The Best CLASSIC Lasagna Recipe (with EASY homemade ricotta)

FINALLY a classic lasagna recipe that I'm happy with. It has all the familiarity of what you're used to with fool proof techniques that level it up.

🔪MY GEAR:

-- RECIPE --
RICOTTA MIXTURE
1lb/455g fresh ricotta (EASY recipe below or use nice store bought)
75g or 3/4c grated parm
100g or 1/2c heavy cream
5g or 3/4tsp salt
2g or 1tsp black pepper
1 egg
1tsp nutmeg

Stir ingredients together.

--
FRESH RICOTTA
▪½ gallon/2000g whole milk
▪200g or 3/4c + 2 Tbsp heavy cream
▪15g or 2 1/4tsp salt
▪100g or 1/3c + 1Tbsp white distilled vinegar

Place 4 layers of cheesecloth in a colander with bowl underneath (i use a salad spinner with basket).

Add milk, cream, and salt to a sauce pan and heat over medium for 10 min, whisking frequently, until temp reaches 190F/88C. At this point, add vinegar. Very gently stir with spatula or whisk to combine. Allow to sit for 15 minutes to allow milk to break. Curds and whey should be separated. Gently pour mix into cheesecloth setup then lift out cheesecloth and allow to drain for about 20min. Now you have fresh ricotta.

--
MEAT SAUCE
1lb/450g 80/20 ground beef
2 115g/4oz Italian sausages, meat removed from casings
Olive oil
25-30g or 2Tbsp butter
200g or 1 lrg onion
Salt
20g/5 cloves garlic, minced
Chile flakes
2 28oz cans crushed tomatoes
5-7g or 1-2tsp sugar

Spread ground beef and sausage meat flat onto a sheet tray. Cook under the oven broiler for 15 minutes (or roast in oven at highest temp).

While that cooks, add 25-30g olive oil and butter into large heavy bottomed pot over med-high. When melted, add onion and pinch of salt. Stir and cook onions until softened and translucent. Add garlic and chile flakes. Cook for about a minute until fragrant. Add crushed tomatoes. Add 10g salt and stir to combine. Simmer for about 5min.

Check broiling meat. When done, it should be browned and cooked through. Crumble into small pieces then add to tomato sauce along with any drippings, stir and continue to cook for 20-30 minutes. Sauce should have reduced by about half. To finish, taste for seasoning. Add a pinch more salt, if needed, and sugar to balance. Stir and taste again.

--
THE BUILD AND BAKE
Meat sauce
1box no boil lasagna noodles (or reg lasagna noodles soaked for 5 min in water before building)
1lb/450g full fat mozzarella, shredded
1/2c grated parm
6-9 slices fresh mozzarella

Layer ingredients as follows into a 9x13 baking dish: 1/2c meat sauce spread, a single layer of lasagna noodles, 9 spoonfuls of the ricotta mixture, 1c shredded mozz, 3/4c meat sauce, a layer of noodles, 9 spoons ricotta mix, 1c shredded mozz, 1c meat sauce, noodles, 9 spoons ricotta mix, 1c shredded mozz, 1c meat sauce, noodles, 1c meat sauce, 1c shredded mozz, grated parm, 6-9 slices of fresh mozz

Cover tightly with oiled piece of foil and bake in preheated 375F/190c oven for 25min. Remove foil and return to bake uncovered for 25min. Finish by broiling for 2-3 mins on high to brown top. Allow to cool for 30 min before cutting and serving.

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🎧MUSIC:

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CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
0:17 Making fresh ricotta
2:04 The sauce
4:03 Making the ricotta mixture
5:04 Finishing the meatsauce
5:43 Athletic greens (ad)
6:45 Building and baking
9:44 Let’s eat this thing

#lasagna #lasagnarecipe #classiclasagna

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[Garlarg]

If you want the sauce sweeter instead of sugar grate in some carrots in the begining. That makes the sauce sweeter, smoother, thicker.

[OoZeD]

I gotta say, as an Italian i'm enthralled with your recipes, especially the pizzas, to me its fascinating how you manage to be so pragmatic and at times, especially with this Lasagna, be so creative and novel in regards to undying classic dishes like this one, excellent content.

[prattesrus]

I made this recipe after work this week and let me just say:

This was easily the greatest lasagna I’ve ever eaten. The homemade ricotta was amazing, the texture of the noodles was spot on, the fresh mozzarella on top was a game changer, the Italian sausage added so much depth and the sauce was incredible. It took me from the time I got home from work to my bed time (about 5 hours) to complete the entire recipe for me (an average home cook). If you are not too experienced I recommend doing this on the weekend. Every single step is 100% worth it. I generally alter recipes to make them my own but this is the first time I can confidently say that this recipe is PERFECTION. I normally am not too excited about lasagna but this version was so good. Thank you Brian!

[mikemento]

Made this last night for my family and it was hands down the best Lasagna I’ve ever had. This lasagna is very structurally sound and has a good bite to it where most others end up overly soft and mushy.

Just an FYI for anyone making this, it does take a long time especially for the average home cook. I spent about 4-5 hours making it.

[ridinglife]

Just made this tonight for my family. Absolutely amazing! The homemade ricotta was so amazing! Won’t buy store bought again. The flavor was amazing! 10/10 Bri! I’ve tried most of your recipes and they never disappoint.

