This classic homemade lasagne recipe will bring a family together! It is my best-loved family recipe in our home and I have been trying to perfect it for years! It is a feast made with a whole lot of love.
A delightful simmered meat sauce with a blend of cheese between layers of noodles. This recipe is oozing with goodness! Classic lasagne is great for feeding a crowd and therefore, the perfect recipe to serve for a party or the holidays!
Love, Cooking, Family & Lasagne:
Why is there an emotional feeling between lasagne and family? Lasagne in my opinion is the ultimate comfort food recipe. Feelings that come to mind are a cosy meal, love for your family, and the ultimate Sunday dinner. There is nothing more warming than the smell of simmering sauce on the stove on a rainy Sunday afternoon. It definitely sends off good vibes to your soul and senses!
A good Lasagne brings the family together! My lasagne recipe has been requested at almost every family gathering for many years. My sister’s family lives in Toronto and whenever we get together it’s Lasagne! Forget the gifts and anything else, just bring the lasagne! I feel so flattered!
If you are just starting to cook, this lasagne recipe is a great recipe to teach yourself! You will be so pleased through the years to have that one awesome go-to recipe in your back pocket that blows everyone away! This recipe is that go-to for me!
Lasagne Recipe Ingredients:
There are two parts to this lasagne recipe. First the sauce, and then the assembly. I have altered the ingredients over the years, adding omitting, and changing the types of sauce and here are the ingredients that have become the staples!
The Ingredients:
Ground beef and pork, equal amounts
2 slices of bacon
A mirepoix of onion, carrot and celery
2-3 cloves garlic
Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder salt and pepper
Fresh basil
Red wine
Beef or chicken stock
Tomato paste
Marinelli’s Meat Ready Sauce, or Marinelli’s Tomato Basil Sauce (So good!)
Passata Sauce (homemade Tomato Sauce if you have it)
Worcestershire sauce
Franks Hot Sauce, dash
Sugar, dash
Salt & Pepper
Oven Ready Lasagne Noodles
Shredded Cheese, 4 Cheese Italian Blend
Balderson Aged 2 year-old White Cheddar
Parmesan Reggiano Cheese
To Make The Lasagne:
To make this lasagne you must begin by preparing all of your ingredients. I always chop, dice, mince and have everything ready before beginning the preparation. I like to make the sauce in my Le Creuset heavy pot. If you don’t already own one, I would highly recommend purchasing a nice heavy pot that can be used on top or inside the oven!
For the Sauce:
1. To begin, you must season your meat! This is a step not to be missed. I like to put the ground beef and pork into a bowl and season it with garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir with a fork and set aside.
2. I like to begin with 2 tbsp. olive oil into the pot. Add in the bacon and cook for approximately 3-4 minutes. Remove the bacon and discard. I like to do this to add a little bit of bacon fat with the olive oil. It adds more fat and flavour and makes a flavour starter. I remove the bacon and do not put it back in later.
3. Pour in the mirepoix, onions, carrots and celery. Stir and continue to cook until the mix looks golden. This will take another 5 minutes or so.
4. Add in your ground beef and pork blend. Tip: I like to use a potato masher to break up my meat while it is cooking. There is nothing worse than chunks of meat in a sauce. This makes the sauce delicate and blended nicely. Cook for approximately 5-7 minutes or until its no longer pink.
5. Now you will add in your aromatics such as garlic, fresh basil, and then the red wine. Cook off the alcohol for approximately 3-4 minutes. This is a good time to season your mixture with salt and pepper. Turn your heat to low-medium.
6. Time for the Liquids: Add in both jars of your tomato sauce, beef stock, tomato paste, sugar, and 1/2 cup water (I like to fill up the empty Marinelli sauce jar halfway with water to get the rest of that good tomato sauce flavour into the sauce). Stir everything together nicely.
7. For the final two ingredients, I like to add in Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce for a slight kick. Stir the sauce and then turn down the heat to a simmer. Keep the lid slightly on but not completely. Stir your sauce often and simmer for at least an hour.
At the end of the simmering time, I like to taste the sauce to see if it needs any adjustments i.e. salt, pepper, and sugar. You can make this recipe up to this step and then keep it in the refrigerator overnight.
The following day you will only need to assemble the lasagne and bake it. I find that the sauce even gets better flavour if you make it a day ahead.
8. The finished sauce should look like this. Smooth, balanced and ready to be assembled into the most delicious lasagne ever!
Assembling and Baking the Lasagne
Now that it is time to assemble your lasagne and bake it in the oven. I love to buy a 4-Cheese Italian blend of shredded cheese and then I also splurge a bit and buy a good aged white cheddar. I have found most successful with the Balderson 2-year aged white cheddar. It is sharp yet slightly smooth and perfect for melting. It is really nice. I also sprinkle the top layer with Parmigiano Reggiano grated cheese.
I also like to use Oven Ready Lasagne. I have found it to be most successful and quicker than boiling the noodles.
1. Preheat the oven to 375°
2. Start by adding a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 pan
3. Add a layer of oven-ready noodles. Then add another layer of sauce, the 4 cheese blend, and the aged white cheddar. Repeat this process 3x’s or three layers.
