This is the BEST easy restaurant-style lasagna recipe you'll ever make! Made with pork sausage, ground beef, and a mixture of cheeses, this recipe beats out Olive Garden and those expensive restaurants!
Why my family LOVES this lasagna
My mom originally got this recipe from a coworker years ago, and we've adapted it along the way. It's now our go-to lasagna recipe!
- It's so flavorful: A mixture of pork sausage & ground beef gives this recipe a true Italian restaurant-style flavor.
- Three cheeses in the filling: Ricotta, romano, and parmesan get stirred together, with mozzarella layered in between. I know 3 kinds of cheese sounds finicky, but we use pre-shredded (and less expensive!) cheeses to make this a breeze to put together. No need to spend a ton of money on fancy cheeses, as this blend packs plenty of flavor.
- Easy to make! We have some ingredient shortcuts that save you time without sacrificing flavor; jarred sauce, pre-shredded cheese, and no-cook noodles mean there's no boiling pot to babysit.
- One pan, feeds a crowd: Everything goes into a single 9x13" pan, or you can split it among two 8x8" pans.
- Freezes & reheats well! While there's rarely any left, you can prep this lasagna in a disposable pan and freeze for later!
Ingredient Notes
- Ground beef: We use 80% but use any kind you prefer.
- Ground Italian pork: This is what gives it that next-level lasagna flavor. You can swap it for more beef but the sausage adds a lot of flavor!
- Spaghetti sauce: One 26-ounce jar. I love Rao's while my mom loves the Prego garlic & herb!
- Ricotta, romano & parmesan: These three get mixed together with eggs, garlic, and parsley into the filling. Buy the pre-grated bags to save yourself the work (just not the fake parmesan in the green can). That one won't melt into the filling the way real grated parmesan does.
- Mozzarella: This is the layering cheese, separate from the filling. A cup goes between each layer and the rest gets sprinkled over the top.
- Eggs: Two eggs in the cheese mixture are what set it so the layers hold together when you cut a square.
- Fresh garlic: Worth using the real thing here rather than the jarred kind. It goes into both the meat sauce and the cheese mixture.
- No-cook lasagna noodles: My mom uses the no-cook (oven-ready) kind so there's no boiling step at all. If you'd rather use regular noodles, boil them to just under al dente first.
- Chocolate chips: I know this sounds so weird, but my mom swears that adding a few chocolate chips to the lasagna really does enhance the flavor! Twelve chips is the magic number in her recipe. You can totally omit, if you'd like.
How to Make Restaurant Style Lasagna:
Brown Meat
Brown the Italian pork and ground beef in a large saucepan over medium heat until no pink remains. Drain excess fat, then stir in the spaghetti sauce, parsley, oregano, garlic, chocolate chips, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Tip: Add a splash of water to the empty sauce jar, shake, and pour into the pan to get every last bit of sauce.
Mix Cheeses
In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta, Romano, Parmesan, eggs, garlic, and parsley until evenly combined. Set aside.
Tip: Mix the cheese filling while the meat sauce simmers to save time.
Layer the Lasagna
It's time to layer your lasagna! Spray your 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray, then layer in the order below. You'll get three full layers.
- Spread a little meat sauce across the bottom of the pan first. This is what keeps the first sheet of noodles from sticking to the pan and drying out at the edges.
- Noodles to cover the pan
- ⅓ of the cheese mixture
- ⅓ of the meat sauce
- 1 cup mozzarella
- Repeat two more times, ending with meat sauce topped with the last of the mozzarella and a sprinkle of parsley.
Bake
Cover the pan with foil and bake at 350℉ for 1 hour. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes, until the mozzarella on top is melted and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.
Tip: This is best baked in a stone or glass pan. They hold heat more evenly than metal, so you get bubbling edges without a scorched bottom.
Let Cool & Serve
If you want to be able to slice your lasagna, let it rest for about 10 minutes after baking. This will allow the cheese to slightly firm up so that it's not just a giant glob when you remove it (although giant globs do taste just as good).
