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The Best Make Ahead Lasagna has three kinds of cheese, two different meats, one fantastic homemade sauce, and oodles of real noodles that require absolutely zero boiling. It all adds up to an award-winning, freezer-friendly recipe I’ve been making (and loving) for over a decade.
Over the years, I tweaked this recipe to get everything exactly right. Here’s what I love about it:
You can make it ahead. The lasagna needs at least 5 hours to chill and let the sauce soften the noodles, but you can definitely make it the night before (even 3 days before) and bake it when you need it. Want your own freezer lasagna? Wrap it up in foil once you assemble it, no need to bake it beforehand. Then stash it away for dinner emergencies.
It uses real lasagna noodles. I’ve always hated the “oven-ready,” pre-boiled, no-boil lasagna noodles, which fall apart in the pan. Real noodles taste better, period. And with this recipe, you don’t even cook or soak them.
Homemade meat sauce. A quick and easy, 20-minute meat sauce loaded with ground beef and Italian sausage.
Table of Contents
Oven Ready Lasagna Recipe Ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
- Ground meat: I prefer 1 pound each of ground beef and Italian sausage (2 pounds total). Or use just ground beef, just ground Italian sausage, or choose another ground meat entirely (such as ground turkey).
- Sugar: Even a tablespoon is too much for some people. If you don’t like the sound of sugar in your meat sauce, please leave it out. In my family, people add ¼ cup or even up to ½ cup.
- Italian seasoning: It’s easy to make your own homemade Italian seasoning with dried basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme and marjoram.
- Fennel seeds: The seeds make the Italian sausage flavors pop. If you love the taste of a sweet tomato sauce, use just ground beef (no sausage), at least ¼ cup sugar, and omit the fennel seeds.
- Ricotta cheese: Make your own ricotta with just 4 ingredients: Milk, lemon juice, vinegar, and salt.
- Lasagna noodles. NOT “oven ready” or “no-boil noodles.” Those pre-cooked noodles will shred on your fork in the most unappetizing way, while the “real” noodles will soften in the fridge in just 5 hours
How to Make No Boil Lasagna
Recipe revision: I updated this Lasagna recipe to make just the amount you need (2 quarts). In the past, my recipe made a quart of extra sauce. You can download a PDF of the original lasagna recipe ( <– click this link) if you are looking for that.
To make the meat sauce:
- In a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add beef (or sausage) and onion, and cook until mostly browned, about 5 minutes. Drain if desired. Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar, basil, Italian seasoning, and fennel seeds. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper). You should have about 2 quarts of sauce.
To make the cheese filling:
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, parsley, and salt. Chill until the sauce is finished.
How to Layer Lasagna
- In the bottom of a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish, spread 2 cups meat sauce. Arrange a single layer of uncooked noodles over the meat sauce (I sometimes do 3 full-size noodles lengthwise and then a partial noodle crosswise).
- Spread with a heaping 2/3 cup of the ricotta mixture. Top with about 1 ½ cups (5 ounces) of mozzarella. Sprinkle with ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese.
- Spoon 2 cups meat sauce over the cheese. Make another layer of noodles, ricotta mixture (heaping 2/3 cup), mozzarella (1 ½ cups) and Parmesan (⅓ cup). Repeat layers 1 more time, for a total of 3 layers. Spray a large piece of foil with nonstick spray and cover baking dish. Refrigerate at least 5 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake, covered with foil, for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an until hot and bubbly, about 25 minutes longer. Cool 5 minutes, then garnish with parsley before serving if desired.
No Boil Lasagna Recipe Tips and Variations
- Yield: As written, the lasagna is made in a 9” by 13” baking dish, enough for 12 servings.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: Make this recipe up to 3 days before you need it and keep it in the refrigerator.
- Freezer: Wrap the unbaked lasagna tightly in plastic wrap and freeze it for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bake as directed (preheat oven to 375 degrees, bake 25 minutes with foil, 25 minutes without foil). To bake the frozen lasagna straight from the freezer, bake 1 hour covered with foil and 24 minutes without the foil (the lasagna must reach 165 degrees on an internal thermometer).
