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slice of lasagna with beef and ricotta on a plate garnished with fresh parm and parsley, another slice on a plate in the background

EASY LASAGNA RECIPE WITH RICOTTA

If there’s one dish I always get asked to make, it’s this Easy Lasagna Recipe with Ricotta. It’s cozy, cheesy, and guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser every single time.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 8 Servings

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Ground Beef
  • 1 (475g) tub Ricotta Cheese
  • 1 Egg
  • ¼ cup Fresh Parsley chopped, plus extra for garnish
  • ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese freshly grated, plus extra for garnish
  • 12 (Boil-First) Lasagna Noodles
  • 4-4 ½ cups Marinara/Tomato Sauce homemade or store-bought
  • 3-4 cups Mozzarella Cheese shredded
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
  • Boil your lasagna noodles until al dente according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside.
    hand with a wooden spoon in a pot of boiling lasagna noodles
  • In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until browned. Drain any fat. Season with salt and pepper.
    ground beef cooking in a cast iron skillet
  • Stir in about 3 to 3½ cups of the marinara sauce (reserve the remaining 1 to 1½ cups for layering separately). Simmer for 5–10 minutes, taste to make sure it's seasoned properly, then remove from heat.
    tomato meat sauce in a cast iron skillet
  • In a bowl, combine ricotta cheese, egg, chopped parsley, grated Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Mix until smooth.
    bowl of ricotta mixed with parmesan and chopped parsley, spatula in the bowl
  • Assemble the lasagna: Spread a thin layer of reserved plain sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
    layer of tomato sauce at the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish
  • Add a layer of noodles on top of the marinara sauce. Spread ⅓ of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Spoon over a layer of meat sauce. Sprinkle a generous layer of mozzarella then add a few extra spoonfuls of marinara sauce for extra moisture.
    baking dish of a single uncooked layer of lasagna - tomato sauce, ricotta, mozzarella cheese, meat sauce, lasagna noodles
  • Repeat for two more full layers.
    layer of 3 cooked lasagna noodles in a glass baking dish
  • Finish with one final layer of noodles and the rest of the plain sauce.
    layer of tomato sauce on top of lasagna noodles in a glass baking dish
  • Top with lots of mozzarella.
    uncooked lasagna with a layer of grated mozzarella cheese on top
  • Cover with foil (use toothpicks to keep it from sticking to the cheese) and bake for 40–45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10–15 minutes, until the top is golden and bubbly. Let it rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Garnish with more parsley and Parmesan if you’d like!
    cooked lasagna in a baking dish with fresh chopped parsley on top

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 480kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 1016mg | Potassium: 709mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1093IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 293mg | Iron: 3mg
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