few minutes.

Add the tomatoes, cream, salt, pepper, sugar, thyme and bay leaves.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce is thickened, about 20 minutes. Add the sausage back to the pot and continue simmering until the sausage is fully cooked and the flavors all meld together, about 10 minutes.

Make the filling: Combine the ricotta, cream cheese, egg, garlic, Parmesan, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Process until evenly combined, then add the basil and pulse until finely chopped.

Assemble: Spread about 1½ cups of sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange 3 noodles over the sauce, then spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the noodles, and sprinkle with ¾ cup mozzarella cheese.

Repeat the layers of sauce, noodles, ricotta filling, and mozzarella twice more. Top with the last 3 noodles, the remaining sauce, mozzarella, and ¼ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Bake until bubbling and golden, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let stand for 15 minutes before serving. Lasagna can be assembled and refrigerated up to 1 day ahead of time or frozen for longer storage.

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