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angled view of the classic lasagna, fully cooked in a ceramic lasagna dish

Classic Lasagna

Erica
Sausage, creamy ricotta and herb sauce, homemade marinara sauce, perfectly cooked noodles, and cheesy goodness make this classic lasagna recipe perfect.
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine casserole, Italian, pasta
Servings 8 people
Calories 694 kcal

Ingredients
 

For the Béchamel-Ricotta Sauce

  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 Tbsp fresh oregano leaves chopped
  • 2 Tbsp fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley chopped
  • 1 Tbsp fresh basil leaves chopped
  • 1 large egg lightly beaten

For the Lasagna

  • 12 lasagna noodles
  • 2 ½ cups Homemade Marinara Sauce divided
  • 1 ½ lb mild Italian sausage casings removed, cooked, crumbled, and drained of fat
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
  • 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
lasagna pan

Instructions
 

For the Béchamel-Ricotta Sauce

  • In a medium saucepan, heat the butter until melted. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Over medium heat, cook the roux 2-3 minutes. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly.
  • Cook ~5 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool a bit while you cook the pasta.
  • Once ready to assemble the lasagna, whisk in ricotta, salt, egg, and herbs into the béchamel.

For the Lasagna

  • Heat oven to 350F.
  • Add 2 cups marinara sauce to the cooked sausage make a meat sauce. Set aside.
  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
  • Cook the noodles to al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse briefly with cold water.
  • Spread the remaining 1/2 cup marinara sauce in a lasagna dish. Layer 3 noodles, 1/3 of the meat sauce, 1/3 of the béchamel-ricotta sauce, and 1/4 of each cheese. Repeat twice. Finish with a final layer of pasta and the last 1/4 of each cheese.
  • Bake uncovered at 350F until bubbly, about an hour. Tent with foil over top if the top starts to get too brown. Let stand 10 min before cutting.

Notes

Note, take care to watch this cook and when the top starts to darken, get some foil tented over to prevent burning.

Nutrition

Calories: 694kcal (35%)

Calorie count is purely an estimate calculated using an online application to serve as a guide and not to be taken as accurate nutritional information. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Keyword best lasagna recipe, classic lasagna, lasagna ingredients, perfect lasagna, traditional lasagna
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