READY IN 1½ hrs

Best Lasagna

Read Reviews (44)

"This recipe is called 'Best Lasagna' because it is rated best by my family and friends. May be served with a light garden salad with Italian dressing." — Kristen

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Boil lasagna noodles 6 to 8 minutes until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water. Lay noodles flat and remove excess water with a paper towel.
In a skillet, brown the ground beef over medium-high heat. Add onion, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Cook until there is no remaining pink color in beef. Drain any liquids and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together ricotta cheese, Romano cheese, 2 cups of the spaghetti sauce and the seasoned ground beef. Mix until well blended. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Add a thin layer of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Add a layer of noodles lengthwise and a few noodles in the opposite direction. Pour in a generous layer of ricotta mixture on top of noodles. Top ricotta layer with several basil leaves. Add another layer of noodles lengthwise. Spread on 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Line up the zucchini slices on top of the mozzarella cheese. Add another thin layer of ricotta cheese. Add the last layer of noodles lengthwise. Top the noodles with the remaining spaghetti sauce, several more basil leaves in an eye catching arrangement and top with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese.
Bake in a preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes. If Mozzarella cheese becomes too browned, loosely cover with a piece of foil.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 30 mins
COOK 1 hr
READY IN 1 hr 30 mins

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Mar 30, 2003

I used Italian Sausage (Jimmy Dean's) in place of beef- which was INCREDIBLE, cottage cheese in place of ricotta and parmesan in place of romano. I also used 2 jars of spaghetti sauce and 1/2 cups (1 package shredded all together) extra mozzerella. Also added a couple cloves of minced garlic. Can't leave that out!! It was the absolutely the best lasagna ever! I also used the no-cook lasagna noodles and just put them in the dish dry, it worked great- and saved a lot of time and mess. I highly recommend these changes to anyone. I will be making it again and again. My boyfriend was ecstatic as well!

—KETCHUP

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Oct 30, 2005

Is the amount of ricotta cheese a misprint? This was my first time making lasagna and I picked this recipe because I like chesse. But the ricotta was waaaay too overpowering for my homemade spaghetti sauce and the dish turned out to be really disgusting. If I was to try to make this recipe again I would use half as much ricotta. Yuck.

—Demarus

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55 Ratings

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Sep 11, 2003

A really good recipe for lasagna. Very easy to make. I used the suggestion of sausage instead of hamburger meat. That worked very well, but I am going to try the hamburger next time for the texture. Definitely needed A LOT more pasta sauce. If you are going to try this, triple what the original recipe calls for in this regard.

—blg2601

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Aug 16, 2007

Fantastic. I used the suggestions of all the reviewers to make sure that this turned out well. First, I added a few cloves of minced garlic to the meat. I also kept the ricotta/romano mixture (to which I added a beaten egg and a package of frozen spinach) separate from the meat/sauce mixture. For the sauce I used my favorite garden vegetable chunky spaghetti sauce. This made for a lasagna that my boyfriend claims is my best yet! By the way, half a package of lasagna noodles would have been sufficient. I ended up throwing away half of the pound. Thank you for the recipe!

—MOLLE888

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Jul 07, 2008

I made this last night for dinner with friends and they loved it! I read the reviews and made some changes. I used no boil noodles and used a total of 12 (4 layers of 3 across). I added a tablespoon of garlic to the meat mixture because I love garlic and left out the salt and pepper (it didn't need it). I used 2 cups of ricotta and 2 cups of cottage cheese. I also used a Romano/Parmesan mixture. I used more sauce than the recipe called for - almost 2 jars. I also added a box of frozen spinach to the cheese mixture and did not mix the meat sauce with it, layering it instead. I only used 1 zucchini and that seemed to be plenty. The basil leaves added a wonderful flavor. I love meat lasagna and veggie lasnaga - this was the best of both worlds!

—BAKINGQUEEN111

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Dec 04, 2008

with tweaks mentioned below - this was INCREDIBLE!!

—Robert

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Sep 27, 2008

I am only giving this 4 stars because I took the advice of a fellow rater and decreased the ricotta by half. It turned out great! And I did also use more spaghetti sauce.

—Jennifer

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Oct 07, 2003

It was fair sounding! First, I eliminated the zucchini & substituted morel mushrooms,then I ommitted the ground beef & added real Italian sausage (not Jimmy Dean).Lastly I always spread a scim of my prepared Italian sauce on the bottom of my pan ,insuring both moisture & taste from top to bottom! These ...kicked it up a notch!

—DONNY D

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Nutrition

Calories
543 kcal
27%

Carbohydrates
50.2 g
16%

Cholesterol
82 mg
27%

Fat
22.7 g
35%

Fiber
4.1 g
16%

Protein
34.7 g
69%

Sodium
749 mg
30%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Best Lasagna

Serving Size: 1/10 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 10
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 543
Calories from Fat: 205

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 22.7g 35 %
Saturated Fat 11.7g 59 %
Cholesterol 82mg 27 %
Sodium 749mg 30 %
Potassium 664mg 19 %
Total Carbohydrates 50.2g 16 %
Dietary Fiber 4.1g 16 %
Protein 34.7g 69 %
Sugars 8.8g
Vitamin A 30 %
Vitamin C 8 %
Calcium 72 %
Iron 35 %
** Thiamin 10 %
Niacin 93 %
Vitamin B6 22 %
Magnesium 28 %
Folate 71 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.