- Store-bought sauce: You’ll need 2 quarts of sauce for one pan of lasagna. You might want to add a little extra water if the sauce is on the thick side. This lasagna recipe uses a wet sauce so the noodles can soften in the liquid.
- Disposable aluminum pans: I’ve made this in aluminum pans without a problem. They’re just fine!
- Pesto: Got a jar of pesto in the pantry, or homemade pesto in the refrigerator? Add a surprise layer somewhere for lots of extra flavor.
- Lasagna as a soup: Dinner in 30 minutes with my stove top Lasagna Soup, or set and forget my Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup with only 10 minutes of prep.
What to Serve With Lasagna
Round out your Italian feast with an Italian-inspired salad such as a Caesar salad or antipasto salad. Add a side of garlic bread or bruschetta on toasted crostini. If you prefer a vegetable side, choose something green and light such as roasted green beans with lemon.
For dessert, choose any Italian classic such as Tiramisu or a basket of crunchy Italian pizzelle. If you’re looking for a cocktail, try an Aperol Spritz or a pitcher of Red Sangria.
How to Store No Boil Lasagna
Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Make ahead:
Make this recipe up to 3 days before you need it and keep it in the refrigerator.
Freezer:
Wrap the unbaked lasagna tightly in plastic wrap and freeze it for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bake as directed (preheat oven to 375 degrees, bake 25 minutes with foil, 25 minutes without foil). To bake the frozen lasagna straight from the freezer, bake 1 hour covered with foil and 24 minutes without the foil (the lasagna must reach 165 degrees on an internal thermometer).
Recipe FAQs
No-boil noodles shred on the end of your fork in the most unappetizing way, so this recipe uses traditional dry lasagna noodles that soften in the source in a matter of hours. It takes a little bit of planning, but it’s fool-proof!
I love a mixture of three cheeses in my lasagna: ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan.
1. Ricotta is the primary cheese. A layer of ricotta is creamy with a smooth texture, and the other cheeses layer on top of it.
2. Mozzarella melts like a dreamy so you get that classic stretchy cheese you expect. It also has a mild flavor that doesn’t overpower the dish.
3. Parmesan adds a savory flavor and saltiness. It’s the least important, but I always add it.
If you don’t like ricotta cheese, substitute cottage cheese or just use more mozzarella. You could also use provolone (just make sure it isn’t smoked). Instead of Parmesan, you could try fontina, pecorino Romano, or asiago.
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Oven Ready Lasagna
Ingredients
For the meat sauce:
- 1 pound ground beef (see note 1)
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage
- 1 medium onion peeled and chopped (about 1 cup)
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar or to taste (see note 2)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (see note 3)
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (see note 4)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the cheese filling:
- 1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese (see note 5)
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For assembly:
- 1 box lasagna noodles NOT no-boil (see note 6)
- 1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- minced fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
To make the meat sauce:
- In a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add beef (or sausage) and onion, and cook until mostly browned, about 5 minutes. Drain if desired. Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar, basil, Italian seasoning, and fennel seeds. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper). You should have about 2 quarts of sauce.
To make the cheese filling:
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, parsley, and salt. Chill until the sauce is finished.
To assemble and bake the lasagna:
- In the bottom of a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish, spread 2 cups meat sauce. Arrange a single layer of uncooked noodles over the meat sauce (I sometimes do 3 full-size noodles lengthwise and then a partial noodle crosswise). Spread with a heaping 2/3 cup of the ricotta mixture. Top with about 1 ½ cups (5 ounces) of mozzarella. Sprinkle with ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese.
- Spoon 2 cups meat sauce over the cheese. Make another layer of noodles, ricotta mixture (heaping 2/3 cup), mozzarella (1 ½ cups) and Parmesan (⅓ cup). Repeat layers 1 more time, for a total of 3 layers.
- Spray a large piece of foil with nonstick spray and cover baking dish. Refrigerate at least 5 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake, covered with foil, for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an until hot and bubbly, about 25 minutes longer. Cool 5 minutes, then garnish with parsley before serving if desired.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Ground meat: I prefer 1 pound each of ground beef and Italian sausage (2 pounds total). Or use just ground beef, just ground Italian sausage, or choose another ground meat entirely (such as ground turkey).
