When it comes to comfort food, Italian-American Lasagna is at the top of the list. Beneath the crispy, melty top lie layers of cheesy, saucy goodness. The creamy ricotta and herb mixture is the perfect match to the sheets of pasta and hearty ragu, while the mozzarella and Pecorino Romano on top seal the deal, culminating in one of the most iconic and beloved baked pasta dishes.
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Lasagna – a holiday classic
Italian-American lasagna is a classic comfort food that is found at many pizzerias and Italian eateries in the New York area where I live.
But, it is best known in my home as the must-have for holidays, especially Thanksgiving! I’ll usually make a lasagna, or sometimes manicotti (the recipe for which can be found in my cookbook), as a first course on Thanksgiving to have before the turkey.
I know what you’re thinking – isn’t making lasagna a lot of work for a holiday? While there is some work involved in making it, one of the reasons I love this dish for a holiday is that it can be made ahead of time, even a few weeks in advance, and frozen.
Oh, and if you’re craving the flavors of lasagna but want something far easier, try my lasagna soup, which is ready in about 45 minutes!
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Pasta. I’m using store-bought lasagna sheets, and I do pre-cook them. I don’t really recommend using no-cook lasagna sheets for this recipe, as you’ll likely need to increase the liquid in the recipe since the no-cook pasta will absorb more sauce.
- Cheese. I’m using whole milk ricotta cheese (you can also use skim), block mozzarella, and Pecorino Romano. You can use Parmigiano Reggiano or domestic Parmesan in place of the Pecorino, if desired.
- Sauce. Italian-American lasagna is made with a tomato-based sauce, which sets it apart from the Italian version, which most often uses a Bolognese ragu and a bechamel. I add ground beef and ground pork to my sauce, but you can omit it to make it vegetarian, or use all ground beef, or all ground pork.
- Egg. This serves as a binder and helps to hold the cheese filling together.
- Herbs. I love to add fresh parsley and basil to the cheese filling as it adds some brightness to the dish and helps balance out the flavors.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
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How to make it
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- In a large pot over medium heat, brown the ground chuck and pork in the olive oil. Once brown, use a spoon or meat masher to break it up, then transfer to a plate and set aside.
- In the same pot, saute the onions adding more olive oil if needed, and a pinch of salt. Once soft, add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add the meat back to the pot along with the red pepper flakes and stir to combine. Season the meat with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the tomatoes and bring the sauce to a simmer, then turn the heat to low and cover the pot, leaving the lid slightly cracked. Taste test and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
- Bring a large pot of salted water (along with 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil) to a boil. BCook the lasagna sheets in batches to very al dente (about 3-4 minutes less than box instructions), then use a mesh strainer to remove them and place in ice water to shock and stop the cooking process. Note: this is one of the only pasta recipes I recommend adding olive oil to the pasta water. This is to prevent the noodles from sticking to each other, since they are so large.
- Lay the noodles flat on parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- In a large bowl, combine all the ricotta mixture ingredients except the egg. Taste test, season with salt and pepper, then add the egg and mix until combined.
- In a 9×13 baking dish, place a drop of olive oil and spread it around the bottom and sides of the dish. Add a thick layer of sauce to completely coat the bottom of the dish.
- Place 6 lasagna noodles on the first level, slightly overlapping, then spread half the ricotta mixture, followed by 1/3 of the mozzarella.
- Add another layer of meat sauce followed by the Pecorino, and repeat the process with the noodles, ricotta, mozzarella, meat sauce, and Pecorino to the next two layers. On the final top layer, just add the sauce, mozzarella, and Pecorino (no ricotta mixture).
- Cover the lasagna with parchment paper followed by foil and bake in a 375°F oven on the middle rack for 45 minutes.
