The World’s Best Homemade Lasagna Recipe

Is This The World’s Best Lasagna?

I love Italy, and Italian food. Growing up in New Jersey, which is an epicenter of Italian-American cooking with pizzerias and Italian restaurants on every corner, I ate Italian cuisine a few times a week. All of which is to say, I know what authentic, incredible Italian food tastes like.

So when I say this is the best lasagna recipe, I don’t make that claim lightly. In fact, if I have to make a large amount of something, this recipe created by John Chandler on Allrecipes is my go-to. It gets RAVE reviews every time. I’ve changed the recipe a bit over the years and know you’re going to love it as much as I do.

Chef John called this the World’s Best Lasagna, and while I can’t verify any research that went into this claim, what I can say is that this it the best homemade lasagna I’ve ever made. And I’ve made it many, many times.

I brought it to a woman in my former mom’s group who had just had her third baby. I made it for my dad to eat while he was babysitting my big guy when he was just a toddler because they both love it. We have made two of them for big family parties. (And trust me, always make two. It’s not much more work and it freezes and reheats beautifully!)

I have dozens and dozens of friends (and readers like you!) who have emailed me to say that this recipe is so good that when they make it for people their text messages explode with everyone wanting the recipe.

If you read all of my tips, check out the process shots, and watch the short video, you’ll see that it is truly an easy lasagna recipe. And once you taste it, you’ll know that all the effort is worth it.

How to Make Homemade Lasagna

Though I mentioned that it does take a bit of time, most of that time is waiting for the sauce to simmer or the homemade lasagna to bake in the oven. Here is an overview with photos showing how to make this easy lasagna recipe. You can find all the details in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Make the sauce

• Combine sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic in a large pot over medium heat.
• Stir and cook until cooked through and browned.
• Add the remaining sauce ingredients.
• Bring to a simmer, reduce heat, and let it cook for at least 1 1/2 hours. 

Prepare the noodles and cheeses

• If you are using regular lasagna noodles, while it simmers cook pasta according to package directions until al dente.
• Shred the mozzarella cheese.
• Stir together the ricotta, egg, parsley, and salt.

The correct order to layer lasagna:

Layer sauce, noodles, ricotta cheese mixture, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese as described and shown here:

1. Layer sauce on the bottom of the pan.
2. Top with noodles.
3. Top with ricotta cheese mixture.
4. Sprinkle on mozzarella cheese.
5. Sprinkle on Parmesan cheese.
6. Add more sauce.
7. Repeat layers starting with another layer of noodles.
8. Spread on the rest of the ricotta.
9. Sprinkle on more mozzarella.
10. Add more Parmesan
11. Layer on more sauce.
12. A final top layer of noodles, sauce, and the rest of the Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese.

How Many Layers Should Lasagna Have?

You need at least 2 layers to make a proper homemade lasagna. You can certainly have more but 2 is the minimum. In this recipe, I like to have three layers of pasta with two layers of the three kinds of cheese. Sauce covers the bottom of the pan and the top of the lasagna, and it is finished with a final sprinkle of mozzarella and Parmesan.

Tips and Variation Ideas

• Wants to use a different kind of meat? You can use turkey sausage instead of Italian sausage made with pork, which is actually my preference.
• Sweeter isn’t always better: While the recipe lists the addition of sugar, because some insist on it to balance the acidity of the tomatoes in the sauce, I always leave it out.
• Skip the boiling: You can (and dare I say even should) use no-boil noodles. They make the layering easier, and absorb some excess moisture, creating nice slices.
• Make the sauce a day or two before: This is especially good to do on a day when you have time to let it simmer for as long as possible. But even if you don’t simmer it longer, you still allow the flavors to blend together and develop in the fridge overnight. This also saves time the day you plan to assemble, bake, and serve the lasagna.
• Double it up: Trust me, it’s worth it to make two. It doesn’t take much more effort, and then you have one on standby. Keep reading for how to freeze it before or after you bake it.
• And here is a reader tip – “One tip I learned years ago when using regular noodles is to boil some water, pour them over your noodles & let them sit in a pan for an hour or so. No more broken noodles.”

Can I Make Lasagna in Advance?

Yes, you have a few options to make this recipe ahead of time.

• Prepare the sauce and keep it in the refrigerator or freezer until you are ready to layer and bake the lasagna. In fact, I think the sauce is even better when made at least a day in advance.
• Prepare the entire lasagna but don’t bake it. Then store it in the refrigerator or freezer. If frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator, then, in either case, bring it to room temperature before baking.
• Prepare and bake it. If you do this, I’d suggest only baking for the first 25 minutes. You can then bring it to room temperature and complete the baking process uncovered for about 30-35 minutes.

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

• Store in the fridge: Let your homemade lasagna cool and then store it in the fridge. You can either cover the dish it baked in with aluminum foil and store it in the baking pan, or you can cut the lasagna into slices and transfer it to smaller air-tight containers. The lasagna will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge.
• To reheat: When you are ready to eat some leftovers, simply place the desired amount of lasagna on a plate and heat it in the microwave for a few minutes.

Pro Reheating Tip: If I’m reheating a large slice I will usually cut it into smaller pieces so that the inside of the lasagna can warm through. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a very hot outside of your slice and a cold inside. Cutting the slice into smaller pieces solves this problem!