Description
Mom’s Lasagna is a classic Italian-American meat lasagna featuring rich layers of a homemade beef tomato sauce, oven-ready lasagna noodles, creamy cottage cheese, shredded mozzarella, and flavorful parmesan. Simmered slowly to develop deep flavors and baked to bubbly perfection, this recipe offers a comforting, hearty meal ideal for family dinners.
Ingredients
Scale
Sauce Ingredients
- 3 medium onions, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 lb lean ground beef (ground sirloin preferred)
- 1 28-oz can whole tomatoes (preferably San Marzano), crushed by hand
- 1 14½-oz can tomato sauce
- 1 6-oz can tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
- About 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 cups water
- Salt and pepper to taste
Lasagna Assembly
- 1 lb box oven-ready lasagna noodles (no boiling required)
- 1 16-oz container whole milk small curd cottage cheese, drained
- 1 lb mozzarella, shredded
- Grated parmesan cheese (good quality)
Instructions
- Prepare the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Add the chopped onions with a pinch of salt and sauté until soft and starting to brown. Add the finely chopped garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute.
- Cook the beef: Add the lean ground beef to the pot and brown thoroughly, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until no longer pink.
- Season the sauce: Stir in the dried basil and oregano to release their flavors. Then add the hand-crushed whole tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, and sugar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Simmer: Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover with a lid and simmer gently for about 1½ hours, stirring occasionally to meld the flavors.
- Cool and refrigerate: Allow the sauce to cool, then refrigerate overnight for the best flavor development.
- Drain cottage cheese: Drain the whole milk small curd cottage cheese in a fine mesh sieve over the sink, stirring gently a few times over 1 to 2 hours until most liquid is removed.
- Preheat oven: Preheat your oven to 350ºF (175ºC).
- Assemble the lasagna: In an 11 x 15-inch lasagna pan, ladle a thin layer of sauce to cover the bottom. Arrange 6 oven-ready noodles overlapping slightly over the sauce. Spread half of the drained cottage cheese over the noodles, then sprinkle half of the shredded mozzarella. Spoon a generous layer of sauce over the cheese.
- Second layer: Repeat with 6 more noodles, the remaining cottage cheese, and the remaining mozzarella, then add another generous spoonful of sauce.
- Top layer: Place the last 6 noodles on top. Spoon sauce over the entire surface and down the edges so all noodles are covered. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.
- Bake: Cover the pan with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking uncovered for another 15 minutes, until bubbly and golden.
- Rest and serve: Let the lasagna rest about 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Enjoy your comforting homemade meal!
Notes
- This is a classic Italian-American meat lasagna with a rich, slow-simmered sauce and creamy cottage cheese layers.
- The sauce tastes best after refrigerating overnight, which deepens the flavors.
- Draining the cottage cheese properly is essential to avoid watery lasagna.
- Oven-ready noodles eliminate the need for boiling, making assembly easier.
- For best results, use good quality parmesan and San Marzano tomatoes if available.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 585 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 578 mg
- Fat: 26 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 39 g
- Cholesterol: 115 mg