- Remove the parchment paper and foil covering and bake for another 15-20 minutes until the side noodles are crisp and the cheese is bubbly. If a crispier, browner top is desired, broil for 1-2 minutes but watch carefully to prevent burning. Allow the lasagna to sit for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Top tips
- Baking the lasagna. I strongly recommend placing a sheet of parchment paper between the lasagna and the foil before baking. Doing this will prevent the cheese from sticking to the foil.
- Let it settle. There is no better tip for lasagna! More so than any other baked pasta, it needs time to settle after it bakes. At a minimum, 30 minutes, but allowing it to settle for 45 minutes will help the cheese filling to firm up, allowing you to get cleaner slices of the lasagna.
- Making ahead. You can choose to assemble lasagna a day before you serve it, then bake it the day of. You can also assemble and bake the day before and then rewarm it in the oven. You can also freeze the lasagna for up to 3 months.
More baked pastas
If you love the combo of crispy pasta and cheese, give these other baked pasta recipes a try!
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Italian-American Lasagna
Italian-American Lasagna is the iconic baked pasta that combines layers of curly lasagna noodles, herbed ricotta cheese, mozzarella, and a rich tomato ragu. Baked until the cheese is bubbly and the noodles are perfectly crisp, this pasta is perfect for holidays and gatherings.
Ingredients
For the meat sauce
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 pound ground chuck
- 1 medium onion diced
- 5 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 28-ounce cans plum tomatoes hand crushed or blender pulsed
- salt and pepper to taste
For the ricotta mixture
- 1 1/2 pounds ricotta drained overnight
- 1/4 cup minced flat-leaf Italian parsley
- 1/4 cup chopped basil
- 1 egg beaten
- salt and pepper to taste
For the lasagna
- 5 cups meat sauce plus more as needed
- 1 pound lasagna noodles see notes below
- 1 pound sliced mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
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Instructions
For the meat sauce
- Heat a large pot to medium heat with the olive oil. Add the ground chuck and pork. Once the meat is brown, break it up with a wooden spoon or meat masher then remove it to a plate.
- Add the onions and a pinch of salt. If the pot is dry add a bit more olive oil. Once the onions are soft and translucent, add the garlic and cook until fragrant (about 2 minutes). Add the hot red pepper flakes and the meat back to the pot and stir to combine. Season the meat with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the plum tomatoes and bring the sauce to a lively simmer. Once simmering, turn the heat down to low and cover the pot, leaving the lid slightly cracked. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper if required.
For the lasagna
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and set the rack to the middle level.
- Bring a large pot of salted water (along with a 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil) to boil. Boil the lasagna noodles (work in batches and stir well to avoid sticking) to very al dente (about 3-4 minutes less than box instructions). Scoop out sheets with a mesh strainer or pasta spider and shock in ice water. Lay flat the lasagna noodles on parchment paper or clean dish towels.
- In a large bowl combine all the ricotta mixture ingredients except the egg. Taste test the mixture and season with salt and pepper then mix in the egg.
- In a 9×13 baking dish place a drop of olive oil and wipe the bottom and sides. Next add a thick layer of meat sauce, completely coating the bottom of the baking dish.
- Place 6 lasagna noodles on the first level (they should slightly overlap). Spread half of the ricotta mixture onto the noodles, then layer 1/3 of the mozzarella, another thick layer of meat sauce, and finally 1/3 of the grated Pecorino Romano cheese. Repeat the process on the next two layers. On the top layer just add the sauce, mozzarella, and Pecorino Romano cheese.
- Cover the lasagna with parchment paper then foil to prevent sticking.
- Bake for 45 minutes. Remove the covering and bake for 15-20 minutes more until the side noodles are crispy and the cheese is bubbly. If a crisper top is desired, broil for 1-2 minutes but watch carefully. Let the lasagna sit for at least 30 minutes to settle before eating. Enjoy!
Notes
- Lasagna sheets. I recommend De Cecco brand lasagna. One box will yield approximately 22 sheets leaving a few left over in case they break. Any broken lasagna noodles can still be used. They work best in the middle, reserving the good pieces for the outside edge. Make sure to cook the lasagna noodles to very al dente (4 minutes) in batches. Lay out the noodles on clean kitchen towels or parchment paper to make an easy assembly process.
