This easy Lasagna recipe is completely elevated, with a flavorful red sauce, béchamel white sauce, and ground beef and sausage. It's the only recipe you need!
Looking for more Italian recipes? Try this Tomato Basil Pasta, Manicotti, or Calzones!

Not your average Lasagna recipe.
Can I tell you what makes this Italian lasagna recipe so special? It's the easy béchamel sauce (just a fancy name for a white sauce made from flour, butter and milk), that makes it SO much tastier and more authentic (at least in Northern Italy), than using ricotta. I'm convinced it's the best way to make homemade lasagna!
I always double the recipe when making lasagna, so I can freeze a second pan for another day, or give the meal to a friend with homemade breadsticks and a salad.
How to make Lasagna:
Cook Meat: Brown the ground beef and sausage, using a meat chopper or spatula. Drain grease then transfer meat to a food processor and pulse only 3-4 times to chop it into very small pieces (I love this step because it makes the sauce more smooth and delicious). Remove to a bowl and set aside.

Make Red Sauce: Add olive oil in the same skillet and add garlic, stirring constantly for 30 seconds. Add onion, spinach, and bell pepper and cook on medium high until softened, about 2-3 minutes. Pulse in the food processor until almost puréed then pour back in pan. Add canned tomatoes and sauce, squishy the tomatoes to break them down and stir to combine. Add Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Stir in meat and fresh basil.

Cook Lasagna Noodles: Reduce noodle cooking time by half what the box says, then drain and lay on a greased baking sheet so they don't stick together. Or, if you're using no-boil noodles, don't cook them.
Make Béchamel Sauce: Melt butter in a medium size saucepan over medium heat then add the flour, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Gradually pour in milk, whisking constantly until smooth. Season with salt and pepper then cook over medium heat, stirring regularly so it doesn't burn. Cook until it thickens, about 5-7 minutes.

How to Layer Lasagna: There will be 3 layers of lasagna, so mentally split the sauces into thirds as you layer them to make sure you have enough at the end. Lightly grease a 9×13 dish then layer 3 lasagna noodles in the bottom. Spoon ⅓ of the red sauce over the noodles, followed by ⅓ of the white sauce, parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, spreading all the way to the edge. Repeat with another layer of noodles, red sauce, white sauce, then cheeses. Finish the lasagna layers with the final layer of noodles, red sauce, white sauce, and cheeses.

Bake: Cook lasagna uncovered at 350°F for at least 40 minutes, or longer, until golden at the edges and bubbly. It's important to let the lasagna cool for at least 15-20 minutes before serving.

Serve this traditional lasagna recipe with homemade breadsticks or Artisan bread and a green salad like this pomegranate and pear one!
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: Both the white and red sauces can be made in advance. You can also assemble the entire lasagna and cover it with plastic wrap then tinfoil and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days. Bake as directed.
To Freeze Lasagna: Freeze the lasagna before or after baking (if freezing an unbaked lasagna, you don't need to pre-cook the noodles. Just add them dry). Cover pan with plastic wrap and a double layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to two months. Thaw lasagna in the fridge before removing covering and baking as directed. Or, bake lasanga from frozen (if in an aluminum disposable pan) for 1 ½ hours, just keep it covered with foil, but remove the plastic wrap. Uncover and bake for another 45 minutes, or until it's hot and bubbly.
Recipe Variations:
- Bottled Pasta Sauce: Substitute a 48oz jar of pasta sauce, in place of the homemade red sauce. Heat it in a large skillet and stir in cooked meat and chopped basil.
- Fresh Mozzarella: Use thin layers of fresh sliced mozzarella cheese instead of shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Lasagna Soup
- Crock Pot Lasagna
- Lasagna Stuffed Shells
- One Pan Skillet Lasagna
Follow me for more great recipes
Recipe

