Beef Lasagna

This cozy and comforting beef lasagna makes a delicious supper, and heats up perfectly for leftovers throughout the week!

Okay, am I the only one who thinks lasagna almost tastes better leftover than fresh?  In all honesty though, that’s the main reason why we make lasagna in this house: the leftovers.  They’re so easy to reheat and eat and taste amazingly good even a few days later!  Lasagna is certainly a labor of love, but so worth it!

The nice thing about this recipe is the minimal amount of chopping to do.  All you have to do is dice a yellow onion, and mince some garlic.  Nice and easy!

Then, boil your noodles in a large pot on the stove until they’re al dente.  Drain them and rinse with cool water.  To keep them from sticking together before you’re ready to use them, drizzle them with a bit of olive oil.  It can also help to drape them over a large mixing bowl so that they aren’t touching each other.

Then, it’s time to make the meat sauce.  Heat a high-walled skillet over medium heat, and add your ground beef.  Brown until cooked through, then drain out any excess grease before returning the cooked beef to the skillet.  Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 2-3 minutes.  Then, add the garlic and saute until fragrant, or about 30 seconds.

Then, add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, dried parsley, dried oregano, dried basil, ground black pepper, and fennel to the skillet and stir well until warmed.  Freeze any unused tomato paste in a silicone ice cube tray to be used later.

While your sauce is warming, mix together the ricotta cheese, egg, and dried parsley in a small mixing bowl until combined.

Once all your different lasagna layers are prepped and ready, it’s time to assemble!  In a greased 9×13 inch glass baking dish, spread a thin layer of meat sauce, single layer of noodles, thin layer of ricotta cheese mixture, and thin layer of mozzarella and parmesan cheese.  Continue repeating the layers, topping the final layer of noodles with a thin layer of meat sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Cover your lasagna with aluminum foil, tenting it slightly to prevent the cheese from sticking to it as it bakes.  Bake in the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes.  Then, remove the foil and bake for another 25 minutes.

Let the lasagna sit for about 15-20 minutes before cutting and serving.  Serve it up with a side salad like my Kale Peach Salad or some roasted veg like my Roasted Lemon Parmesan Broccoli.

Enjoy!  If you try this recipe, don’t forget to leave your thoughts and a rating in the comments below.  Tag me @HookomOnHealth and use the #HookomOnHealth so that I can see your creations online!  Happy eating!

Please note there are Amazon affiliate links in this post.  While the cost to you is the same, I do earn a small commission on any sales made through the links in this post.  I would never recommend anything that I don’t believe in–thank you for your support!

Print Recipe

Beef Lasagna

This cozy and comforting beef lasagna makes a delicious supper, and heats up perfectly for leftovers throughout the week!

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Resting Time15 mins

Total Time1 hr 35 mins

Course: Main Course

Keyword: beef, beef lasagna, dinner, easy dinners, lasagna, pasta

Servings: 8 people

Author: Amanda Hookom @HookomOnHealth

Ingredients

For noodle layer:

• 12 lasagna noodles
• 1 tsp olive oil

For the meat sauce:

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 medium yellow onion diced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (8oz) cans tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds

For ricotta cheese layer:

• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp dried parsley

For shredded cheese layer:

• 4 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9x13 inch glass baking dish.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil on the stove. Add lasagna noodles and boil for 8-10 minutes, or until noodles are al dente. Drain noodles and rinse with cool water. Drizzle with olive oil to prevent noodles from sticking together.
• Meanwhile, heat a high-walled skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and brown until cooked through. Drain fat, and return to skillet. Add onion, and cook until translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about another 30 seconds. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, dried parsley, dried oregano, dried basil, ground black pepper, and fennel, and stir well until warmed.
• In a small mixing bowl, add ricotta cheese, egg, and dried parsley and stir until combined.
• In greased baking dish, spread a thin layer of meat sauce, single layer of noodles, thin layer of ricotta cheese mixture, and thin layer of mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, topping the final layer of noodles with a thin layer of meat sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
• Cover baking dish with foil and bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes before cutting and serving.

Notes

• Keep leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
• Slightly tent your aluminum foil to prevent it from sticking to the top layer of cheese on your lasagna while baking.
• Change it up by using ground turkey, chicken, or pork instead of beef.