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The Best Lasagna Recipe is here, ready to impress! With layers of slow-cooked Ragù Bolognese and creamy parmesan Besciamella, this dish stays true to its authentic Italian roots. One bite, and you’ll see why it’s destined to become your new weekend favorite. For the ultimate comfort food experience, serve it with a bowl of Sausage Gnocchi Soup since the creamy broth and savory sausage perfectly complement the rich layers of lasagna. Lasagna holds a special place among the world’s most beloved comfort foods, and this Best Lasagna is no exception.
Ultimate Guide To The Best Lasagna
When it comes to the Best Lasagna, this recipe holds a special place in my heart—and for good reason. Inspired by my mom’s unbeatable best lasagna, perfected over years with tips from her Italian friends in New York City, it delivers authentic flavors that will keep you coming back for seconds (and thirds).
What truly sets this lasagna apart is the sauce. Slow-cooked Ragù Bolognese, packed with rich flavors, brings it all together—a secret shared with our Spaghetti Bolognese. Layered with creamy parmesan Besciamella, tender pasta, and melted cheese, this lasagna is not just a dish—it’s a heartfelt labor of love that promises joy in every bite.
The Best Lasagna: Key Ingredients
The secret to the Best Lasagna lies in the ingredients. Slow-cooked Ragù Bolognese delivers deep, rich flavor, parmesan Besciamella adds creamy indulgence, and layers of tender pasta hold it all together. Simple staples, incredible results every time!
- Ground Meat (Beef and Pork): Using a mix of ground beef and pork adds depth and richness to the best lasagna. Beef provides robust flavor, while pork adds sweetness and juiciness, creating a balanced and flavorful meat sauce. If you don’t eat pork, you can just use beef. For best results, use high-quality, grass-fed beef and free-range pork for tender, flavorful meat. This combination is the foundation of any ragù, similar to my Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce.
- Mozzarella: For gooey, melty cheesy goodness, use high-quality mozzarella, either shredded or sliced. Fresh mozzarella is a must. Consider buffalo mozzarella for its beautiful melt and creamy texture. Whole-milk mozzarella is richer and more flavorful than part-skim varieties.
- Tomatoes (for Passata): Choose ripe, vine-ripened tomatoes or high-quality canned tomatoes with no preservatives for your passata. They provide natural sweetness and acidity, balancing the meat and cheese’s richness. Opt for San Marzano tomatoes for superior taste and texture.
*Note: Please see Recipe Card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Additions And Substitutions
When it comes to crafting the Best Lasagna Ever, versatility is key. Whether you’re looking to elevate the flavors or adapt to what’s in your pantry, small tweaks can make a big difference. These substitutions and additions ensure every layer is tailored to your taste and truly unforgettable!
- Vegan and Lactose Intolerant Options: For those who are lactose intolerant or vegan, you can substitute traditional butter with vegan butter, which offers a similar creamy texture and flavor. Additionally, use lactose-free cheese or vegan cheese alternatives to maintain the cheesy goodness without compromising on taste.
How to Make The Best Lasagna: Step-By-Step
Making Mama’s Best Lasagna is easier than you think, with rich layers of slow-cooked Ragù Bolognese, creamy parmesan Besciamella, and perfectly cooked pasta. Follow these simple steps to create a comforting dish that’s as rewarding to make as it is to eat. Let’s dive into the layering!
- Sauté Vegetables: Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat, add onion and carrots, and cook until softened. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add beef and pork, cooking until browned.
- Simmer Sauce: Pour in Passata, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, crushed bouillon, and dried herbs. Mix well, season with salt, pepper, and sugar if needed. Cover and cook, occasionally mixing, until the sauce thickens and the meat is tender.
- Melt Butter and Add Flour: In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Remove from the hot plate; add flour and whisk for about 30 seconds, or until well blended.
- Whisk in Milk: Return the pot to the stove, reduce heat to low, and slowly whisk in milk until well combined, adding milk in increments until the sauce is creamy and free from lumps.
- Thicken Sauce and Add Cheese: Increase heat to medium and continue cooking the sauce while stirring occasionally until it thickens and coats the back of your wooden spoon. Add parmesan cheese, season with salt and pepper, and mix until the cheese melts through. Remove from heat.
