How to Make the Best Lasagna With Meat Sauce

When it comes to best lasagna recipes, there is a great debate over which cheese makes the best filling: ricotta or cottage cheese.

While both of these cheeses make a delicious addition to your lasagna dish, I find that cottage cheese is best.

Cottage cheese has fewer calories and fat than ricotta while still providing a creamy and rich texture.

Plus, it holds its shape better when baked in the oven.

While cottage cheese is my favorite, what’s your preference?

What is the Correct Order to Layer Lasagna?

When layering your lasagna dish, it’s best to start with a layer of meat sauce.

This will ensure that your lasagna is flavorful and moist throughout the baking process.

After adding the meat sauce, spread a layer of noodles over the top.

Then, add a layer of cottage cheese followed by another layer of noodles.

Finally, top the noodles with more meat sauce and cheese to create the best lasagna ever!

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How to Freeze and Reheat Lasagna

Lasagna makes a great freezer meal.

In fact, you can double this recipe and make one for dinner tonight and freeze the other for another time.

The homemade lasagna will keep if your freezer for about 90 days.

How to Freeze Lasagna

When I’m making a freezer meal, I like to use a disposable foil pan.

Layer the lasagna following the recipe.

Place a layer of plastic wrap firmly against the last layer then top with 3 layers of foil.

The plastic wrap will help prevent freezer burn.

On the final covering of foil write a note with a permanent marker to remove the plastic wrap before baking and baking instructions.

Place in your deep freeze for up to 3 months.

You can also freeze your leftover lasagna.

Wrap the lasagna in three layers of foil and write on the last layer baking instructions.

To Bake Thawed Lasagna

To bake remove the layers of foil and plastic wrap, cover with one layer of foil and let thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

Then bake as directed.

To Reheat Frozen Leftover Lasagna

First unwrap lasagna from foil layers. Place in a baking dish, covered with foil and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

Bake at 350° until hot and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Ingredients for the Best Lasagna

To make the best lasagna, you will need Italian sausage, onion, red bell pepper, your favorite marinara sauce, lasagna noodles, cottage or ricotta cheese, egg, Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

These ingredients are all easy to find at your local grocery store and should be enough to serve 12 people.

You’ll also need a deep dish 9×13 baking pan.

Prepare the Meat Sauce

In a large frying pan, break up and brown the sausage.

When the sausage is almost cooked add the chopped onion and cook until they are tender and translucent.

Then add the chopped red bell pepper and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

While the sausage, onion and pepper are cooking, prepare the cheese mixture.

Prepare Cheese Mixture

In a bowl combine an egg, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese and 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning.

Assemble the Lasagna

We are now at the home stretch and ready to assemble the lasagna.

First coat a deep baking dish with cooking spray.

Then place 1/2C. of the pasta sauce in the bottom of the pan and top with dry, uncooked lasagna noodles.

In my large pan, I’m able to place four noodles across the pan.

Then top the dry noodles with about 1/3 of the meat sauce.

It doesn’t need to be exact, just eyeball it.

Next place another layer of dry noodles.

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Now you’re ready to place your cottage cheese mixture on top of the layer of dry noodles.

Then top the cottage cheese mixture with a generous amount of mozzarella cheese.

Finally top the cheese layer with four more dry noodles.

Then add another layer of the meat sauce over the dry noodles.

Top the meat sauce with more mozzarella cheese and then place the final four dry noodles.

Cover the final layer of noodles with the remaining meat sauce.

Then cover the lasagna with a sheet of foil (shiny side towards the lasagna.)

Bake Lasagna

Place the covered pan in a preheated 350° oven and bake for one hour.

After one hour, carefully remove the foil and top the lasagna with more mozzarella cheese.

Continue baking at 350° uncovered for another 15 minutes, or until the cheese starts to brown.

Let Lasagna Rest

One of the keys to serving lasagna is to let it rest for 10 minutes before you cut into it.

In know, it’s tempting to cut into the lasagna as soon as it’s out of the oven.

But trust me, the layers will have a chance to set and you’ll be able to slice and serve it easier if you wait at least 10 minutes.

Thanks for checking out my best lasagna recipe ever!

With just a few simple steps, you can have a delicious and hearty meal to share with your friends and family.

So get in the kitchen and give this easy lasagna recipe a try today!

Enjoy!

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