By 
Judy Kim is a New York based food stylist, recipe developer, culinary producer and creative consultant.
If you're looking for a quick and easy lasagna, this is the recipe for you. We took a couple shortcuts for this recipe by using store-bought marinara, boxed pasta sheets, and ricotta instead of a homemade béchamel. While we think our best-ever lasagna recipe is truly worth the extra effort, if you're looking for a simple American-style recipe, this one won't let you down. Follow our top tips to ace this cozy, nostalgic recipe—we've reworked this recipe based on user comments to make it even better with more meat, more sauce, and more cheese!
Get your favorite marinara.
We decided to go with store-bought marinara for this recipe, but it doesn't mean you should pick any old jar off the shelf. Even though there are tons of layers and flavors in lasagna, the sauce is the backbone of the dish. Spending a couple more bucks on your favorite brand is worth it in this case.
Drain the beef.
Sometimes we're a little lazy and skip this step when making a meat sauce and we always regret it—the sauce tastes so greasy! Draining the fat from the skillet is a must for your lasagna layers, which will already have a lot of fat from the cheese. Too much fat may lead to messier layers that slide apart once cut!
Season your ricotta mixture.
My Italian grandmother always added a secret ingredient to her lasagna: cinnamon. Other families swear by a little freshly grated nutmeg. The ricotta mixture always gets overlooked and, therefore, tastes kinda bland. Make sure to season it generously with salt and pepper—Parm too!
What can I make in advance?
The whole thing! The best part about lasagna is how beautifully it freezes. Assemble it fully (I like to wait to put the very last layer of cheese on until ready to bake) and then wrap up tightly in plastic wrap and foil and freeze. It will keep up to 3 months in the freezer. When you're ready to bake, unwrap, top with cheese, cover with foil, and bake as directed. It may need some extra time in the oven! You can also thaw it out in the fridge the night before you plan to bake.
If you don't have room to freeze, you have a couple other options for prepping your lasagna ahead of time. You can fully assemble the lasagna and refrigerate for up to 2 days ahead of time. Pop it into the oven straight from the fridge! You can also make your sauce ahead of time, which will still save you a bit of time. Cook your ground beef and stir in marinara, then let it cool down and then store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can use the sauce straight from the fridge when ready to assemble.
Storage.
To store leftovers cover with plastic wrap or places slices in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. Any longer and you'll want to pop it in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, cover with foil and bake at 350º until hot and bubbly.
Have you made this recipe? Rate it and let us know how you like it in the comments below.
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- Yields:
- 8 serving(s)
- Prep Time:
- 20 mins
- Total Time:
- 1 hr 15 mins
Ingredients
Kosher salt
- 3/4 lb.
lasagna noodles
- 1 tsp.
extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 2 lb.
ground beef
- 4
cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tsp.
dried oregano
Freshly ground black pepper
- 2
(32-oz.) jars marinara
- 1 lb.
whole-milk ricotta
- 1
large egg
- 1/4 c.
chopped fresh parsley, plus more for serving
- 1/2 c.
finely grated Parmesan, divided
- 2 lb.
sliced mozzarella, divided
Directions
- Step 1Preheat oven to 375º. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 2 minutes less than package directions. Drain and drizzle with oil to prevent noodles from sticking together.
- Step 2Meanwhile, in a large pot over medium-high heat, heat oil. Cook ground beef, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and drain fat. Add garlic and oregano and cook over medium heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute; season with salt and pepper. Add marinara and stir until warmed through.
- Step 3In a large bowl, combine ricotta, egg, parsley, and 1/4 cup Parmesan; season with salt and pepper.
- Step 4In a large casserole dish, spread one-quarter of meat sauce across bottom of dish. Top with a single layer of lasagna noodles, a layer of ricotta mixture, a single layer of mozzarella, and a layer of meat sauce. Repeat layers, topping the last layer of noodles with meat sauce, remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan, and mozzarella.
- Step 5Cover with foil and bake 15 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 400º and continue to bake, uncovered, until cheese is browned in spots and sauce is bubbling, 18 to 20 minutes.
- Step 6Let cool slightly. Top with parsley before serving.
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