- Assemble Lasagna: Preheat oven to 350°F | 180°C. Spoon meat sauce on the base of a baking dish, then cover with lasagna sheets (trim if needed). Layer with meat sauce, white sauce, and half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers, leaving the remaining cheese for the top.
- Top and Bake: Pour the remaining meat sauce and white sauce over the last layer of lasagna sheets and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and bubbling.
- Garnish and Serve: Garnish with parsley and let stand for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Once you’ve nailed Mama’s Best Lasagna, it’s time to shake things up and get creative. If you thought I’d leave you to dream up variations all on your own—think again!
While I definitely encourage you to experiment, here are a few twists to inspire your culinary creativity: try a hearty Beef and Pumpkin Lasagna or a delightful Chicken Pumpkin and Ricotta Lasagna. Feeling adventurous? Dive into an Easy Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup, Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats, or even Easy Lasagna Stuffed Burritos.
Recipe FAQ’s
Once you’ve layered your lasagna, make sure your final layers finish in this order: pasta, meat sauce, white sauce, and mozzarella cheese. This sequence results in a golden, crunchy, and cheesy top with a layer of juicy meat sauce underneath
We prefer fresh lasagna pasta sheets, which you can find in the refrigerator section of most grocery stores. But if you can’t get your hands on fresh sheets, no worries—dried ones work just as well!
You can store lasagna in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days. Make sure to cover it tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, or store it in an airtight container to maintain freshness. If you need to store it for a longer period, you can freeze lasagna for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and then bake it in the oven until it’s heated throug
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Mama’s Best Lasagna
Ingredients
Meat Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 carrot finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic cloves minced
- 24 ounces ground beef mince
- 10 ounces ground pork mince or beef
- 24 ounces Passata
- 14 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 3 tomato paste heaped tablespoons. I use garlic and herb flavoured.
- 2 beef bouillon cubes or vegetable, crushed
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar if desired
- 1/4 teaspoon salt season to your tastes
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper season to your tastes
White Sauce (Béchamel):
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup flour all purpose or plain
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 1 cup shredded parmesan fresh
Lasagna:
- 13 ounces fresh lasagna sheets
- 17 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese shredded
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley finely chopped
Instructions
Meat Sauce:
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat, then add in the onion and carrots and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until softened. Add in the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Add beef and pork (if using) and cook while breaking it up with the end of your spoon, until browned.
- Pour in the Passata, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, crushed bouillon and dried herbs. Mix well to combine and bring to a gentle simmer. Season with desired amount of salt and pepper (I use about 3/4 teaspoon each) and sugar if needed. Cover and cook for about 20-30 minutes, occasionally mixing, until the sauce has thickened slightly and meat is tender.
- Adjust salt, pepper and dried herbs to your taste.
Parmesan White Sauce:
- In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Remove from hot plate; add the flour and whisk for about 30 seconds, or until well blended.
- Place pot back onto stove, reduce heat down to low and slowly whisk in 1 cup of the milk until well combined. Once well blended, add the remaining milk in 1 cup increments, mixing well after each addition, until all the milk is used and sauce is free from lumps. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more milk until it turns into a nice and creamy consistency.
- Increase heat to medium and continue cooking sauce while stirring occasionally until it thickens (about 6-7 minutes) and coats the back of your wooden spoon.
- Add in the parmesan cheese and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper and mix until the cheese is melted through.
To Assemble:
- Preheat oven to 350°F | 180°C.
- Spoon about 1 cup of meat sauce on the base of a 9×13-inch baking dish, then cover with lasagna sheets. (Trim sheets to fit over the meat if needed.) Layer with 2 cups of meat sauce (or enough to cover pasta), 1 cup of white sauce and half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers (leaving the remaining cheese for the top).
- Pour the remaining meat sauce and white sauce over the last layer of lasagna sheets and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and bubbling.
