Go Back

Classic Homemade Lasagne Recipe

simplywanderfull
This classic homemade lasagne recipe is made with a whole lot of love. Simple meat sauce, good cheese and layers of noodles. This recipe is oozing with goodness.
5 from 10 votes
Course dinner
Cuisine Italian
Servings 8 servings

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 9x13 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!
Keyword bbq sauce, lasagne, meat sauce, pasta