This Meat Lover's Lasagna is a filling and delicious lasagna, perfect for special occasions or a hearty dinner. A rich meat sauce is filled with Italian sausage, ground beef, and topped with cheesy mozzarella, this Lasagna is sure to please wherever it is served!
I make this meat lovers lasagna recipe every year for Christmas Day. It is based off of Michael Symon's Mom's Lasagna that I saw on TV one day. I've adjusted the recipe to make it a little more simple and made with more readily available ingredients.
Don't save this pasta recipe for a special occasion though! It can be made for a weeknight dinner or a weekend dinner. The meat lover in your family will thank you! There are lot's of ideas for what to serve with lasagna too! If you are like me and you like to hide veggies in your dinners, this meat and vegetable lasagna is for you too!
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Why You'll Love This Meat Lover's Lasagna
- It's great for a crowd! Dare I say this is the ultimate lasagna recipe and everyone thinks so! This is my go-to lasagna recipe to make for a crowd, or to make on the weekends and enjoy throughout the week as leftovers.
- It's full of flavor! There's nothing I love more than a good lasagna! Full of fresh basil, creamy ricotta, tomato sauce, and lots of meat, you don't get better than this amazing lasagna! This recipe is the ultimate comfort food!
- It can be made ahead of time! This lasagna is perfect to make ahead and freeze or to make the day before and then enjoy the next day. You don't have to worry about making a fresh lasagna the day you need it. Make it the day before and enjoy when you need it.
Ingredients to Gather
- Olive oil. To sauté the veggies.
- Onions and garlic cloves. For added flavor for the sauce. If you don't have garlic cloves handy, you can use garlic powder instead.
- Meat. This is a meat lasagna after all! We'll be using both Italian Sausage and ground beef. If you are using sausage links, make sure to remove the sausage from the casing before cooking it. You can also buy ground sausage and add that to the sauce.
- Cheese. Lasagna isn't lasagna without ricotta and mozzarella cheese.
- Herbs. Fresh basil and fresh parsley.
- Eggs. Eggs keep the ricotta mixture together, which keeps the lasagna together.
- Wine. It might seem strange that we are adding white wine instead of red wine, but the white wine compliments the tomatoes and isn't too harsh. I find that red wine tends to be a little too much in the tomato sauce.
- Tomatoes. You'll need one 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes. If you can find San Marzano tomatoes in the grocery store, those are the best. Any 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes will work in this lasagna recipe.
See printable recipe card for full recipe information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
- Use no boil noodles. For lasagna, I prefer to boil my noodles first. I find that it gives the lasagna a better texture. If you like no boil noodles, you can use those instead of the uncooked lasagna noodles that you need to boil.
- Change the meat! Ground turkey, ground chicken, turkey sausage, or chicken sausage can be used instead of Italian sausage and lean ground beef.
- Change the tomato sauce. You can use your own homemade marinara sauce or a jar of your favorite tomato sauce. If you are using a premade tomato sauce, you don't have to worry about sautéing the garlic and onions first as there is plenty of flavor in the jarred tomato sauce.
- If you do not have fresh herbs on hand, use dried herbs! For every ¼ cup of fresh herbs, use ½ tablespoon of dried herbs.
- Add veggies! Just like in my meatless baked ziti recipe, I love adding spinach to the ricotta mixture. You can also place mushrooms, zucchini, or bell peppers in a food processor and mince them up. Add it to the meat sauce and let the vegetables cook with the meat.
How To Make Meat Lover's Lasagna
While the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat and season with two tablespoons of salt. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
How to Layer the Lasagna
Once the lasagna noodles have cooled slightly, it's time to start layering the lasagna.
Tips and Tricks
- Make sure to let the lasagna cool before you try to cut into it. It needs to cool for at least 20 minutes before you cut into it. If you don't, the lasagna will fall apart and not be that tall stack that you know and love.
- Do not overcook the lasagna noodles when you are boiling them. They should be very al dente because they will cook more in the oven as they bake with the rest of the ingredients.
- One pound of lasagna noodles will fill one 9x13 inch pan. To double the recipe, use two 9x13 inch pans. To half the recipe, use one 8x8 inch pan.
- When making the sauce ahead of time, grease will form on the top of the sauce when it cools. Skim the fat off the top of the sauce before heating it back up.
- If you find that the top of the lasagna is browning too quickly, cover the lasagna with aluminum foil to prevent the top from burning.
