With a homemade meat sauce, a cottage cheese layer with sautéed spinach and copious amounts of cheese (4 varieties), this homemade lasagna recipe is straight up comforting. You’re gonna love it!
Hi friends!
I can’t tell you enough how excited I am to be sharing this homemade lasagna recipe with you all. Beyond excited, I tells ya!
If you are looking for a quick lasagna recipe, then this is not it. Nope. Turn away now.
Just like my vegetable lasagna, this meat lasagna recipe takes time. It’s a labour of love.
But, you know what? It’s totally worth it!
There’s no bottled meat sauce here. No shortcuts. Every component in this homemade lasagna recipe plays a part and is jam-packed with flavour.
You know what happens when you make this recipe for someone?
It’s like you’re saying, “Here, enjoy this. I made it with love because I love you.” Yep. It’s like a little bit of love in every single bite. What are ya waiting for? Let’s make it, shall we?
Ingredients for a Homemade Lasagna Recipe
- Meat Sauce: Which includes yummy ingredients, like finely chopped celery, carrot, onion, mushrooms (for extra beefiness), plenty of fresh garlic, ground beef, ground pork, Italian sausage (meat removed from casings), San Marzano canned tomatoes, tomato paste, as well as fresh and dried herbs.
- Cottage Cheese Layer: Which includes cottage cheese (of course), sautéed spinach with nutmeg, Parmesan, shredded mozzarella, salt, pepper and egg.
- Lasagna Noodles: I used fresh, but use whatever you prefer.
- Fresh Mozzarella: For the very top of the lasagna. Ooey gooey deliciousness right there!
When you look at the ingredient list for this lasagna recipe, you may be thinking it’s a lot. However, though it take a little time to make, it’s pretty easy.
How To Make Lasagna
Full details on how to make this homemade lasagna recipe are in recipe card below, but here are the basics:
Make the homemade lasagna sauce
If you have a food processor, I highly recommend using it here to break down those veggies. Otherwise, get going with your knife skills and chop the vegetables finely.
- Heat some olive oil in a large pot and add the carrot, celery and onion (these veggies provide a lovely aromatic base to the sauce). Cook for a little until softened.
- Add finely chopped mushrooms and garlic and cook a little. Then season with some salt and pepper.
- Add ground meat, ground pork, sausage and seasonings and cook.
- Add tomato paste.
- Stir in and cook tomato paste for a little.
- Finally, stir in tomatoes, basil and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer so it’s gently bubbling/cooking. Cook for 50 to 60 minutes until the sauce reduces/thickens and the flavour really intensifies. When the lasagna meat sauce has reduced, you’ll be left with about 7 to 8 cups of sauce.
Tip: Rinse out your empty can of tomatoes with a little water to get every last drop of goodness and pour that into the sauce (about ½ cup in total).
Tip: Amp up that flavour! For an extra punch of flavour and beefiness, add star anise when you add the bay leaves. Star anise is a spice that kinda looks like a star and is quite popular in Chinese cooking.
Star anise is a main flavour booster in pho, or Vietnamese soup. Many years ago, hubby and I were watching British chef Heston Blumenthal on one of his cooking shows. He was making bolognese and used star anise because it boosts the “meaty” flavour.
You can typically find star anise in the bulk food section of your grocery store where other spices are found.
Wrap it in some food grade cheesecloth so you can easily remove when the sauce is done
If you don’t have star anise, can’t access or couldn’t be bothered, no worries. I’ve made this lasagna with and without it and it’s delicious either way!
I opted to stir in some balsamic vinegar when the sauce was finished, but that’s totally optional. I happen to really love the flavour it adds. You do what makes you happy!
Make the cottage cheese layer
I love cottage cheese for lasagna. Firstly, because it tastes delicious, especially with wilted spinach and nutmeg. Secondly, it’s just so dang easy to prepare.
- Heat olive oil in a pan, and then add spinach and nutmeg. Cook until the spinach wilts. (I used 10 ounces of spinach; it’s going to look like a lot, but it wilts down to so very little.)
- The next step is important: remove all that extra moisture out of the spinach. Just when you think you’ve removed enough, keep going a little more. You definitely don’t want a watery lasagna layer. After removing excess water, chop the spinach. Tip: Squeeze excess moisture from the spinach by placing it in a fine mesh sieve and pressing it against the sieve with a spoon. The spinach isn’t actually going through the sieve (only water).
- Place cottage cheese, spinach, mozzarella, Parmesan, parsley, egg, salt and pepper in a bowl.
- Stir to combine and set aside. Easy, right?
Layer and bake
Now for the super fun part (because we soon get to enjoy): assembling and baking this scrumptious homemade lasagna recipe!
