Easy Lasagna Recipe

Looking for a good but easy lasagna recipe? Here it is! The hubby loves ordering lasagna when we dine out at Italian restaurants but he said it’s nothing like the homemade lasagna that I make.

My secret to making good lasagna is making sure the meat sauce is not runny at all. You’d have to simmer it well until the sauce has reduced to make sure that after you bake and slice the lasagna, it’s all still intact. And if you can stick to using the Ragu sauce and the Galbani brand for your Ricotta, it would be preferred.

To make this an easy lasagna recipe and lessen the steps, I’ve been using Barilla over-ready lasagna noodles. It cuts down on cooking time as you no longer need to boil your pasta. This type of lasagna noodle comes out thin and has no ridges. I find that its thinness really blends with the whole lasagna better. And for that, this lasagna recipe can actually be a lasagna dip recipe too. It goes well with Sun Chips harvest cheddar in case you’re curious to try it like a lasagna dip.

What do you need to make lasagna:

• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1lb. ground beef
• 1 1/2 bottle of spaghetti sauce (I used the Ragu 24oz. bottle for this recipe)
• 1/8 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. dried oregano
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 Ricotta Cheese (I’ve only used the Galbani brand since I’ve started making lasagna)
• 1 Egg
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 9 pcs. Lasagna noodles (I used Barilla oven ready lasagna as pictured)
• 2 bags shredded mozzarella (I used Kraft for this recipe)

How to make Lasagna:

• Saute the chopped onion until it becomes translucent then add the ground beef and cook until brown. Then drain.
• Put the beef and onion back in the pan then add the spaghetti sauce, brown sugar, dried oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper and bring to a boil in medium heat.
• Once boiled, simmer in low heat for about 30 mins.
• While the meat sauce is simmering, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Mix together in a bowl the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese and egg. Then set aside.
• Once the meat sauce is ready, time to put the lasagna together in layers. My baking dish measures 13-1/4″L x 9-1/4″W x 2-1/2″H.
• Place 1/3 of the meat sauce on the bottom of a baking dish. Cover with lasagna noodle, then place 1 whole bag of mozzarella cheese followed by another layer of lasagna noodle. Put another 1/3 of the meat sauce then top it with the ricotta cheese mixture. Layer another lasagna noodle, top with the remaining meat sauce.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes then place the remaining 1 bag of mozzarella then bake for another 15 minutes.
• Chopped parsley on top is optional. Dig in!

The kids loved helping me in the kitchen. Whether to make my coffee or just to blend stuff. So I put them in charge of mixing the ricotta, parmesan cheese and egg. Unfortunately, they do not want to eat lasagna. Oh well, more for me and the hubby.

You can used the meat sauce as a spaghetti sauce though. It’s the same recipe I use to make spaghetti as big sis’ do love eating spaghetti. The lil’ one won’t touch it, she is into asian noodles, from chow mein to pho. Just my luck, they’re not only picky, they have different taste buds. Huhuhu. LOL!

Look at the cheese melting and steaming in the oven. Yum, yum, yum!

After you’ve made this lasagna recipe. You can adjust the protein like adding spicy sausage which I’d like to try next time or using vegetables instead of meat. The possibilities are endless.

PIN OUR LASAGNA RECIPE!

MORE EASY RECIPES:

• Panna Cotta Recipe: One of the best things you’ll ever get to taste!
• Chimichurri Recipe: perfect for dipping
• Milo Dinosaur Recipe: when you’re craving for chocolate malt.
• Taro Milkshake Recipe: perfect warm weather drink.
• Marble Cheesecake Bars Recipe: yummy and creamy.