How To Serve Meat Lover's Lasagna
Serve this lasagna in small bowls with a dusting of parmesan cheese and some more fresh chopped herbs.
- Make a batch of sourdough rolls or whole wheat dinner rolls and serve them with the lasagna.
- Italian sauteed eggplant is a great side dish for this lasagna.
- Italian stuffed mushrooms would be delicious as an appetizer for side dish.
- Dip sourdough discard bread in the extra sauce that's left on plates.
- Bake up a batch of Christmas focaccia or sourdough focaccia to enjoy with this lasagna.
Storage Instructions
This is the best lasagna to make ahead of time! You can make the entire lasagna, cover it with aluminum foil, and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. When you are ready to enjoy it, preheat the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until heated through.
You can freeze this lasagna too! To freeze meat sauce lasagna, put the lasagna together completely and let it cool to room temperature. It's really important not to put the lasagna in your freezer hot because it can bring down the temperature of your oven and cause other items in your freezer to start to defrost. Put it in the freezer for up to 3 months before you need it.
Defrost the frozen lasagna in the refrigerator and then heat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the lasagna is completely heated through and golden brown on top.
Meat Lover's Lasagna FAQs
I've never made them into lasagna rolls, but I don't see why you won't be able to. If you make them into rolls, be sure to leave a comment below and let me know!
I wouldn't make the entire recipe in the slow cooker, but you can make the meat sauce and let it simmer in the slow cooker for that long, slow cooked flavor.
No! This meat sauce is so delicious! You can simply boil a pound of your favorite pasta and serve the meat sauce with that pasta. It's not quite a Bolognese sauce, but it's close!
Did you make this recipe and love it?
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📖 Recipe
The Best Meat Lover's Lasagna
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Olive Oil
- 1 large Onion Chopped
- 4 Garlic Cloves Minced
- 2 lbs Ground Beef 93/7
- 1 lb Sweet Italian Sausage Removed from the casing
- ½ cup White Wine Pinot Grigio
- 28 oz Crushed Tomatoes Canned
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 lb Lasagna Noodles
- 2 lbs Ricotta Part Skim or Whole Milk
- 2 Eggs
- ¼ cup Fresh Parsley Chopped
- ¼ cup Fresh basil Chopped
- 1 tablespoon Dried Oregano
- 1 lb Mozzarella Shredded
Instructions
- In a large heavy bottomed pot, such as a Dutch oven, add the chopped onions, garlic, and olive oil. Cook over medium heat for 4-6 minutes or until softened.
- Add the ground beef and sausage. Cook for 10 minutes or until the meat is browned. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Add the can of crushed tomatoes, white wine, and bay leaves. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for one hour. Skim any fat the comes to the surface of the sauce.
- While the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat and season with two tablespoons of salt. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, add the ricotta, eggs, chopped parsley, chopped basil, and dried oregano. Mix well with a wooden spoon to combine the ingredients.
- Add the lasagna noodles to the pot of boiling water. Cook for 4-6 minutes until the noodles just start to soften. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet and carefully remove the lasagna noodles from the boiling water. Lay them out on the prepared baking sheet to cool slightly.
- Remove the bay leaves from the meat sauce. Add a thin layer of sauce to the bottom of a baking dish.
- Add a layer of lasagna noodles on top of the meat mixture.
- Add a cup of the ricotta mixture and a cup of mozzarella cheese. Top with a layer of sauce.
- Continue layering the lasagna noodles, meat sauce, and ricotta cheese mixture until the noodles at done. On the top layer, add the meat sauce and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the lasagna is hot and bubbly.
Notes
- Remove the Italian sausage from the casing before cooking it. You can also find ground sausage in the grocery store too to make your life even easier.
- Make sure to let the lasagna cool before you try to cut into it. It needs to cool for at least 20 minutes before you cut into it. If you don't, the lasagna will fall apart and not be that tall stack that you know and love.
- Do not overcook the lasagna noodles when you are boiling them. They should be very al dente because they will cook more in the oven as they bake with the rest of the ingredients.
- One pound of lasagna noodles will fill one 9x13 inch pan. To double the recipe, use two 9x13 inch pans. To half the recipe, use one 8x8 inch pan.
- When making the sauce ahead of time, grease will form on the top of the sauce when it cools. Skim the fat off the top of the sauce before heating it back up.
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