The Most Amazing Lasagna I've Ever Had

The Most Amazing Lasagna Recipe is the best recipe for homemade Italian-style lasagna. The balance between layers of cheese, noodles, and homemade bolognese sauce is perfection!

I’ve been on the quest for the perfect lasagna for years. I can tell you right now that this recipe is the ultimate lasagna recipe. It’s absolute perfection and possibly the world’s best lasagna! You won’t need another recipe ever again.

The best lasagna recipe ever starts out with a homemade bolognese sauce. Bolognese sauce is a meat based sauce that gets its name because it originates in Bologna, Italy. In this recipe I’ve used a combination of lean ground beef and Italian style ground sausage. You’ll want to be sure to use a lean ground beef (93/7) for best results so that the sauce doesn’t end up greasy.

The sauce builds flavor with minced onion and garlic. You’ll want to make sure to mince your onions (a very small dice) because you don’t want the sauce to end up being too chunky. We are going for the ideal texture here and the only chunks in the sauce should be from the meat.

You’ll Need:

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 large white onion minced
• 5 cloves garlic crushed
• 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 2 6 ounce can tomato paste
• 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley divided
• 1 pound lasagna noodles
• 30 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 pound deli sliced mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. In a large pot over medium heat, add in ground sausage and ground beef. Use a spoon to break up the meat into small pieces. Add in onion and garlic and cook until meat is well browned, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar, fresh basil, fennel, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup chopped parsley. Pour in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and chicken broth. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1-4 hours, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, place lasagna noodles into the bottom of a pan. Pour hot tap water directly over the noodles, making sure the pasta is completely immersed in the water. Let them soak for 30 minutes, then drain and discard water.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining 2 tablespoons parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and nutmeg. Refrigerate until ready to assemble lasagna.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a deep 9x13 pan.
5. To assemble, spread about 1 cup of meat sauce in the bottom of the prepared pan. Place 4 noodles on top. Spread with 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with 1/4 of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, then sprinkle with 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Repeat layering two more times to create three complete layers. To finish, place a final layer of pasta, topped with another 1 cup of meat sauce to cover the pasta. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover loosely with aluminum foil.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes to allow cheese to brown. Serve hot.

NOTES:

• TOMATO PASTE: You’ll notice that two cans of tomato paste are used in this recipe. Yes, that’s a ton of tomato paste! Tomato paste has a super concentrated tomato flavor. By adding in so much paste we’re able to up the saturation of the tomato flavor, without adding too much liquid into the sauce. It’s thinned out with just a bit of chicken broth.
• HERBS: The blend of herbs included in this bolognese is absolute perfection. I’ve used fresh parsley and fresh basil and combined it with dried oregano and the key to all the flavor: fennel seeds. You need the fennel seeds for that authentic flavor.
• SIMMER TIME: The sauce develops flavor as it simmers. It needs to be simmered for a minimum of 1 hour to give you the most amazing lasagna, but you can simmer it up to 4 hours for maximum flavor results. It’s worth every second and doesn’t require much effort at all. If you don’t want to leave it simmering on the stove, you can always transfer it all to a slow cooker and simmer it in there on high for 4 hours.

WHAT KIND OF CHEESE SHOULD I USE FOR LASAGNA?

1. There are three sources of cheese in this recipe. First you have the classic lasagna filling of ricotta cheese. Use whole milk ricotta cheese in this recipe for best results. This recipe isn’t about skimping! I’ve kept the ricotta filling quite simple and added just a touch of ground nutmeg for authentic flavor. The egg acts as a binding agent and gives the filling the ideal texture.
2. The second source of cheese is sliced mozzarella cheese. I had my mozzarella sliced at the deli counter in my grocery store. You want fairly thin slices. 24 slices is the ideal amount and it should equal somewhere around 1 pound.
3. Third, you’ll need freshly grated parmesan cheese. Don’t use shredded, you’ll want grated for best results. Also, don’t use that canned stuff. It doesn’t melt the same as real, freshly grated parmesan cheese.

• Lasagna Pasta Shortcut: I’ve given you the best hack ever for your lasagna noodles and included it as part of the recipe. No boil lasagna noodles work, but they often end up a bit of an odd texture and absorb too much liquid in the recipe. Instead, I use regular lasagna noodles and STILL don’t boil them. All you have to do is place them into a container and pour hot water over them. Let them soak for 30 minutes and they’ll be tender enough to use in the recipe. Don’t worry, they will finish cooking in the oven.