This Is The Only Lasagne Recipe You'll Ever Need (2024)

We took a couple of shortcuts for this recipe byusing shop-bought pasta sauceandboxed pasta sheets. It saves a ton of time without sacrificinganyflavour. We thinkit's absolutely perfect as-is, but also understand some people are looking to make sauce from scratch. Regardless of the route you go, make sure to follow these tips.

Use ourbest homemade spaghetti sauce—it'll never let you down.Regardless of the route you go, make sure to follow these tips—we've reworked this recipe to make it even better with more meat, more sauce, and more cheese!

Don't overcook your pasta sheets

Lasagne pasta sheets need structure—they have a lot of ingredients layered between them!—so they can't be too mushy. Make sure to cook them until they're very al dente; they're ready typically two minutes before the amount of time on the box.

Oil 'em up

While you're making your beef and ricotta mixtures, your lasagne pasta sheetswill typically be hanging out in a colander, getting stuck together (worst nightmare). To prevent this, after you drain the sheets from the pasta pot, slick them with olive oil and lay them flat on a baking tray to cool.

Get your favourite tomato pasta sauce

We decided to go with store-bought tomato pasta saucefor this recipe but it doesn't mean you should pick any old jar off the shelf. Even though there are tons of layers and flavours in lasagne, the sauce is the back bone of the dish. Spending a bit more on your favourite brand is worth it in this case.

Drain beef

Sometimes we're a little lazy and skip this step when making a meat sauce and we always regret it—the sauce tastes so greasy! Draining the fat from the pan is a must for your lasagne layers, which will already have a lot of fat from cheese.

Season your ricotta mixture

My Italian grandmother always added a secret ingredient to her lasagne: cinnamon. The ricotta mixture always gets overlooked and, therefore, tastes kinda bland. Make sure to season it generously with salt and pepper—Parmesan, too!

Don't bake for too long

Lasagne is one of those dishes that firms up a lot as it sets. Even though it might look like a cheesy, bubbly mess in the oven, if it's warmed all the way through it will be perfect once you let it sit for like 15 minutes. When you over bake the pasta you run the risk of the pasta drying out and getting too crispy.

What can Imake in advance?

The whole dang thing!The best part about lasagne is how beautifully it freezes. Assemble it fully (Ilike to wait to put the very last layer of cheese on until ready to bake) and then wrap up tightly in cling film and foil and freeze. It will keep up to 3 months in the freezer. When you are ready to bake, unwrap, top with cheese, cover back with foil and bake as directed. It may need some extra time in the oven! You can also thaw out in the fridge the night before you plan to bake.

If you don't want or have room to freeze you have a couple other options for prepping your lasagne ahead of time. You can fully assemble the lasagne and refrigerate for up to 2 days ahead of time. Pop it into the oven straight from the fridge!You can also make your sauce ahead of time, which will still save you a bit of time. Cook your ground beef and stir in tomato pasta sauce. Let this cool down and then store in the refrigeratorfor up to 4 days. You can use the sauce straight from the fridge when ready to assemble!

What about leftovers?!

To store leftovers cover with cling film or places slices in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. Any longer and you'll want to pop it in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, cover with aluminium foil and bake at 180ºC (160ºC fan)until hot and bubbly.