Easy Homemade Lasagna
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Easy Homemade Lasagna
Here’s the thing – I usually don’t like lasagna. 90% of the lasagna I’ve had in my life is just not my taste – it’s bland, it’s soupy or too dry. My husband loves it so I made it my mission to create one that I loved too. I need more flavor in my food – not just basic meat slathered together with noodles and cheese. That’s what makes this Easy Homemade Lasagna so good – tons of flavor in every layer.
Start with some amazingly seasoned meat. Fennel, garlic, fresh parsley, and even some lemon juice! This is the best way to get flavor throughout all the lasagna. One tip: I use Montreal Steak Seasoning in place of pepper in this recipe. You can use pepper if that’s all you have, but trust me, the Montreal Steak Seasoning just ups that flavor so much. It has a lot of depth and so many good flavors. Most grocery stores (even Costco!) carry it.
Another thing that makes this so flavorful: tons of fresh Parmesan inside the lasagna. Parmesan has SO MUCH FLAVOR. Not to knock mozzarella, but if lasagna is full of it, it just doesn’t add a lot of flavor. The fresh parm adds so much flavor inside.
Last tip: use oven-ready lasagna noodles! SO much easier!
Easy Homemade Lasagna
Ingredients
Meat
- 1.5 – 2 lbs. ground turkey or beef
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon fennel seed, slightly crushed
- ½ teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning (or black pepper)
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 lemon, juiced
- ¼ cup water
Cheese Filling
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup fresh Parmesan, grated or shaved
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ c. fresh parsley, chopped
Other Ingredients
- 1 package oven-ready (no cook) lasagna noodles (typically a 9oz. package)
- 2 jars (24 oz.) marinara sauce (we like Victoria's but any brand will do)
- 8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced (for top)
- fresh parsley, chopped (optional, for serving)
- extra fresh Parmesan, shaved or grated (optional, for serving)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 9×13" pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
Meat
- Start by browning your ground meat in a large nonstick pan, over medium-high heat. I like to brown it all the way before seasoning it so the seasonings don't burn.
- Once it's brown, add all the seasonings, including the fresh parsley. Stir well.
- Once the seasonings are incorporated, add lemon juice and water. Stir to coat the meat.
- Cook for 3-5 more minutes until fragrant, and seasoning is well mixed into meat. Turn off heat and set aside.
Cheese Filling
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine ricotta and heavy cream. Mix until smooth.
- Add in cheeses, fresh parsley, and garlic salt. Mix well. Set aside
Assembly
- Pour marinara sauce in the bottom of the 9×13" pan until it's coated, about 1/2 inch thick.
- Place 3 oven-ready pieces of lasagna evenly across pan (they will expand when baking).
- On top of noodles, spoon a very thin layer of marinara sauce. Spread evenly. Dollop with the cheese mixture and spread it evenly across. Then add meat and sprinkle evenly across. Top with another thin layer of red sauce.
- Add 3 more pieces of the oven-ready lasagna and continue layering until you have 4-5 layers. I like as many layers as I can get.
- When you are done, finish the top with a layer of noodles, marinara, and then top with the slices of fresh mozzarella cheese.
- Cover loosely with tinfoil and bake for 25 minutes, covered.
- Then remove cover and bake for 10-15 more minutes until red sauce is bubbling and cheese begins to turn light golden brown.
- Remove from oven and let rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving.
- The fresh mozzarella on top can be very stretchy (delicious!) but hard to cut, so use a sharp knife to cut into this. Cut into squares and serve. Top with additional parsley and/or fresh parm if desired. Enjoy!
Click here to see my other main dish recipes here! Lately I’ve been rounding up a bunch of our Tried and True meals – dinners that we all love and regularly include in our rotation!
I am certain you will love this Easy Homemade Lasagna – it’s one of our favorites. Be sure to let me know if you make this and tag me @plumstreetcollective on Instagram.
Happy cooking!