- Sugar: Even a tablespoon is too much for some people. If you don’t like the sound of sugar in your meat sauce, please leave it out. In my family, people add ¼ cup or even up to ½ cup.
- Italian seasoning: To make your own Italian Seasoning, in a small bowl, combine 2 Tbsp. of dried basil, 2 Tbsp. of dried oregano, 2 Tbsp. of dried rosemary, 2 Tbsp. of dried thyme, and 2 Tbsp. of dried marjoram. Store extra in an airtight container.
- Fennel seeds: The seeds make the Italian sausage flavors pop. If you love the taste of a sweet tomato sauce, use just ground beef (no sausage), at least ¼ cup sugar, and omit the fennel seeds.
- Ricotta cheese: Make your own ricotta with just 4 ingredients: Milk, lemon juice, vinegar, and salt.
- Lasagna noodles. NOT “oven ready” or “no-boil noodles.” Those pre-cooked noodles will shred on your fork in the most unappetizing way, while the “real” noodles will soften in the fridge in just 5 hours
- Yield: As written, the lasagna is made in a 9” by 13” baking dish, enough for 12 servings.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: Make this recipe up to 3 days before you need it and keep it in the refrigerator.
- Freezer: Wrap the unbaked lasagna tightly in plastic wrap and freeze it for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bake as directed (preheat oven to 375 degrees, bake 25 minutes with foil, 25 minutes without foil). To bake the frozen lasagna straight from the freezer, bake 1 hour covered with foil and 24 minutes without the foil (the lasagna must reach 165 degrees on an internal thermometer).
- Store-bought sauce: You’ll need 2 quarts of sauce for one pan of lasagna. You might want to add a little extra water if the sauce is on the thick side. This lasagna recipe uses a wet sauce so the noodles can soften in the liquid.
- Disposable aluminum pans: I’ve made this in aluminum pans without a problem. They’re just fine!
- Pesto: Got a jar of pesto in the pantry, or homemade pesto in the refrigerator? Add a surprise layer somewhere for lots of extra flavor.
I had a lot of sauce leftover, is that normal? Froze it for spaghetti sauce
Hi Martha, sometimes. This sauce is great for spaghetti! Take care! – Meggan
Loved it! I will never pre-boil lasagna noodles ever ever again! Like many people who commented I was also worried the raw, not boiled, regular lasagna noodles would not get done but it turned out perfectly. I followed the recipe exactly but I did make a few adjustments, most of which were listed in the recipe notes. I cut the recipe in half since I had a small group of people visiting for the weekend. I used a disposable aluminum pan with high sides (mine was 9″x11″ because I couldn’t find 9″x9″ at the store) and it worked perfectly as per the notes. I was able to fit 3 full-size Creamette lasagna noodles in my pan for a total of 9 noodles (because there are 3 layers). Even though I used a smaller pan I baked it exactly the same as the recipe instructions. I used one-half pound of Johnsonville mild ground sausage and one-half pound of ground 85/15 hamburger. Instead of using crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste, I used one 32 oz. jar of Rao’s Marinara to make it easier on myself. I did finally use up that jar of pesto that’s been sitting in my fridge and I added it to one layer of the lasagna…awesome tip. Since I was using the pesto I decided to omit the dried basil in the meat sauce for fear it might be overpowering (too basil-forward). In hindsight, I don’t think it would’ve been. Also, I am not a huge fan of Ricotta cheese so I used one-half of a 15 oz. container of Kemps 1% cottage cheese instead for the cheese filling. I like to spread my cheese filling directly on top of the 3 noodles in each layer. My guests were staying the entire weekend so I assembled it on Friday, froze it immediately, and then thawed it in the fridge for 24 hours and baked it on Sunday evening. I guess I could’ve left the lasagna in the fridge from Fri to Sun but we weren’t sure if we would eat out or stay in on Sun evening so I decided to freeze it and this allowed us to be flexible (and my fridge is rather small, lol). I served the lasagna on Sunday evening with a homemade Caesar salad and garlic bread from the freezer section of the grocery store. My guests even took some of the leftover lasagna home when they left! I will be making this again for my next get-together!
