We have been long overdue for an update to this hearty meat lasagna recipe! I have been working on making it the BEST classic lasagna recipe ever, and this is finally it!
We layer this lasagna with our authentic bolognese meat sauce, a creamy bechamel sauce and 2 types of cheese all tucked between layers of lasagna noodles. You’re absolutely going to love this easy lasagna recipe!
It was 2009 when I first posted this recipe…2009…15 years! SO much has changed since then…we’ve expanded our family. We’ve moved (three times). We’ve progressed from toddlers and tantrums to teenagers and still tantrums 🤪. It seems natural that this lasagna recipe should change a little too. It’s now better and bolder and everything a homemade lasagna should be.
Ingredients for Hearty Meat Lasagna
I’m going to divide up the ingredients list between the three different parts of this recipe – the meat sauce, the bechamel sauce and the items needed to assemble the lasagna. Here is what you will need:
Meat Bolognese Sauce
- Butter and Olive Oil
- Vegetables: Carrots, Celery, Red Onion, Garlic
- Proteins: Ground Beef and Italian Sausage
- Tomatoes: Roasted Tomatoes, Tomato Sauce, Fire Roasted Tomatoes (canned)
- Milk and Heavy Cream
- Cooking Wine
- Lemon Zest and Juice
- Seasonings: Nutmeg, Bay Leaves, Salt and Pepper
Bechamel Sauce
- Butter
- Flour
- Whole Milk
- Nutmeg
- Kosher Salt
- Pepper
Lasagna Ingredients
- Oven Ready Lasagna Noodles
- Fresh Parmesan
- Mozzarella Cheese
Don’t be alarmed! You did not read ricotta cheese in that ingredients list. We actually found that we preferred the lasagna without it! Keep scrolling to the end of the post for the measurements for each ingredient.
How to Make Homemade Meat Lasagna
To Make the Meat Sauce
- Prepare the bolognese sauce as instructed in that post and set aside.
For the Bechamel Sauce
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Sprinkle in the flour continuously whisking it in until a paste forms and it bubbles a little.
- Add in the milk slowing still whisking constantly. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and let the sauce simmer until it thickens.
- Whisk in the salt, pepper and nutmeg.
For the Lasagna
- Prehea