Our family’s favorite lasagna, with spicy sausage, plump tomatoes and lots of cheese, will be a hit at your dinner table too!
Aunt Lana’s Lasagna
Our dear Aunt Lana always made the very best lasagna, the best I ever remember tasting! It was a treat every time we visited her house, and we were so thrilled when she agreed to share her delicious recipe with us. Two kinds of spicy hot sausage, plump tomatoes, Italian spices and lots of glorious cheese layered between tender pasta, this recipe is easy to make and always a crowd pleaser! Serve it with a big green salad and some of our Pizza Factory Bread Sticks and you’ll have a warm comfort meal your family will request again and again.
What Kind of Cheese to Use in Lasagna?
There are so many types of cheese in this rich, delicious dish! For this recipe, I like to slice fresh mozzarella into thin strips (it seems to melt easier that way) and several handfuls of tangy Parmesan cheese. This recipe calls for cottage cheese, which is easy to find and gives the lasagna more bulk and flavor. But you could swap that out for creamy Ricotta cheese too.
Can I Freeze Lasagna?
Yes! This recipe makes a huge batch, so we usually freeze leftovers in individual servings in Ziploc bags. They make the perfect lunch or dinner. Just pull out how many pieces you’ll need, re-heat in the microwave and enjoy! You can also make an extra batch then cover in freezer safe foil and wrap and freeze the entire pan until you want to bake it. Just allow extra baking time if baking from frozen, probably an extra thirty minutes.
More Favorite Italian Recipes
There’s nothing better than a big bowl of pasta, cheesy recipes and dashes of oregano. Try a few of our very favorite Italian dishes and see for yourself:
- Nick’s Authentic Italian Spaghetti
- Cheesy Italian Bread
- Italian Beef Roast Sandwiches
- Baked Italian Sausage Rotini
- Easy Cheesy Manicotti
How to Make the Best Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 lb. breakfast sausage (if you like it a little spicier, you can use hot breakfast sausage)
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 T. basil
- 1 ½ tsp. salt
- 2 (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
- 12 oz tomato paste
- 10 oz. lasagna noodles
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- 2 eggs
- 3 c. cottage cheese
- 3/4 c. parmesan cheese
- 2 T. parsley
- 1 t. salt
- ½ t. pepper
- 1 lb. mozzarella cheese SLICED thin (it always comes out better when I use the sliced rather than the shredded cheese) Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Brown beef and sausage. Slowly, spoon off excess fat. Add onion and garlic. When onions are clear, add basil, salt, tomato paste, and tomatoes. Simmer, uncovered, 20-30 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, cook noodles in large amount of boiling, salted water until tender approximately 10-12 minutes. Drain and rinse. Beat eggs; add remaining ingredients, except mozzarella.
- Open the 8 ounce can of tomato sauce and pour it on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. This keeps the noodles from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Layer 1/3 of the noodles over the sauce. Overlap lasagna noodles, using 4 noodles per layer. Spread with 1/3 of the cottage cheese mixture. Add 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese and 1/3 of the meat sauce.
- Repeat two more times (noodles, cottage cheese, mozzarella, meat sauce). Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top. Bake at 350 for 35 min. Let lasagna rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Equipment
- Conventional Oven
- 9 X 13 inch Pan
Mandy says
made this and it was DELICIOUS!! My husband LOVED it as well. Thank you so much. Seriously, I look at your site almost daily to get new recipes and ideas. I pretty much make your Mac and Cheese on a weekly basis 🙂 Love LOTS of your recipes. Thank you for sharing them 🙂
Lori Hall says
Made this a week ago and LOVED IT! Had to add a little liquid so I could simmer it but it was AWESOME! Making it again tonight at my husbands request — we're having the missionaries over for dinner and he wants them to 'experience the goodness'! LOL!
Thanks so much!
Erica says
@Steffani– Thank you so much! I like the modifications you did and will have to try them next time. Great suggestions!
Steffani says
Great recipe! I've been making lasagna for many years and the last time I made it I was disappointed. (it came out more runny then normal) So I used this recipe! The cottage cheese mixture made ALL the difference. WE LOVED IT! The only difference is that I used one package sweet itilian sausage and one package of hot breakfast sausage. 2 cans of fire roasted tomatoes and a good handfull or two of parsley in the cottage cheese mixture. I will start making my lasanga this way EVERY time! Such a hit! Thank you! We love your blog!
Erica says
@ Close's – That is awesome! I am so glad he liked it. I am flattered!
-Erica
The Close's Place says
My husband HATES lasagna. I made your recipe anyway. He ate it and hasn't stopped raving about it. He's converted 🙂
Very Impressive
Jackie says
Hi Erica
What brand of HOT Breakfast sausage did you use in this recipe. Also, for the basil and parsley is that fresh or dried.
Erica says
I think I used Jimmy Dean but any hot sausage works. The spices were both dried. Hope this helps!
Kara says
I absolutely loved this lasagna! I’m a college student, so I wanted to bake something that would leave me with leftovers so I didn’t have to cook throughout the week. I didn’t get tired of it after having it for four days (I freezed the leftovers). Personally, I don’t care for cottage cheese so I used ricotta instead and it tasted AMAZING! Thanks 🙂