- Garnish with parsley and let stand for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.ENJOY!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
If you find this recipe in a book in the future, I stole it and I am so happy I did. It’s worth going to prison for. The only thing I changed was omitting the carrot. Didn’t have one, didn’t need one. Everything else was as directed. You are correct saying the sauce is the most important part. I thought I would need more seasoning. Nope!!! I have never been excited about a recipe in my life and have never written a review before, but this is a 10 star recipe. If anyone comes across this recipe and doesn’t make it. I’m not trying to be mean but they don’t deserve it then. Ok they do deserve it to taste and love but not to recreate for themselves. lol. I’m extra I know.
Awesome recipe, top shelf! It just needs some mushys and 1/2 tablespoon of vegemite to top it off.
LOVE this recipe! It has become my go-to. My question is: Have you ever made up both the sauces ahead of time and then assembled a couple of days later? I know the fully assembled lasagna should not sit in the fridge for longer than 24 hours. However, we have company coming on a Monday…but the day before is Easter, so there’s no way I’ll be doing a big cooking project that day. Can I make up the meat sauce and the bechamel on Saturday and then assemble everything on Monday morning to bake that night? Or will the sauces thicken a lot when cooled for that long? I suppose I could just thin out with water and milk respectively if I need to when assembling? Trying to prep for a good meal while not killing myself amidst airport runs and enjoying time with old friends. Thanks!
Best lasagna I’ve ever had! I found a blog on how to make Passata using 1 part tomato paste mixed with 2 parts water. So much better than a jarred sauce in place of the passata. And really easy. The bechamel is what really made the biggest difference. I’ll never make another lasagna recipe again. Absolutely amazing recipe!
Haven’t made lasagne in a very long time and the wait was worth it! Standard Measurements here in UK slightly different but not by much. This was delicious and so much easier than I thought it would be. Thanks for the recipe!
We are hosting a Valentine’s Day Dinner at our home and wanted an Romanic Italian Dinner. I made this Lasagna today and wrapped it in freezer paper to freeze for 5 days (will put in refrigerator on Thursday to thaw). The meat sauce is the BEST I have ever tasted and I did use Italian Mild Sausage. I stumped my toe on the Oregano and Basil by adding about 1 1/2 times what it called for. Also in the freezer are the Spinach Manicotti’s. I cooked more Italian Sausage to add to my Red Sauce that I will pour over the Manicotti when cooking them. We will add some sautéed Asparagus with Parmesan Cheese, Salad and Garlic Bread and VOILA…….Dinner will be served! Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
**For those that had trouble with the white sauce, I burnt the bottom in my first pan so then I quickly remade in a large skillet whisking it continuously and it turned out perfect. ( And I make White Gravy for Breakfast about 3-4 times a month)
Excellent lasagna recipe. Except for the bechamel. No mention is made of the temp of the milk, which should be hot when adding. Never add cold milk. It will also take about 20-25 minutes to thicken.
I have made lasagna for my family my entire life. I decided to try this recipe for a change. I will never ever go back to my old way. This lasagna was the tastiest, the best I’ve ever had. Thankyou so much for sharing your recipes.! I have tried a few others (bbq chicken tacos and your mushroom/ shrimp pasta). All amazing!!!
I loved this recipe! I’ve never made a white sauce, it was delicious. I didn’t realize I was out of mozzarella, I ended up using gruyere, pecorino, and Parmesan. It was a bit richer but good. I altered the recipe a bit vi added black olives, mushrooms and marinated artichoke hearts. My family loved it! Thank you so much for this recipe. We will definitely have it again!
This is hands down the BEST lasagna I’ve EVER had. My husband doesn’t even like red sauce dishes & he loved this.
I got a pasta machine for Christmas so I couldn’t resist the urge to make fresh lasagna sheets for this & it was divine. I added fresh basil to the meat sauce instead of dried & also added extra Parmesan to the Béchamel (because cheese, duh) & it was just splendid. There was a little Béchamel leftover that we used as a cheesy cream sauce alongside a small dish of olive oil, garlic, & balsamic vinegar to dip baguette bread in which it was a family hit & so complimentary to the dish.
Including making, rolling, & cutting the fresh pasta, it took me about 2 hours to do this whole recipe but I love to cook & even if I didn’t, I think it still would’ve been worth every second of labor & love.
It. Was. So. Good. Y’all.
Thank you for posting this recipe! I don’t think I’ll ever make lasagna any other way from now on.