A proper layered lasagna with a beef-and-pork sauce. It freezes assembled and unbaked, which makes it one of the best big-batch dishes to bank for later. Split it across two 8" pans to eat one and freeze one.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ lb ground pork (or Italian sausage)
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 24 oz marinara (or 28 oz can crushed tomatoes)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning, salt
- 15 oz ricotta
- 1 egg
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella
- 12 lasagna noodles (regular or no-boil)
Instructions
- Brown the beef and pork with the onion and garlic; drain. Stir in the marinara, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and salt, and simmer 10 minutes.
- Mix the ricotta, egg, and parmesan in a bowl.
- If using regular noodles, boil them 2 minutes short of the package time and drain.
- Layer in the dish: a thin coat of sauce, then noodles, ricotta mixture, sauce, and mozzarella. Repeat for three layers, finishing with sauce and a generous layer of mozzarella.
- Cover with foil and bake at 375°F for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake 20 minutes more until bubbly and browned. Rest 15 minutes before cutting.
Make-Ahead & Storage
Assemble fully and freeze unbaked up to 3 months. Bake from frozen at 375°F, covered, for ~75–90 minutes, then uncover to brown. Or bake, cool, and freeze portions for the toaster oven.
Notes
No-boil noodles simplify assembly and hold up well when frozen. A layer of sautéed spinach or mushrooms adds vegetables without changing the character.