Homemade Lasagna
Equipment
Ingredients
Lasagna:
- 9 regular lasagna noodles (or no-boil noodles)
- 1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese*
- 8 ounces freshly grated parmesan cheese
Red Sauce:*
- 1/2 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground Italian sausage
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 1/2 large onion , chopped
- 1 1/2 cups fresh spinach leaves
- 1/2 bell pepper (red or green), chopped
- 28 oz can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes* , undrained
- 8 oz can tomato sauce
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
- 1 container fresh basil leaves , finely chopped (about 10-15 leaves)
White Sauce (béchamel sauce):
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Brown meat: In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and sausage over medium-high heat, breaking the meat apart into pieces with a wooden spoon. When cooked through, remove the grease. (Optional) Add meat to a food processor and pulse just 3-4 times until it’s broken up into very small pieces. Remove to a bowl.
- Sauté Veggies: In the same skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil. When oil is hot, add the garlic, stirring constantly for 30 seconds. Add the onion, spinach and bell pepper. Continue cooking on medium-high heat until the vegetables are softened –about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer them to the same food processor. Pulse several times until they’re nearly pureed. Return mixture to the skillet.
- Finish red sauce: Add whole peeled tomatoes, squishing them into the sauce, and tomato sauce and stir to combine. Add Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste. Stir. Cover and allow the sauce to simmer for about 20-30 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally. Right before using the red sauce in the lasagna, stir in the reserved crumbled ground beef and sausage, and fresh basil.
- Cook Pasta: While the red sauce simmers boil the lasagna noodles for half the time suggested on the box. Drain into a large colander and sprinkle them with a tiny bit of olive oil to keep them from sticking together. (You can skip this step if you are using no-boil noodles).
- Béchamel white sauce: Add the butter to a medium size saucepan or large skillet. Over medium heat. Once melted, add the flour, stirring constantly to combine 2 minutes. Gradually add in the milk, whisking until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, whisking often so it doesn’t burn on the bottom, until it thickens– about 5-7 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Keep in mind that there will be 3 layers of lasagna, so mentally split the sauces into thirds as you layer them to make sure you have enough at the end.
- Assemble: Start by layering the bottom of your greased pan with 3 lasagna noodles. Spread the red sauce over the noodles, followed by the white sauce, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, spreading all to the edges. Top with another layer of noodles, then red sauce, white sauce, parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Add the final layer of noodles, then red sauce, white sauce and cheeses.
- Bake for at least 40-50 minutes, or until lasagna is hot and bubbling. Allow to rest for at least 20 minutes or longer, before serving, so it can set up to slice.
- Serve with garlic bread or homemade breadsticks and a green salad.
Notes
Nutrition
Create a FREE Account to save your favorite recipes and create meal plans
Follow Me
I originally shared this recipe in February 2016. Updated December 2017, September 2022 and September 2024.
This post contains affiliate links.
Holy moly! Best lasagna I’ve ever had! Thank you!
I made this and it was delicious. Used jarred sauce and added spinach. Can’t wait to make it with the real sauce – the bechamel, cheese, whole recipe is so perfect. Thank you!
DELICIOUS – made exactly per recipe first time and whole picky family LOVED! Second time I used ground turkey and made extra bechamel and went very light on the red sauce (froze the rest for next time) and the lasagna was equally as good. Thank you for giving me ideas for switching up a family favorite!
Traditional lasagna does NOT contain garlic!
What a succulent lasagna created by Red sauce and White sauce! I’m feeling so hungry right now xD
– Natalie
Made this classic lasagna for my 3 boys a few months ago. They LOVED it. Making it again today for my family’s Thanksgiving potluck tomorrow. Yes, it takes a bit to put it together, but it is so worth it. I saw your post for lemon poppy seed bread on FB this morning and I plan on making and bringing that as well.
Seriously, the best lasagna – ever. Hands down! I am decidedly NOT the cook in the house, but I wanted to make a special meal for my boyfriend since he feeds us daily.. I came across this recipe on Pinterest and figured it would be a win, mostly because of the replacement of ricotta or cottage cheese(he’s not a fan of those) and I wanted something comparable to whatever his grandmas super secret Italian recipe! It took forever for me to prep everything, but the sauce is on point, and the finished dish was nothing short of amazing! I think I gained some confidence in the kitchen with this one, thanks so much!
Can I use dry basil? If so, how much would you recommend instead of using the fresh basil?
Yes, you can use dried basil. I would add 1 teaspoon!
This looks awesome! When making this for the freezer, what type of pan do you recommend? Do you use a disposable pan, or is there a certain type of reusable pan that you trust? Thanks so much!
I recommend a disposable pan–that’s what I’ve found most convenient and it freezes well!
I am making your lasagna recipe this evening for my hubby who does not like lasagna. He says its the cottage cheese looking stuff thats in it. So, tonight there will be no ricotta . I just hope I like it ! I LOVE ricotta. It is scrumptious on warm french bread . Anyway, back to the lasagna. I do have a few questions 1) can I add some Parmesan to the Bechamel Sauce? And 2) could Alfredo Sauce be used in place of Bechamel? I will not do that but it was an idea I have been pondering for some time now . Maybe AFTER making your recipe,,,, I will try it & let you know. I ask because my hubby loves Parmesan Cheese & since we put it over the Bechamel …….. Just a thought. I will let you know how hubby grades it…. Usually I know if he likes or Loves it when he asks is there enough leftovers for the guys at work. Thank You So very much for sharing ALL of your recipes.
Hi Theresa, yes you can add extra parmesan to the bechamel sauce–yum! You could substitute alfredo, but I honestly think the bechamel pairing with this recipe is much better. Hope you enjoy it.
The. Best. Lasagna. Ever! Seriously, this is our absolute favorite recipe for lasagna (I personally think it’s the homemade béchamel sauce)! My husband thinks this is the best recipe I have ever made. Needless to say, this is a winner!