Baked Lasagna
Quick answer
- Total time
- 70 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 10
About this dish
Baked lasagna stacks wide pasta sheets between slow-cooked beef Bolognese sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan, then bakes the whole assembly into the kind of deeply layered dish that is foundational to Italian baked pasta.
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Construction begins with a thin coat of tomato sauce on the bottom of the baking dish to prevent sticking, followed by alternating layers of pasta, meat sauce, and cheese. Ricotta spreads as a mild, creamy buffer between the layers, tempering the acidity of the tomato base and keeping the interior moist. Mozzarella melts into the spaces between layers, binding them together and stretching when pulled. Parmesan scattered over the top forms a golden-brown crust after forty-five minutes of baking. A single preparation yields four or more servings, making it practical for gatherings. Assembling the lasagna the night before and refrigerating it overnight gives the sauce time to absorb into the pasta, producing a more cohesive texture when it finally bakes. Leftovers reheat well and lose little of the original flavor, so the dish improves as a meal-prep option.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Control
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat, cook 120g diced onion for 5 minutes until soft and translucent, then add 300g ground beef and break it apart with a wooden spoon, cooking 7-8 minutes until evenly browned with no pink remaining.
- 2Control
Add 400g tomato sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, and 0.5 teaspoon pepper, reduce to low heat, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens enough to drip slowly off a spoon.
- 3Season
Spread a thin layer of meat sauce on the bottom of an oven-safe dish to prevent sticking.
Place underdone lasagna sheets (boiled 2 minutes less than package time), spread 180g ricotta, then spoon more meat sauce to complete the first layer.
- 4Season
Tear 180g mozzarella into small pieces and scatter evenly over the layer.
Repeat the sequence (sheets, ricotta, sauce, mozzarella) 2-3 more times, then top the final layer with all remaining mozzarella and 40g grated Parmesan.
- 5Control
Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 190C for 25 minutes, then remove the foil and bake 5 more minutes until the cheese surface bubbles and turns a deep golden brown.
- 6Prep
Remove from the oven and rest for 10 minutes undisturbed so the internal temperature drops and the cheese between layers firms up, allowing you to cut clean, structured portions with a sharp knife.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Baked Lasagna stacks Bolognese sauce and ricotta between wide pasta sheets for deep layers.
- Finish cue
- Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 190C for 25 minutes, then remove the foil and bake 5 more minutes until the cheese surface bubbles and turns a deep golden brown.
- Storage and reheating
- Assembling the lasagna the night before and refrigerating it overnight gives the sauce time to absorb into the pasta, producing a more cohesive texture when it finally bakes.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
70min, 10 ingredients
Category median
35min, 9 ingredients
Based on 109 recipes
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