Go Back
a slice of lasagna on a plate with some salad greens beside the entire dish of homemade lasagna
Print Recipe

The Best Homemade Lasagna

Satisfying layers of easy homemade tomato sauce, cottage cheese, spinach, pasta, and loads of mozzarella make this lasagna recipe an instant family favourite.
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 45 minutes
Course: Main Course
Keyword: cheesecake, cottage cheese, homemade, lasagna, mozzarella, pasta, tomato sauce
Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients

For the sauce:

  • 1 small onion, finely diced
  • 7 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 plum/roma tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 can (680 ml) tomato sauce
  • 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tbsp dried basil
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1 cup water

Cheese Blend:

  • 1 cup cottage cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 150 grams frozen chopped spinach, thawed
  • ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 3½ cups grated mozzarella cheese, divided

Lasagna:

  • 12 sheets oven ready lasagna noodles
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • 2 tbsp chopped parsley, to garnish (optional)

Instructions

  • In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook the chopped onion in olive oil until onions begin to soften and caramelize. Add ground beef and brown, breaking up as it cooks. Stir in chopped tomato, garlic, italian seasoning, basil, and season with salt and pepper.
  • Pour in tomato sauce and water, and bring to a gentle boil. Stir in sugar. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
  • Meanwhile, stir together beaten egg, cottage cheese, 2 cups grated mozzarella, spinach, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
  • In a 9x13 baking dish, spread 1 cup of tomato sauce, covering the bottom of the dish.
  • Lay lasagna pasta sheets in rows over the sauce, breaking to fit. Allow a few millimetres of space between sheets to allow for pasta to expand as it cooks.
  • Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture onto the pasta, spreading to the edges of the pan. Top with 1/3 of the tomato sauce, then another layer of pasta.
  • Layer remaining cheese mixture, 1/3 of the sauce, and one more layer of pasta, breaking to fit. Top with last 1/3 of the tomato sauce.
  • Sprinkle 1½ cups grated mozzarella and parmesan cheese over lasagna. Season with pepper.
  • Cover lasagna loosely with tin foil, tenting it so that the foil doesn't touch the cheese as much as possible. Bake in a degree oven for or until pasta is soft when pierced with a sharp knife and top of lasagna is bubbling. Remove foil for the last 20 minutes of baking. Lasagna will be very hot, so let cool slightly before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Notes

Cooked lasagna can be wrapped in cling wrap and foil and frozen for up to 3 months. To reheat, remove wrapping. Tent foil over lasagna, then bake for approx 70-90 mins, or until hot and bubbly. Remove foil to brown the cheese on top during last 20 mins of baking.