- Avoid sticking. Cover the lasagna with parchment paper, then foil to prevent sticking. Remove the paper and foil for the last 15 minutes to get the noodles nice and crispy. Broiling for 2 minutes right at the end works great but watch carefully!
- Resting time. After removing the lasagna from the oven, allow to sit for at least 30 minutes before serving. This will allow the lasagna to settle and will help prevent it from collapsing once you’ve sliced it.
- Make ahead. You can choose to assemble lasagna a day before you serve it, then bake it the day of. You can also assemble and bake the day before and then rewarm it in the oven. You can also freeze the lasagna for up to 3 months.
- Leftovers. Lasagna can be saved in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. It can be reheated in a 350°F or in the microwave.
Nutrition
Calories: 771kcal | Carbohydrates: 44.2g | Protein: 48.9g | Fat: 44.7g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 186mg | Sodium: 539mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7.5g | Calcium: 454mg | Iron: 4mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This recipe was originally published on November 11, 2020. It was completely updated on October 31, 2025.
Your recipe is very similar to the one followed by my grandmother, although I have since made a few modifications that are also slight deviations from your recipe. The main thing I do differently is to grate the mozz into the ricotta, to which I also add fresh baby spinach leaves. I also don’t use garlic in my sauce, though my family keeps requesting that I do so (I grow an abundance of garlic in my garden and tend to use a lot of it in everything else, especially your grandma pizzas). Finally, I add a box of the Pomi finely chopped tomatoes to my sauce just before layering the lasagna (I believe it adds an element of freshness). Your suggestion to cover with parchment is an excellent and has saved me the frustration of tenting the foil to prevent mozz-stick. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed, Robert, and that the parchment trick helped!
This was delicious! Used Italian sausage and two 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes instead. Next time, I’d probably just mix the romano directly into the ricotta mixture to make one less step. I only used a 16 oz container of ricotta and didn’t drain it overnight since I missed that step.
Every recipe I make from you becomes our new family favorite! Your French Dip recipe is my 15 year old son’s favorite!
We’re so happy to hear that, Nicole!
We typically make Lasanga 4 times a year. I don’t think we ever put it to paper. I always like 1# of ground beef 93/7 and 1# of Italian sweet sausage. We no longer buy sausage from the super market our local Italian deli buys it from Roma in Baltimore. Good job like all of your dishes. Question, I don’t recall if you made any Italian bread.
So glad you enjoyed. We haven’t perfected the Italian bread recipe yet so we don’t have it on our site. Once we get it perfect, we’ll share it here.
ooops that’s five
i’ve been using the no boil and it’s turned out excellent every time just make sure you cover the pasta completely with sauce
Just delicious!
my favorite just in time. gonna change it up a little by adding some hard boiled eggs as my grandmother ( sicilian ) did. my wife does not like lasagna ( barese ) so have to make it myself.
Excellent recipe!
I recently followed your recipe and the results were great! The family loved it, including my 18 month old grandson!
We can’t wait until we receive your cookbook!
So happy to hear that, Roy! Thanks for ordering the cookbook!
Can I assemble the lasagna ahead of time & bake the next day. If so, how do I do that. Or is it better to bake the lasagna ahead of time & reheat the next day when serving & how would I reheat it so not to dry it out.
Which option do you prefer?
Hi Marianne, you can do either, both with similar results. Personally, I prefer to bake ahead of time, then just reheat covered with foil in a 350°F oven until warmed through.
Hi Jim
I am really enjoying your recipes!
For future reference. Can I simmer the sauce for the lasagna in the oven at low temperare? If so what temperare do you recommend and for how long?
Hi Isabel, you can at 275°F in the oven for a few hours. Be sure the pot is covered.