Meggan, I am planning to make your Make Ahead Lasagna recipe for Christmas dinner. I have already made the sauce (delicious) but I am confused about the amount needed. The recipe says you need 2 quarts (8 cups total) but the specific directions calls for 2 cups of sauce for each of 3 layers (6 cups total). Please clarify. Also, can I use BelGioioso Fresh Mozzarella in this recipe. Thank you in advance for your help.
Hi Michael, yes. You’re correct. Most folks, myself included, aren’t putting exactly two cups for each layer, especially since the meat sauce is nice and chunky. To avoid the risk of running out of sauce when making the third layer, there is a little extra sauce accounted in the recipe. I’m glad you loved the meat sauce, too! I don’t see why you can’t use use the BelGioioso Fresh Mozzarella, it’s quite good! Take care and please let me know if you have any other questions! – Meggan
Made this recipe for Christmas dinner about a week before Christmas and froze it per the instructions. Came out great! Family loved it. Served with Caesar salad and garlic knots. Made for a really nice Christmas dinner. Thank you Meggan!
You’re so welcome, Michael! I really appreciate you writing back! I’m so happy you and your family loved it and had a great Christmas. Take care! – Meggan
Definitely delicious how I make it from now on.
Thank you for writing, Kevin! I’m so glad you loved it! – Meggan
I did not make the recipe yet but would like to assemble and freeze the lasagna. Do I have to let it sit in the fridge before I freeze it or will the noodles soften enough on their own during the thawing or cooking process when I take it out of the freezer
Hi Elaine, there’s no need to refrigerate the lasagna first. Once the lasagna is assembled and cooled, it can be wrapped and be placed directly in the freezer. Then you can either pull it out and place it in the refrigerator to thaw overnight then bake, or bake it right out of the freezer (which will take about 30 minutes longer), the noodles will soften either way. I hope you enjoy it! Please let me know if you have anymore questions! – Meggan
This looks easy and delicious…I’m going t try this for Christmas day..to free me up from cooking that day…I’ve made lasagna many times and usually use the regular noodles…I tried the mo boil onrs..and don’t like their texture..My only concern is If I put this together 2days before I bake it..is that OK and will the noodles bake good..and taste good?..Thanks so much..hope t hear back💗
Hi Linda, thank you for writing! Two days is perfectly fine! You can also assemble it, cool and then freeze it ahead of time, and bake it from frozen when you’re ready. Please let me know if you have anymore questions! Hope you have a great Christmas! – Meggan
The best lasagna I have ever made. I do NOT COOK ever and I made this on a whim! Thanks!
You’re welcome, Kimberly! I’m so glad you loved it! – Meggan
Hi! I am curious if you have ever tried this with a bechamel sauce or any other kind of white sauce? Thank you!
Hi Adrienne, I haven’t but other readers have. One reader, Kevin, layers ricotta and bechamel with the meat sauce. Please write back if you try it! – Meggan
Hi! I have never premade lasagna before and I am so nervous about not boiling the noodles. How would it turn out if I did boil the noodles? My plan is to assemble everything the night before, and bake the next night, so it would be in the fridge for almost 24 hours. What would this do to the noodles, boiled or not? Thanks for your help!
Hi Clare! I understand your concerns! This recipe is perfect for what you’re saying you plan to do. The un-boiled/raw noodles will soften in the sauce as it sits overnight in the refrigerator. No need to take the extra step and boil them. If you do boil them, they will likely be more soft and soggy if the lasagna is not baked and is held overnight. It might work out fine, but you don’t need to do the extra steps. – Meggan
I love this recipe, particularly for the sauce. Somehow, though, I never seem to remember and account for the 5 hours of chilling time (despite the fact that it says “make ahead” in the recipe title). What are your recommendations for baking immediately? Boil the noodles? Par-boil the noodles?
Hi Jamie! Thank you for your question! I completely understand! I would boil and drain the noodles, and when making the sauce allow it to simmer a little bit longer to thicken up some, since you won’t need the extra liquid to soften the noodles. Please let me know if you have any more questions! – Meggan