4. For the top layer, repeat the above steps and include a good handful of Parmesan. Cover the lasagne with tin foil. Place the lasagne on the middle rack and bake for 35 minutes.
5. After 35 minutes of baking, remove the tin foil and then continue baking for another 15 minutes. The lasagne is done. At this point, I like to broil the lasagne for approximately 3 minutes and watch it carefully. I like to brown the cheese slightly for an added depth of flavour. Oh my, it is good!
The last bit of love…
The lasagne is ready and everyone will be very happy. Now, what should we serve with the lasagne? I like to make a caesar salad using my recipe for Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing and a fresh baguette sliced and toasted with olive oil, garlic and salt. If you have a bunch coming for this lasagne dinner, you could also serve Jamie Oliver’s Perfectly Roasted Potatoes because they are just that…Perfect. You may also want to serve my recipe for air-fried broccoli. It is easy and super tasty even if they don’t like broccoli!
I would love to hear your feedback or send pictures of your food! If you have any questions, I would love to help out with your cooking questions!
“If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with him… The people who give you their food give you their heart.”
Cesar Chavez
I hope you enjoy this recipe and happy cooking!
Classic Homemade Lasagne Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Ground beef
- 1 lb. pork
- 2 slices of bacon
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot diced
- 1 celery stalk diced
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 tbsp. garlic powder
- 1 tbsp. onion powder
- salt and pepper
- Fresh basil chopped
- 1/2 cup Red wine
- 2 1/2 cups Beef or chicken stock
- 1 can Tomato paste
- 1 jar Marinelli’s Meat Ready Sauce or Marinelli’s Tomato Basil Sauce (So good!)
- 1 jar Passata Sauce
- 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1-2 tsp. Franks Hot Sauce
- 1 tbsp. Sugar
- Oven Ready Lasagne Noodles
- Shredded Cheese 4 Cheese Italian Blend
- Balderson Aged 2 year old White Cheddar
- Parmesan Reggiano Cheese
Instructions
- To begin, you must season your meat! This is a step not to be missed. I like to put the ground beef and pork into a bowl and season it with garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir with a fork and set aside.
- I like to begin with 2 tbsp. olive oil into the pot. Add in the bacon and cook for approximately 3-4 minutes. Remove the bacon and discard. I like to do this to add a little bit of bacon fat with the olive oil. It adds more fat and flavour and makes a flavour starter. I remove the bacon and do not put it back in later.
- Pour in the mirepoix, onions, carrots and celery. Stir and continue to cook until the mix looks golden. This will take another 5 minutes or so.
- Add in your ground beef and pork blend. Tip: I like to use a potato masher to break up my meat while it is cooking. There is nothing worse that chunks of meat in a sauce. This makes the sauce delicate and blended nicely. Cook for approximately 5-7 minutes or until its no longer pink.
- Now you will add in your aromatics such as garlic, fresh basil, and then the red wine. Cook off the alcohol for approximately 3-4 minutes. This is a good time to season your mixture with salt and pepper. Turn your heat to low-medium.
- Time for the Liquids: Add in both jars of your tomato sauce, beef stock, tomato paste, sugar, 1/2 cup water (I like to fill up the empty Marinelli sauce jar half way with water to get the rest of that good tomato sauce flavour into the sauce). Stir everything together nicely.
- For the final two ingredients, I like to add in Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce for a slight kick. Stir the sauce and then turn down the heat to a simmer. Keep the lid slightly on but not completely. Stir your sauce often and simmer for at least an hour. At the end of the simmering time I like to taste the sauce to see if it needs any adjustments i.e. salt, pepper, sugar. You can make this recipe up to this step and then keep in the refrigerator overnight. The following day you will only need to assemble the lasagne and bake. I find that the sauce even gets better flavour if you make it a day ahead.
- The finished sauce should look like this. Smooth, balance and ready to be assemble into the most delicious lasagne ever!
- Assembling and Baking the Lasagne
- Now that it is time to assemble your lasagne and bake in the oven. I love to buy a 4-Cheese Italian blend of shredded cheese and then I also splurge a bit and buy a good aged white cheddar. I have found most successful with the Balderson 2-year aged white cheddar. It is sharp and yet slightly smooth and perfect for melting. It is really nice. I also sprinkle the top layer with Parmigiano Reggiano grated cheese.
- I also like to use Oven Ready Lasagne. I have found it to be most successful and quicker than boiling the noodles.
- Preheat the oven to 375°
- Start by adding a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 pan
- Add a layer of the oven ready noodles. Then add another layer of sauce, the 4 cheese blend, and the aged white cheddar. Repeat this process 3x’s or three layers.
- For the top layer, repeat the steps above and then include a good handful of Parmesan. Cover the lasagne with tin foil. Place the lasagne on the middle rack and bake for 35 minutes.
- After 35 minutes baking, remove the tin foil and then continue baking for another 15 minutes. The lasagne is done. At this point I like to broil the lasagne for approximately 3 minutes and watching it carefully. I like to brown the cheese slightly for an added depth of flavour. Oh my it is good!
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