Your dedication to get the recipe right before you post a video is what sets you apart from other food YouTubers. Keep it up!

[sKid]

I always hated “American” lasagne growing up because of the grainy texture of supermarket ricotta, and then I learned that a real lasagne Bolognese is made with béchamel and I’ve loved that version ever since, made with real bolognese sauce and spinach pasta sheets. And…then I learned that putting ricotta in a lasagne isn’t actually just an American thing because the Neapolitan lasagne has it! That one is made with chunks of sausage and sliced meatballs with a Neapolitan ragu and real ricotta, and it’s frickin delicious. I do wish we would learn to make them the right way. That being said, the fact that you made your own ricotta makes this “mom” version something I would totally scarf. Can’t do the gritty stuff!

[eronavbj]

My mom made lasagna every Sunday. It was a recipe from my Naples-native grandmother, and the process took hours. It’s the same process that my wife and I have used for years. It’s quite a job, so we make it far less often than we used to.

Your recipe may just get us back to a more frequent Sunday afternoon lasagna. Grazie!

[neemarafi]

Been using Chef John's lasagna recipe forever, excited to try a new recipe. Thanks, Bri!

[exilio]

Made it. In my official rotation. Been trying to find a lasagna recipe that ticked all the boxes and this was it. FOLLOW THE RECIPE. Don't go rogue. Wife and father, both Italian, loved it. Although it spurred a furious debate with the wife about the correct pronunciation of ricotta; she was wrong. Brian, you really do something interesting...you bring in some obvious next level (pro) techniques and I feel it teaches me not only how to cook something that tastes good (what my family wants) but also teaches me some serious skills I can apply to other dishes (what I want). Please keep it up. Great stuff, sir.

[SaadKhan-xnxv]

My favorite cooking channel on YouTube (and I follow a lot of them).

This looks so good. Making your own ricotta seems pretty simple, gonna definitely try it soon.

[newmancl]

I cannot express how much I look forward to the derpy dance at the end.

Thank you so much for bringing us great food!

[deborahsimmons]

Once again, a beautiful, tasty and..now beloved recipe!!! I made this yesterday, I am 67 years old and not so spry, it took me longer than I expected…because of my age, I move much slower…BUT…in all my years of making all kinds of Italian dishes, including lasagne, this was absolutely superb! Brian is my primo chef, every recipe that he puts out and I try has been a roaring success! I CANNOT go wrong with him…it’s simply impossible…unlike many, MANY other so called chefs on YT! Because of my age, the next time I make his recipe, I will make the meat sauce the day before the rest. The only thing I did differently was to add freshly chopped parsley, (1/4 cup), and fresh basil, (1/4 cup), I split the cheese from just Parmesan to 1/2 parm and 1/2 pecorino Romano, then I added 2 eggs instead of one to the ricotta recipe…that’s it. Everything else was verbatim to his recipe. The end result was more magnificent than anything else I have ever made before! My husband could not stop raving about it! This is why I subscribe to his channel! Everything he puts out from corned beef cabbage, to egg salad sandwiches has always been just delightfully delicious!!!! I LOVE Brian’s palate and his sensitivity to meat dishes as well as…OKAY…everything else. He is, in my opinion the culmination of what makes a great Chef!!! Thank you Brian…you deserve much more notoriety than this “humble commentor can give!

[marissasantucci]

This is the lasagna i need!! I hate when the meat is in big chunks love the oven browning method and that you broke the meat down into tiny crumbles! Plus, that ricotta looked so delicious. Def trying this one out!

[bierbrauer]

You’ve really won me over! Appreciate you not trying to hit whatever is trendy but rather demonstrate your version of a solid classic. Did the beef stew and I must say that recipe is fire! Looking forward to trying this one!

[yatessnyder]

I appreciate your videos so much you have no idea! You're taking me from a bland home cook to making some seriously tasty stuff for me and my girlfriend. Also the fact that you add in tid-bits explaining why you use one thing over another really helps me understand what the ingredients are doing for the dish. Thanks a ton!!

[joshuajohnson]

Hi Brian 👋🏾. My roommate Paul and I just bought all the ingredients to make this Lasagna tonight for friends, and will follow every step. We hope it comes out just as good as yours. Thanks for making great cooking vids and can’t wait for more. We will keep you updated on the results.

[digvag]

Yesterday i went to my italian pasta maker shop, bought some homemade lasagna sheets, a beautiful triangle of Parmesan, some ricotta without gums & additives (i'll make it myself another time, i donlt have the requested thin fabric), some grounded pork.... And man, these are all in my hot oven at the moment... The smell is divine... And tonight's dinner is gonna be just fine.

Thank you a lot for sharing all of these wonderful receipes ❤

[carbonatedmilk]

I did not realize it was so easy to make ricotta at home. I just made a fresh batch of dough for pizza (thanks, it's good stuff) but as soon as we eat all the pizza I'm definitely trying this one next. Looks delicious.

[jonathanflanagan]

Got to try making lasagna yesterday and followed this recipe as much as I could.
Despite missing some ingredients, and this being the first time I've ever tried making lasagna ever, this was the best lasagna I've ever had.

[stephotesse]

The home made ricotta was terrific. I happily baked a quiche tonight (french style with homemade pâte brisée and a ring tart) with the leftovers of the ricotta and onions that I caramelized on low heat. Extremely delicious !