So, to layer lasagna, start with a little sauce on the bottom of your baking dish (to prevent things from sticking) and then there are 3 whole layers. The final layer gets a whole bunch of fresh mozzarella. It seriously bakes up beautifully!
- Spread just a little meat sauce over top so the noodles don’t stick when baking.
- Then it’s a layer of lasagna noodles. Note: I used fresh noodles here and just made it fit. Use what you have on hand or prefer. If using dried noodles, cook according to package instructions before layering in the lasagna recipe.
- Spread ⅓ of the meat sauce on top of noodles.
- Then dollop ⅓ of the cottage cheese mixture. I like to dollop rather than spread over the meat sauce because it’s thick and I don’t want to muddle those layers too much.
- Top with 1.5 cups of shredded mozzarella. Then repeat the layers two more times (lasagna noodles, meat sauce, cottage cheese mixture, and mozzarella, but the last layer, don’t spread on shredded mozzarella).
- Spread on fresh mozzarella.
- Stick 6 to 8 wooden toothpicks (soaked in water first before using and mostly stuck out so you can easily remove later). This helps prevent the aluminum foil from sticking to the cheese. Cover with aluminum foil, place on a baking tray (to catch any spills) and bake. Remove aluminum foil partway through (along with toothpicks) and continue baking the lasagna until it’s bubbly and the cheese gets all nice, melty and golden brown.
- Once done, let the lasagna cool a little before digging in. This gives the lasagna a chance to settle. Then you can garnish with some fresh herbs, like basil and parsley.
Type of Cheese To Use
Besides the cottage cheese layer (which also includes Parmesan), I love to use a combination of shredded mozzarella and fresh mozzarella.
The fresh mozzarella is simply reserved for the top layer. If you don’t have fresh mozzarella on hand (or prefer not to use), just use all shredded mozzarella and things will still be delicious!
Should I Cover Lasagna?
Yes! This helps to prevent things from drying out so don’t skip this.
As mentioned above, stick 6 to 8 wooden toothpicks (first soaked in water) into the lasagna (stuck out so you can easily remove).
Cover with aluminum foil, place the casserole dish on a sheet pan and bake. Remove the aluminum foil partway through (along with the toothpicks) and continue baking until the lasagna is bubbly and the cheese is melty and golden brown.
How Long Lasagna Should Rest After Baking
I know you’ll probably want to dig into this lasagna right away (it smells amazing), but please let it rest! I can’t stress this enough.
Firstly, it’s hot as, well, just super hot. Secondly, by letting it cool a little you’re kinda giving things a chance to calm down, and firm up a little so you can cut out nice square (non messy) pieces. Nobody wants a runny lasagna!
I like to let cool for about 30 minutes after removing from the oven.
Tips for Making This Recipe
- Don’t skip squeezing excess moisture from the spinach! This helps prevent a watery cottage cheese layer.
- Most times, I like to make lasagna with fresh noodles. However, if you don’t have fresh store-bought lasagna noodles, no worries! Use “no boil” or just regular noodles (drain well before using). The fresh lasagna noodles I used were larger than the typical boxed dried variety, so I used about 6 sheets or 360 grams. If you are using a smaller dried lasagna pasta (that has been cooked), you will probably need up to 10 sheets.
- Have a rind of Parmesan on hand? Add it to your meat sauce and it will add so much flavour. Just discard it after the sauce is made.
- I love to use San Marzano tomatoes (whole) for rich tomato sauces like this lasagna meat sauce. They’re so delicious! If you can’t find, no worries. Get the best canned tomatoes you can get your hands on.
- Allow the lasagna to cool a little before garnishing with fresh herbs (so they don’t wilt or turn brown from the heat).
What To Serve With Lasagna
Homemade lasagna is quite substantial on its own, but if you want to add some sides, it goes great with any of these:
- Mixed green salad
- Caesar salad
- Garlic bread
- Roasted broccoli or broccolini
More Comfort Food Recipes
- Chicken and Sausage Recipe With Peppers
- Homemade Meatballs With Tomato Sauce
- Chicken and Sausage With Gnocchi in Tomato Sauce
Hope you love this homemade lasagna recipe as much as we do! Hubby happens to this it’s the best lasagna recipe!
If you make this meat lasagna recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!
Homemade Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients
Meat Sauce
- 2 ribs celery
- 1 carrot
- 1 large yellow onion
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, or white button mushrooms (about 227 grams)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 1 pound lean or extra lean ground beef
- ½ pound ground pork
- ½ pound Italian sausage, meat removed from casings (about 2 sausages)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 (5.5-ounce) can tomato paste
- 2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, tomatoes roughly mashed with a potato masher to break up before using
- ½ cup water, rinse out the empty cans of tomatoes and use that water
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, optional
Cottage Cheese Layer
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 10 ounces baby spinach, approximately 300 grams
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 cups cottage cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ⅔ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 large egg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Other Lasagna Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh lasagna noodles (about 6 large sheets), or your favourite lasagna noodle (about 360 grams). If your sheets are the smaller dried variety, you'll need up to 10 sheets.
