Who else loves a delicious homemade lasagna? Especially during these colder winter months. There’s nothing like a hearty home cooked 5 Cheese & Meat Lasagna to give you the feel and taste of comfort. I remember my Grandma making lasagna for dinner when I was growing up, and it was always a family favorite. Now that I have my own little family, I’m the one making the lasagna, which is now one of our little family favorite meals too.
Did I mention this recipe calls for no cook noodles? You can put the lasagna noodles in this dish without cooking them because the sauce will cook them and make them perfectly al dente in the oven. One less step means less work for the cook! I would say the biggest risk I took when creating this lasagna dish was using different cheeses outside of the standard mozzarella and Parmesan. Although they are still the primary cheeses in this 5 cheese & meat lasagna dish, I added a few others using the Italian blend cheese. It truly makes such a subtle but necessary difference! Also, who doesn’t love more cheese? Exactly!
Tips:
If you didn’t read above; don’t cook the noodles! I promise it will cook perfectly without pre-boiling.
I usually buy ground turkey in place of ground beef for our meals. So I know for a fact ground turkey tastes good in this lasagna for those of you not wanting to use ground beef.
Taste test your meat sauce before assembling the lasagna layers. Your meat sauce should be flavorful and taste exactly the way you want it to in the lasagna.
I prefer ricotta cheese in my lasagna. However, some prefer cottage cheese. I’ve never made it with cottage cheese but I’m sure the substitute would work well with the recipe directions.
Fresh parsley is always my preference but parsley flakes tastes delicious too.
Remember to cover the top of the lasagna well with cheese. I’m a cheese lover in general but the cheese helps seal in the moisture to the dish to cook the noodles.
Now let’s get to cooking this 5 Cheese & Meat Lasagna!
5 Cheese & Meat Lasagna
This 5 Cheese & Meat Lasagna is the perfect recipe for family dinner or comfort food on a cold winter evening.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Ground Beef
- 33.5 oz Tomato Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1/2 cup Beef Broth
- 1 Yellow Onion
- 1 tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Basil
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 2 tsp Parsley
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Sugar
- 15 Lasagna Noodles
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
Ricotta Mixture
- 15 oz Ricotta Cheese
- 1 Egg
- 1/8 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Parsley
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
Cheeses
- 8 oz Parmesan
- 8 oz Mozzarella
- 8 oz Italian Blend
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°
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Dice up the yellow onion and mince the garlic (if you’re using fresh garlic).
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Add olive oil to a large pot and sautée the onions and garlic for 2-3 minutes.
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Now add the ground beef (or turkey) to the pot of sautéed onions and garlic. Break up the meat well in the pot. (Cooking hack: use a potato masher)
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Add the Italian seasoning, basil, oregano, parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, sugar, black pepper, and salt to the meat and sautée mixture.
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Mix the ingredients well into the meat, onions, and garlic.
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Now add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, and beef broth to the mixture in the pot. Stir until well combined.
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Let the sauce simmer on medium-low heat for about 20 minutes. While the sauce simmers, in a bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, one egg, parsley, black pepper, and onion powder. Mix all of the ingredients together WELL.
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Prep your baking dish by lightly spraying with cooking spray (I prefer the olive oil cooking spray).
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Take your cheeses out and be ready to use them for the layering process.
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Taste test your tomato meat sauce. Now is the time to add more of the seasonings listed above to adjust to your taste. The sauce should taste delicious on its own so add more seasoning until it’s perfect for you!
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Put a thin layer of the finished meat tomato sauce in the baking dish.
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Top with five lasagna noodles (4 vertical and one horizontal). You will likely need to break the horizontal noodle for it to fit.
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On top of the noodles spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture.
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Now spread 1/3 of the meat mixture on top of the ricotta.
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Sprinkle 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese, Italian blend cheese, and mozzarella on top of the meat mixture.
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Add another layer of lasagna noodles, ricotta mixture, tomato meat sauce, and 1/3 of the Parmesan, Italian blend, and mozzarella cheeses.
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The last layer will be the last of the lasagna noodles, ricotta cheese, and tomato meat sauce.
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Top with the remaining cheeses to evenly cover the tomato meat sauce.
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Cover the lasagna with foil and bake for 50 minutes covered.
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After the 50 minutes uncover the lasagna and bake for another 10 minutes.
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Once done let it rest for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
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