Make-Ahead Beef and Sausage Lasagna
Layered, rested, and sliced clean — the one thing worth assembling the night before you actually need it.
- Serves
- 8
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 55 min
- Written
Method
-
Cook the ground beef and sausage in a large pot over medium-high heat, breaking it up, until no pink remains.
-
Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion turns translucent.
-
Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, salt, and pepper, and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until visibly thickened, about 25 minutes.
-
Meanwhile, boil the lasagna noodles in well-salted water until just pliable but firmer than al dente, then drain and lay flat so they don’t stick together.
-
Stir together the ricotta, egg, parmesan, parsley, and a pinch of salt in a bowl.
-
Spread a thin layer of meat sauce in a 9x13-inch baking dish, then layer noodles, the ricotta mixture, mozzarella, and more meat sauce, repeating until the dish is full and finishing with sauce and mozzarella on top.
-
Cover tightly with foil, tenting it so it doesn’t touch the cheese, and bake at 375°F until bubbling at the edges, about 30 minutes.
-
Uncover and bake until the top is browned in spots, about 15 minutes more.
-
Let it rest at least 15 minutes before slicing, so the layers hold instead of sliding apart.
Notes
The rest at the end isn’t optional — cut it straight from the oven and every slice collapses into a puddle of ricotta. Fifteen minutes lets the layers set enough to hold a clean edge.
This is built to assemble ahead: layer it the night before and refrigerate unbaked, adding 15 minutes to the covered bake time straight from the fridge, or freeze it whole and thaw overnight before baking. Swap the sausage for more ground beef if you want it milder, or work a couple handfuls of wilted spinach into the ricotta.