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced or torn (or you could use 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese)
- Chopped parsley leaves, garnish to taste (optional)
- Chopped or torn basil leaves, garnish to taste (optional)
Instructions
Meat Sauce, etc.
- Before getting the meat sauce going, place 6 to 8 wooden toothpicks in a dish of water on your countertop to soak for use later.
- Peel carrot and onion. Then roughly chop celery, carrot and onion. Using a food processor, process the chopped celery, carrot and onion finely (or, alternatively, just finely chop without using a processor). Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Next, finely chop mushrooms (or use a food processor), transfer to another bowl and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large enameled cast-iron Dutch over medium-low heat. Add celery, carrot and onion. Stir and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until softened.
- To veggie mixture, add mushrooms and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes. Season with ¼ teaspoon each of salt and black pepper.
- Turn heat to medium and add ground beef, pork and sausage. Add oregano, fennel, crushed red pepper flakes and remaining ¾ teaspoon of salt and remaining ¼ teaspoon of black pepper. Cook, breaking the beef, pork and sausage into small pieces and stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.
- Stir in tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, water, basil and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer (you want the sauce gently bubbling/simmering) and cook, stirring occasionally, for 50 to 60 minutes or until the sauce has reduced, it has a thick consistency and the flavour has intensified. Remove bay leaves and discard.
- Stir in balsamic vinegar, if using.
Cottage Cheese Layer
- Heat olive oil in a 12-inch pan (like a sauté pan or one that's about 2.5 to 3 inches deep) over medium heat. Add baby spinach and nutmeg. Cook, giving it a stir, until just wilted. Place the spinach in a fine mesh sieve and squeeze out excess moisture. To do this, I like to press the spinach against the sieve with a spoon, allowing the excess water to flow out.Note: You're not pressing the spinach through the sieve, just using it to get rid of that extra water. Note: If you'd rather, you can use a clean tea towel instead of a fine mesh sieve to remove excess moisture from the spinach. To do this, after cooking the spinach, allow it to cool a bit until it's cool enough to handle. Then, place it in a clean tea towel and squeeze out the excess moisture.
- Chop the spinach.
- In a bowl, stir together the cottage cheese, mozzarella, Parmesan, parsley, cooked chopped spinach, egg, salt and black pepper.
Assemble the Lasagna
- If using fresh pasta, no need to cook before assembly. If using dried pasta, cook according to package instructions, drain, and proceed with the recipe.
- Spread ½ cup of the meat sauce along the bottom of a deep 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish, casserole dish or lasagna pan. Note: Based on reader feedback, to ensure everything fits, it's best to use a deep lasagna pan.
- Place one layer of lasagna noodles on top of meat sauce to cover all of pan (just cut the noodles to make fit as necessary).
- Spread ⅓ of the meat sauce over the lasagna noodles.
- Dollop ⅓ of the cottage cheese over the meat sauce. I don't spread on, I just dollop roughly where a piece of lasagna would be cut.
- Sprinkle 1.5 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese over the cottage cheese.
- Repeat with lasagna noodles, ⅓ of meat sauce, ⅓ of cottage cheese mixture and remaining 1.5 cups of mozzarella.
- Again, layer on lasagna noodles, final ⅓ of meat sauce, final ⅓ of cottage cheese mixture.
- For the last layer, top with fresh mozzarella instead of shredded mozzarella.
- Place about 6 to 8 wooden toothpicks (that have been soaked in water before use) into the lasagna, mostly sticking out. The toothpicks help prevent the aluminum foil from sticking to the cheese. Cover with aluminum foil. Note: Make sure you keep track of how many toothpicks you stick in the lasagna (and they are mostly sticking out) so you can easily remove them all later.
Bake the Lasagna
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the dish of lasagna on a sheet pan to catch any spills for easy cleanup. Bake the lasagna for 40 minutes.
- After 40 minutes, carefully remove lasagna from the oven, remove aluminum foil and toothpicks and discard those. Bake the lasagna for another 10 to 15 minutes, uncovered, or until bubbly and the cheese is melty and a little golden brown. Carefully remove from the oven.
- Once baked, let lasagna cool for 30 to 40 minutes before cutting into pieces. Garnish, if desired, with chopped parsley and basil. Serve.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
© Girl Heart Food Inc. Photographs and content are copyright protected.
Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
LAURA says
I could only get 2 layers in a cake size 9×13 aluminum pan. How deep of a pan do you need? This thing is huge! Thank you for the recipe. It is in the oven as I type this but I had to make two pans with only two layers. I think it will still be amazing!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Hi Laura! I used a standard 9″ x 13″ glass baking pan. Hope you love the recipe … it’s a favourite of ours of sure!
LAURA says
This was absolutely amazing! I however can not get it to fit in a standard size pan, so I am getting a lasagna pan and I am making it again for New Year! Thank you so much! Delicious! ☺
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Thank you very much, Laura! Your comment made my day! Hope you have a wonderful New Year!
Kevin says
This lasagna looks out of this world delicious, can’t go wrong with 4 different cheeses either!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Thanks Kevin! I agree 😉
David @ Spiced says
I’m totally A-OK with recipes that requite a bit of labor…especially when they look this delicious! Lasagna has been a household favorite here for years, and this post is reminding me that we haven’t made a good lasagna in, gosh, a long time. This is the season for lasagna, though! (Actually, every season is lasagna season…haha.) Lasagna is such a hard thing to shoot, and you nailed it with your photos here, Dawn. Well done, my friend!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Me too! It’s actually kinda relaxing, don’t ya think? You’re so kind….thank you, David!!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
You’re right Dawn. Lasagna is a labor of love, but so worth it. I’ve never tried making mine with cottage cheese. I’ll need to give your recipe a try. It looks totally drool worthy! Well done!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Totally! Thanks Mary Ann….SO good!
Leanne says
When you were talking about this recipe a few weeks ago, I knew you were excited about it, and now I fully understand why!! Dawn, this lasagna looks amazing! Those layers and all the cheese! This is the ultimate comfort food and definitely worth the labour of love!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Totally!! Thanks Leanne…it sure is 🙂
Kelly | Foodtasia says
Dawn, this lasagna is fabulous! Love all the meats and cheeses! And that cheesy top! My mom always makes her lasagna with cottage cheese and the family loves it!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Thanks so much, Kelly! It’s a favourite around here 🙂
Kankana Saxena says
Even though I make pasta at least once a week, I am somehow extremely with the idea of making lasagna. But I know it will worth the effort and you are totally tempting me.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Totally worth it 😉 Thanks Kankana…it’s a yummy one for sure!
mimi rippee says
I was looking to see what you used for noodles, and it’s not listed in the ingredient section. no big deal. I was just wondering if you used the no-boil variety that I’ve heard about…. Anyway, beautiful lasagna. Seems like I only make them when people die, and never for myself.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Hi Mimi – actually it is listed…both in the body of the post and in the recipe card (under ‘Other Lasagna Ingredients’). As mentioned, I used fresh pasta, but you could use whatever variety you prefer. Thank you!
Valentina says
I am all about labor-of-love recipes. I love the process as much as the finished product. And seriously, this lasagna is all of that and so much more! Looks like a fun and super delicious weekend cooking project! Thanks for the inspiration, Dawn and hope you have a delightful weekend! ~Valentina
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Same here, Valentina!! Thank you so much and same to you 🙂
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
There is nothing finer that homemade lasagna and your version looks absolutely perfect! It has been so long since I made a lasagna. I’m putting this one on the menu this weekend 🙂
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
I think so too! Thank you Jennifer! So happy to hear that 🙂
Katherine | Love In My Oven says
This is truly a labor of love, Dawn. I love that you used cottage cheese, my Mom always used cottage cheese in her lasagna!! And everything from scratch! So good, Dawn!!! I’m definitely making this, and maybe a double batch so I can put one in the freezer too! XO
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
For sure! That’s sweet! Hope you love it! XOXO
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen says
Lasagna is one of my all-time favorites. It’s like a hug you can eat! SO GOOD and so comforting! This looks absolutely delicious, Dawn! And now you have me craving pasta 🙂
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Totally! Thank you Kelsie!
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says
There is something so comforting about a huge pan of baked lasagna! I can just imagine the smell as this is baking and then everyone coming to the table and digging in. I love all your step by step directions – so helpful! Nicely done!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Right?? Thank you for the kind words, Kathy! Have a wonderful weekend 🙂
Alexandra @ It's Not Complicated Recipes says
The best comfort food out there! This looks oh so delicious, Dawn! Yum! I might have to make a batch on the weekend 🙂
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
I think so too! Thank you Alexandra! Hope you love it as much as we do 🙂
annie@ciaochowbambina says
Oh. My. GOODNESS! Why are you doing this to me so early in the morning?! I will be dreaming about this all day! That is one gorgeous lasagna, my friend!! Pinned! xoxo
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Lol! Thank you so much, Annie!! Wish I could share with ya. 🙂 XOXO