Classic Italian Lasagna
Get the recipe for this classic Italian lasagna with a homemade, creamy, rich white sauce in lieu of ricotta cheese. It’s absolutely amazing!
I’ve had lasagna.
And I’ve had great lasagna.
And now, I can say, that without a doubt, I have had the most amazing classic Italian lasagna known to man…and I’ve had it at least four times over.
My Aunt Marilyn snagged this recipe from an Italian friend of hers and passed it on to me. I questioned whether to try it, since I am really loyal to my mom’s fabulous lasagna, but I can’t resist trying new recipes, so I made it.
And now I’m trying to find the words to describe it to you.
This lasagna defies the notion of what I always assumed to be normal lasagna (you know, noodles covered with sauce, covered with ricotta or cottage cheese, covered with cheese…and on and on).
That’s all fine and good – and the process creates a great lasagna as I’ve always known it, but this lasagna, oh, This Lasagna…it is unique and different and authentic and just so very, very delicious.
Instead of a ricotta cheese and egg mixture, you get a homemade white sauce that is creamy and rich.
A simmered red sauce compliments the silkiness of the white sauce and this entire classic Italian lasagna is filled with cheese. Lots of cheese.
I couldn’t get over the deep flavor in this lasagna and I attribute the unparalleled richness to the browned mushrooms, garlic and onion that are pureed and added to the red sauce.
What you ultimately get is a lasagna that is a textural masterpiece as far as smooth sauces go. Pair that with the tender ground turkey and the toothsome noodles and this is just an absolute winner.
Go make it now, please. I have no words left to help convince you that your life will not be complete until you try it.
What To Serve With This:
Divine Breadsticks or Cheesy Garlic Bread
Steamed vegetable like broccoli or peas
Simple green salad (or something more fancy like this Gourmet Green Salad)
One Year Ago: Asian Lettuce Wraps
Two Years Ago: My Favorite Cheesecake…Ever
Classic Italian Lasagna
Ingredients
Red Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
- ½ large onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 8 ounces mushrooms, chopped
- 2 cans (8-ounces each) tomato sauce
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, or a mix of dried oregano and basil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
White Sauce:
- 3 cups milk, not skim, I used 1%
- 5 tablespoons flour
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Lasagna:
- 9 lasagna noodles, boiled for half the time on the box (or use 12 of the no-boil noodles, of which I far prefer the Barilla brand)
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 8 ounces Parmesan cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan with cooking spray or with a napkin dipped lightly in olive oil and set aside.
- In a large skillet, brown the ground turkey over medium-high heat, breaking the meat apart into pieces with a wooden spoon. When turkey is cooked through, drain the grease and set aside.
- In a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and one tablespoon butter. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. When oil/butter is hot, add the garlic, stirring constantly. When the garlic is lightly browned, but NOT burned, add the onion and mushrooms. Continue cooking on medium-high heat until the vegetables are soft and browned and the fluid has mostly cooked out.
- Remove from heat and either using a handheld immersion blender or transferring the vegetables to a blender, blend the vegetables to a paste-like mixture. Return the pot to the heat (pour the pureed vegetables back in, if using a stand-alone blender) and add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Stir to combine. Then add the diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir.
- Cover and let the sauce sauce simmer for 30 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Right before using the red sauce in the lasagna, stir in the reserved ground turkey.
- While the red sauce simmers, if using lasagna noodles that need to be boiled, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and boil the noodles for half the time suggested on the box. Once the noodles are cooked, drain, but do not rinse. Add a dab of olive oil to keep them from sticking together. If you are using no-boil noodles, you can skip this step.
- Also while the red sauce is cooking, melt the four tablespoons butter and when melted, add the flour, stirring constantly to combine and letting the mixture cook, while stirring, for a minute or two. Gradually add in the milk, whisking constantly. Add the salt and pepper. Slowly whisk the white sauce, ensuring it doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan, while cooking it over medium heat. Continue slowly stirring or whisking while the white sauce cooks and thickens quite a bit, about 5-7 minutes. Add a pinch of mozzarella for good luck, if you wish!
- To begin layering the lasagna, keep in mind that you’ll have three layers of noodles as well as three layers of the sauces and cheese – so plan on splitting all the sauce and cheese piles into thirds so you don’t run out at the end! On the bottom of your lightly greased baking pan, layer three pre-boiled noodles or four no-boil noodles, slightly overlapping the no-boil noodles. Layer the red sauce, white sauce, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, spreading all to the edges and top with another layer of noodles. Again, layer the red sauce, white sauce, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses and top with the final layer of noodles. Layer the sauces and cheeses again.
