Hearty Italian Lasagna with Ricotta Cheese

By Amanda Scarlati - Updated: Feb 28, 2025 - Published: Feb 19, 2021 - This post contains affiliate links.

4.97 from 79 votes

Total Time 1 30

piece of layered meat lasagna with ricotta on a white plate in front of a white dish.

This hearty Italian Lasagna Recipe is made with ricotta cheese layered with noodles, a meaty sauce and lots of cheese. This is our family recipe that we love for lasagna is a must for Sunday dinner!

slice of lasagna with ricotta cheese on a plate in front of baking dish

We love comfort food of all kinds at our house. Whether it's chicken pot pie, meatloaf, or even pot roast, these soul-warming meals are a staple during the cold winter months.

This Italian Lasagna with Ricotta Cheese is hearty, filling, and the perfect meal to share with a friend or with family. It would be delicious served with crusty Italian bread, arugula salad, or roasted artichokes.

If you love lasagna as much as we do, make sure you also try my white lasagna with spinach and mushrooms or Easy Skillet Lasagna!

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🍅 Ingredient notes
📋 Substitutions and variations
🔪 Step by step instructions
⭐ Expert tips
🍅 Order of lasagna layers
⏲️ Make ahead instructions
🥡 Storage suggestions
Reader Review
🍝 More class comfort food recipes
#ScarlatiFamilyKitchen
Recipe
Comments

🍅 Ingredient notes

Sauce - Both ground beef and pork are cooked and simmered with my Italian gravy marinara to make a rich and hearty homemade meat sauce. A store-bought sauce can be used as well or the meat can be omitted to make this vegetarian.
Filling - Depending on where the recipe originated, some recipes use a bechamel or white sauce in place of ricotta cheese. I recommend using a whole milk ricotta cheese to make sure you get the creamiest filling.
Cheese - In addition to the ricotta cheese, I use both mozzarella and parmesan for layering. The mozzarella adds a creamy, melty texture, while the parmesan cheese adds a nice sharpness and saltiness. Provolone or Romano cheese are other Italian Cheeses that can also be added to the mix. I always recommend freshly grating your cheese for the best flavor and melt factor!
Lasagna Noodles - I use oven-ready lasagna noodles, because honestly, it's one less step. I don't notice a huge difference in the end result, so it's a win-win. Regular lasagna noodles can be used if that's what you have on hand, but just make sure you boil them first. Sometimes I will use my Homemade Pasta Recipe to make fresh pasta sheets for this and it is to die for! It's obviously extra work, but well worth it!

📋 Substitutions and variations

Gluten-Free - All of the components of this lasagna are naturally gluten-free, minus the noodles. Grab your favorite gluten-free lasagna noodles and you are good to go!
Veggies - I like to sneak extra veggies into this lasagna sometimes. Kale or baby spinach can be sautéed along with the onions and garlic for the cheese filling.
Sausage - You can substitute the ground pork with Italian sausage if you like, or do a mix. Some readers have used spicy Italian sausage and it turns out great!

🔪 Step by step instructions

First, cook the ground beef and pork together in a large skillet until browned, and then add the sauce. You can let this simmer on the stovetop while you make the filling.

For the filling, saute the diced onions and garlic with the olive oil and Italian seasoning. Then, add it to a large bowl, with the ricotta cheese, eggs, parmesan cheese, kosher salt, and black pepper. Mix it all together and then you are ready to assemble!

wooden spatula stirring meat sauce in a skillet and spoon stirring ricotta cheese mixture in bowl

To assemble the lasagna, first, mix the mozzarella and parmesan cheese in a bowl. Add a cup of sauce to the bottom of a deep casserole pan and add three of the noodles on top.

Next, dollop a third of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles and spread it around the best you can. (This doesn't have to be perfect!) Top the ricotta mixture with a third of the shredded cheese mixture and then half of the remaining sauce.

oven ready lasagna noodles on meat sauce in a pan and spoon spreading ricotta on noodles

Repeat the layering process two more times, with the last layer only consisting of noodles, ricotta, and shredded cheese.

Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil and bake in the oven at 375˚ for about 50 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for another 10 minutes to brown the cheese. You can also turn on the broiler for a few minutes if you really like those crispy edges!

unbaked lasagna with ricotta and parmesan cheese on top and freshly baked lasagna in a pan

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⭐ Expert tips

Use a deep-sided baking dish or casserole dish to ensure you have enough room for all of the layers without it boiling over. Place a sheet pan on the rack below the lasagna to catch any drips during cooking.
To prevent your lasagna from falling apart, let it sit for at least 10-15 minutes before attempting to cut and serve it. I know, I know, this is clearly the hardest part, but trust me, it will be worth it.

🍅 Order of lasagna layers

Even though I have made this lasagna 100 times, I still can't seem to remember the order of the layers! I made this quick graphic for you to reference during assembly to make it easy.