Add fresh chopped parsley on top, if desired.
Tip: Run a knife around the edge of the pan before you cut. The first square is always the hardest one to get out in one piece, and a thin metal spatula helps more than a spoon does.
gift it!
How to gift lasagna!
Perfect for gifting! This lasagna is the perfect gift for someone with a new baby or someone who could use some meal support. You can make one large 9x13" pan or split among two 9x9" pans.
To make it even easier, you can get my lasagna baking cards that have the baking instructions inside the Crafty Bakers Club!
Tips & Variations
- Meal prep in disposable pans! If you don't need a full 9x13 pan, I suggest making the whole batch and then using (2) 8x8" disposable pans to freeze half! When ready to cook, let thaw in refrigerator overnight and bake.
- Assemble it the night before. Layer everything, cover the pan, and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Add a few extra minutes to the bake time since it's going into the oven cold.
- Make it meatless. Swap both meats for sauteed mushrooms and zucchini, cooked down until most of the moisture has evaporated so the layers don't get watery.
Frequently Asked Questions:
If you have a lot left over that you don't think you'll eat, I suggest individually wrapping each square in plastic wrap then storing in a ziploc bag in the freezer. When ready to eat, you can just heat up one piece for a quick dinner!
Yes, you can freeze lasagna both before and after baking. If before, prepare in a disposable pan, cover with plastic wrap and foil, then when ready to cook, let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake.
No. My mom uses no-cook (oven-ready) lasagna noodles, so there's no boiling step at all. If you're using regular noodles instead, boil them to just under al dente first so they don't finish out mushy.
It's my mom's trick and it genuinely works. Twelve chips melted into a whole pot of meat sauce won't taste like chocolate, but they take the sharp edge off jarred spaghetti sauce, the same way a pinch of sugar does. You can leave them out if you'd rather.
Usually it's one of two things: it didn't rest long enough before cutting, or the meat sauce was too loose going in. Let it sit a full 10 minutes out of the oven, and simmer the sauce the full 10 minutes so it thickens up.
Yes. Layer everything, cover the pan tightly, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking. Add a few extra minutes to the bake time since it's starting cold.
You can download my free lasagna tags by joining my Crafty Bakers Club!
Pair this with:
- The perfect dessert: Kitchen Sink Cookies (Panera Copycat)
- For the freezer gift bag: One Bowl Chocolate Chip Cookies or Freezer Cookie Dough
- Something to drink: Easy Strawberry Lemonade
Did you make this recipe? If so, will you do me a huge favor and leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe? This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Restaurant Style Lasagna
Ingredients
⭐️ Before you begin! If you make this, will you do me a huge favor afterwards and leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe? This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, cook the 1 pound ground beef and 1 pound ground Italian pork over medium heat until browned and no pink remains. Drain any excess grease.
- Stir in the 1 (26-ounce) jar spaghetti sauce, 1 tablespoon dried parsley, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 4 cloves garlic, minced, 12 semisweet chocolate chips (optional), 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup ricotta cheese, 1 cup grated Romano cheese, 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, and 1 tablespoon dried parsley until evenly combined. Set aside.
- Lightly grease a 9 × 13-inch baking dish. Spread a thin layer of meat sauce over the bottom of the pan, then arrange a single layer of no-boil lasagna noodles over the sauce.
- Top the noodles with ⅓ of the cheese filling, ⅓ of the meat sauce, and 1 cups shredded mozzarella cheese Repeat the layers until the ingredients are used, finishing with meat sauce and a light sprinkle of mozzarella. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
- Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake at 350°F for 1 hour. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling.
- Let the lasagna rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Did you make this?
I'd LOVE to hear your thoughts! Leave a review & photo of your creation and be sure to mention @DesignEatRepeat or tag #DesignEatRepeat on Instagram!Save this recipe!
I'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!