Easy Beef Lasagna
This is The Ultimate Beef Lasagna, a recipe I’ve been making for over 30 years, and one that readers keep coming back to. It’s layered with rich, beefy marinara, creamy ricotta, and loads of gooey mozzarella. No need to pre-boil noodles or complicate things, just real, satisfying lasagna made easy.
Servings: 12
Calories: 333kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 tablespoon oregano dried
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper or to taste
- 24 ounce marinara sauce (1 jar/680 g)
- 1 cup water
- 15 ounce ricotta cheese
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375℉.
- In a medium sized saucepan, cook the ground beef until no longer pink, roughly 5-7 minutes. Stir in the diced onion, a tablespoon of dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent.
- To this mixture, add the marinara sauce and a cup of water. Stir to combine, bring the mixture to a boil, and then remove from heat. This process should take about 10 minutes.
- While your sauce is cooling slightly, take a separate bowl and combine the ricotta cheese, the remaining tablespoon of dried oregano, eggs, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Mix these together until well blended.
- Now, it's time to assemble your lasagna. In a 9x13 inch baking dish, start with a layer of the meat sauce. Lay three lasagna noodles over the sauce, then spread some of the cheese mixture and sprinkle with mozzarella. Repeat these layers until you've used all of your noodles, finishing with a final layer of cheese mixture and mozzarella.
- Place the dish in the oven and bake for approximately 1 hour. Then remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes until bubbly and golden. Use a fork to check that the noodles are cooked through, then remove from the oven and let it rest for about 15 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- Use quality ingredients: With so few ingredients, a good marinara and real cheese go a long way.
- Don’t skip the resting time: Letting the lasagna rest after baking makes slicing so much easier.
- Make it your own: Swap the beef for ground turkey or a vegetarian option, add sautéed spinach or mushrooms, this recipe is flexible.
- Freezer tip: For best texture, freeze before baking. Bake straight from frozen, covered, at 375°F for about 90 minutes (uncover for the last 15 to brown the top).
- Cheese matters: I always grate my own for better melt. Pre-shredded works in a pinch, but it won’t melt quite the same.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 333kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 618mg | Potassium: 438mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 616IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 255mg | Iron: 2mg
