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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.
Hi I’m going to make this for Christmas Eve. If I use the traditional noodles do I need to cook them before assembly?
Hi Caroline, no need to cook the noodles before assembling. The noodles will soften as the lasagna sits overnight. I hope you love it and ahve a Merry Christmas! – Meggan
ABSOLUTELY recommend! I needed to feed 60 people and catered lasagna was crazy expensive. I made seven* lasagnas the night before the event having not tried the recipe – risky I know, but literally this recipe was an answer to prayer. Everyone loved it and since the plan was to cater it, they asked where I bought it. I took assembly line pics to prove it was not catered. I baked all six at the same time on convection under foil, then transported to the event and finished baking uncovered. Make ahead is a game changer! I was able to get seven pans from a six* quantity recipe. In the end, froze one, ate four and 1/2 at the event, sent remainder home with grateful recipients. The recipe link has been shared and successfully made by others. Thanks so much for sharing your Best Make Ahead Lasagna recipe – it was the best!
What an undertaking, Domine! I’m so glad it was a HUGE success! 🙌 Great job! Thanks for taking the time to write. Take care! – Meggan
I’ve made this two years in a row for Thanksgiving. In my previous post, I forgot to mention, for me what worked was to do 45 minutes with foil, and then 30 minutes without. Then 10 minutes settle time outside the oven.
So my only comment about the baking times from my experience is that 25 with foil and 25 without didn’t get us there. With the added time, it was so delicious – and all my foodie relatives loved it!!
This of course might be a difference in our oven from the oven used to create this great recipe
Thank you so much, Robin, for the thoughtful responses. I’m so glad it helped you and your family have less stress for Thanksgiving! – Meggan
I made this overnight lasagna recipe last Thanksgiving, when we agreed to move the turkey dinner to Christmas.
Everyone loved it. This year, let’s do that again was the request. And, once again, such a huge success in terms of how much all the guests loved and enjoyed this entree.
As a host, if your family or friends are not married to a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, this is your go to! It’s so nice to be able to make this the day before everyone arrives. We added salad and sides, yet it wasn’t the usual scramble of a traditional Thanksgiving meal. It was calm!
If you’re hosting a dinner, this would be a wonderful choice! Make the day ahead, then only doing salad and veggies as it cooks the day of. Delicious option that cuts down on stress and delivers yummy-ness to your guests.
We round it out with oven cooked asparagus, and a salad of mixed greens, pear and walnut homemade dressing.
It says cook time 1 hrs 20 minutes, then at end it says cook total of 50 minutes?
Hi Wendy, the cook time includes cooking time for the meat sauce and time for the assembled lasagna to bake. Thanks for your question, take care! – Meggan
pardon my crazy question, but do you think this would work with a different kind of pasta, like ziti or penne? like a baked ziti?
Hi Harley, I haven’t tried it myself, so I can’t say for sure. Sorry about that! – Meggan
Hi there, I finished making your recipe and the sauce tastes great! Since you said it’s a wet sauce I had to add a cup of water and then I added some jarred sauce to make up for any loss of flavor.
I was really short on the ricotta. Using 15 ounces, egg and salt it only gave me a little over two heaping 2/3 cups.
Question: since I’m freezing it should I place it in the fridge for five hours first? I am doing that in hopes it will soften the noodles before I pop it in the freezer.
Thank you for the recipe and as this is for Christmas time when family will be here fingers crossed it will turn out ok.
Jana
Hi Jana, thank you so much for writing! I’ll look into the ricotta, so sorry about that! For freezing there’s no need to put it in the refrigerator first, you can wrap in plastic wrap once cool and place in the freezer. 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 and your family enjoy it! Please let me know if you have anymore questions! – Meggan
I was attending a conference staying at an Airbnb and invited some other conference attendees over for dinner. Wanted something I could make ahead and pop in the oven and this was just perfect! I made the sauce the night before and put the lasagna together the morning of. Super easy and it was a huge hit! I just used turkey but will try again with Italian sausage. Definitely keeping this recipe!
Thank you for writing, Katrina! What a great way to utilize the recipe! – Meggan
Excellent recipe! My family enjoyed it so much. This will be at our Thanksgiving spread this year. Thank you for sharing this!
You’re so welcome, Emily! 😊 – Meggan
Do you ever sit the refrigerated lasagne out to get room temp first?
Hi Pamela, no need to bring it to room temperature. It can go from the fridge into the oven. – Meggan