⏲️ Make ahead instructions

Fridge - Wrap the whole pan of lasagna in plastic wrap and store it unbaked in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Remove the lasagna from the refrigerator 30-60 minutes before cooking time to allow it to come to room temperature. Remove plastic wrap, cover in foil, and bake as directed.
Freezer - Wrap the whole pan of lasagna in plastic wrap and foil and store it unbaked in the freezer for up to 2 months. Allow the lasagna to fully defrost in the refrigerator. Pull the thawed lasagna out of the refrigerator 30-60 minutes before cooking time to allow it to come to room temperature. Remove plastic wrap, cover in foil, and bake as directed.

🥡 Storage suggestions

Keep leftover lasagna in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days and in the freezer for up to 1 month. Completely thaw the frozen baked lasagna in the refrigerator. Reheat leftovers in the microwave or oven until heated through.

Reader Review

"Best lasagna recipe ever! I made this today for Christmas Day and my family loved it. I used 1 lb grass fed organic hamburger, ½ lb Pork sausage and ⅓ lb spicy pork sausage. Thank you."

🍝 More class comfort food recipes

If you loved this recipe for hearty Italian lasagna with ricotta cheese, check out these other classic comfort food favorites that I know you will love too!

#ScarlatiFamilyKitchen

If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and give it a rating. I love to hear from each and every one of you! Tag me on Facebook and Instagram as well! It makes my day to see all of your photos of the food you have made.

Recipe

4.97 from 79 votes

Hearty Italian Lasagna with Ricotta Cheese

Yield : servings

Prep: 30

Cook: 1

Total: 1 30

This classic Italian lasagna with ricotta cheese is layered with oven-ready noodles, a hearty meat sauce, and two different kinds of cheese. A tasty comfort food recipe, this is the best lasagna recipe for a cold winter night or Sunday dinner with the family.

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Equipment

Lasagna Pan

Ingredients

Meat Sauce

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
5 cups Italian Sunday Gravy, or store-bought marinara

Ricotta Cheese Filling

1 Tablespoon olive oil
½ medium white onion, diced
1 Tablespoon minced garlic, approximately 2-3 cloves
2 Tablespoons Italian seasoning
32 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
¾ cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Lasagna Layers

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
¾ cup shredded parmesan cheese
9 oven ready lasagna noodles, or homemade pasta sheets

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Instructions

Meat Sauce

Preheat the oven to 375˚F and heat a large skillet or pot over medium heat.
Add olive oil, ground beef, ground pork, salt, and pepper. Cook the meat, stirring occasionally while breaking it up until it'sbrowned.
Stir in the Italian Sunday Gravy or marinara, then reduce the heat to low and simmer it for 10 minutes while you make the filling.

Ricotta Filling

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat on the stovetop. Saute the onions in the oil, for 3-5 minutes until softened.
Add the garlic and Italian seasoning, sauteeing for 1 minute, then add the mixture to a large bowl.
Add the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, eggs, salt, and pepper to the bowl and mix.

Lasagna Layering

In a small bowl, mix together the parmesan and mozzarella cheese.
In a deep-sided casserole or lasagna pan, spread approximately 1 cup of the meat sauce over the entire bottom of the pan.
Place three of the lasagna noodles over the sauce and top with one third of the ricotta mixture. Spread the mixture around to cover most of the noodles. Top the ricotta mixture with one third of the shredded cheese mixture and then top that with half of the remaining meat sauce.
Repeat the process for the next layer with 3 more noodles, the second third of the ricotta mixture, the second third of the shredded cheese, and the remaining meat sauce.
To complete the third layer, add the last three noodles, the final third of the ricotta mixture, and the final third of the shredded cheese.
Cover the pan tightly with foil and place in the oven on the middle rack to bake for 50 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes to brown the cheese. (Turn on the broiler for a couple minutes to get super crispy edges!)
Remove the lasagna and let rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

Baking - Place a sheet pan on the rack below the lasagna to catch any drips.
Cheese - Add provolone or romano cheese to the mix.
Veggies - Saute fresh baby spinach or kale with the onions and garlic.
Spicy - Use spicy Italian sausage in place of the ground pork.
Gluten-Free - Use gluten-free lasagna noodles.
Vegetarian - Omit the meat from the sauce.
Make Ahead (Fridge) - Wrap the pan in plastic wrap and store it unbaked in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Take lasagna out of the fridge 30-60 minutes before cooking time. Bake as directed.
Make Ahead (Freezer) - Wrap the pan in plastic wrap and foil and store it unbaked in the freezer for up to 2 months. Defrost completely in the fridge then bring to room temperature before cooking. Bake as directed.
Leftovers - Keep in an airtight container for 3-5 days in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave or oven until heated through.

Nutrition

Serving: 1squareCalories: 530kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 35gFat: 39gSaturated Fat: 19gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 157mgSodium: 1508mgPotassium: 700mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1138IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 483mgIron: 3mg

Author : Amanda Scarlati

Course : Dinner

Cuisine : Italian

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