Lasagna is a comfort food classic. This baked casserole has stacked layers of pasta, ragu meat sauce, and four cheeses. Assemble, bake, and enjoy now or freeze to enjoy later.
Add the ground beef and sausage. Cook until no longer pink, crumbling the meat as it cooks. Drain the excess fat.
Add the garlic, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, basil, and parsley. Stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cover and simmer for 30 minutes (or up to 1 ½ hours).
Cheese mixture
Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, Parmesan, and parsley. Stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Assembling the lasagna
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray.
Add a layer a noodles to the bottom of the dish, breaking them to fit if necessary. Add half of the meat sauce and spread to cover evenly. Top with half of the cheese mixture, spreading evenly over the meat sauce.
Add another layer of noodles and top with remaining meat sauce. Spread remaining cheese mixture over the meat sauce.
Add a final layer of noodles over the cheese mixture. Top the noodles with the sliced mozzarella, overlapping generously.
Bake, uncovered, for 45-50 minutes until the cheese is golden brown and the dish is bubbling around the edges. Rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
If using traditional lasagna noodles, cook them accordingly to package directions while the sauce simmers. Drain well.
To make ahead: prepare and assemble the lasagna. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for up to 2 days. When ready to serve, bring to room temperature and bake according to recipe directions. Alternatively, place the cold, covered casserole in a cold oven, turn the oven on and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15-25 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown and the lasagna is bubbling around the edges and warm throughout.
To prepare the meat sauce up to 2 days in advance. prepare and simmer. Let cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When ready to bake, mix together the cheese mixture and assemble the lasagna. Bake according to the recipe instructions.
To freeze: Prepare and assemble the lasagna. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. Freeze for up to two months. Thaw in the refrigerator. Then bake per the make-ahead directions noted above.
If you don't want a casserole dish tied up in the freezer, assemble the lasagna in a disposable aluminum foil pan.
Alternatively, line the casserole dish with aluminum foil, leaving several inches of overhang on all sides. Assemble the lasagna and freeze. Once solid, use the foil overhang to lift the lasagna out of the pan. Wrap the lasagna tightly and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to thaw and bake, unwrap the frozen lasagna, removing the foil. Place the lasagna back into the same dish. Once thawed, bake according to the make-ahead directions.
Reheating: Lasagna reheats beautifully in the microwave. Heat individual slices on a microwave-safe plate until warm throughout.
You can also reheat a whole casserole of lasagna in the oven. Cover with aluminum foil and heat at 350 degrees until warm throughout, approx. 45-60 minutes.