- Cover the lasagna with a greased layer of aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and let the lasagna sit for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from Aunt Marilyn
265 Comments on “Classic Italian Lasagna”
My guests said this was the best homemade lasagna they have ever eaten (and they detest mushrooms)! I used ground beef plus an additional 1/2 lb of jimmy dean original sausage. It is seriously delicious and worth the effort! YUM!!!
This has been my Christmas dinner for the past 5 years. It takes a little extra effort, but so worth it!!
I’ve made this twice and it’s fantastic! Quick question. Can is be assembled 24 hours ahead of time (using noodles boiled half the time)? You mention 12 hours in your instructions, but I’m needing to make it the night before. Thoughts?
The noodles might be a bit softer, but I think it should work fine!
I know this would be best if I followed the directions, but I’m a working mom of 2 little ones and the wife of a PhD student…. Can I use a jar of pasta sauce instead of the red sauce?
You can definitely try! The red sauce from this recipe is on the thicker end so try to avoid a jarred pasta sauce that is thin.
Saveur had a version of this recipe over a decade ago; it was also fun to make, adding one thing to another as you went. Using spinach pasta sheets (if you can find them) makes it even more visually appealing. But why make a cream sauce with blue milk? If you can’t afford the calories, you can’t afford lasagna! I only make lasagna for special occasions, and then only with the best ingredients, remembering that our “dietary guidelines” developed since WW2 have largely been proven to be pure BS; diet does not affect cholesterol, and those five pieces of fruit came straight from a trade meeting of the Calif Fruit Growers Association, to push more fruit, no science whatsoever!
I made this last night for some friends and everyone was in love with it! These friends HATE mushrooms and onions, so I loved that they were blended. They had no idea that it even had mushrooms in it and they both said it was the best lasagna they had ever had. I dont love the ricotta part of lasagna, so this was the first recipe that I really loved how it tasted. Thanks again for another amazing recipe!
This is absolutely amazing. Made it tonight for friends and they said it was the best they’ve had. My husband was like if Mel lived close to us, I bet we’d get along just fine. Your recipes are all winners. This one was no exception!
Haha, I bet we would, too! 🙂 Thanks, Laura!
can’t wait to try this recipe! one question: the “cook time” says 1 hr 35 mins, but your instructions say to bake 30 mins covered, then uncover and let rest 15 mins. is there an uncovered baking time missing? there’s a missing hour somewhere. thanks … i really don’t want to mess up the bake time!
The additional cooking time is referring to the cooking time for the red and white sauces also. It’s a little confusing – sorry!
My husband and I are vegetarian, but I love the idea of the red and white sauce instead of ricotta. Is there anything I can do to make this pop without cooking with meat?
I would add a lot of mushrooms!
I’m also vegetarian and I use plant-based ground “meat” and lots of mushrooms. I use a frozen product that I add to the sauce before assembly and it cooks in the oven. It’s delicious! 🙂
I found this recipe a few years ago and it has never failed. I’ve never had an instance where people don’t rave about it when I serve it. The absolute best!
Wanted to drop in and say that I’ve been making this for several years now and it’s my all time favorite lasagna.
Instead of making 2 lasagnas could i double the recipe and use a 15 x 10 pan?
I don’t think a double recipe would fit in that size of pan, but you could try!
Ok. In the comments below I think I read that this recipe makes about 6 cups of red sauce. Is that really correct? The ingredients don’t seem like enough for 6 cups. I was going to use 1.5 pounds of meat (1/2 ground beef, 1/2 sweet sausage). Should I do 1.5 times the red sauce? I don’t want my lasagne runny. But I also don’t want it too dry. HELP!! Maybe I should just make as is and not worry! But I have a large lasagna pan and I’m feeding 12 people.
If you are using 1 1/2 times the meat and your lasagna pan is larger than a 9X13 (which is the pan size I use), then yes, I would 1 1/2 the other ingredients as well.
I’ve made this lasagne 4 times for dinner parties. It is always a huge hit – everyone always comments that it’s better than any of the best “restaurant lasagnes” they’ve had. I use the no cook noodles and I make the red sauce a day or two before – and then make the white sauce a few hours before cooking time. It keeps clean up to a minimum when you’re entertaining. I always like to experiment, and with this recipe I’ve added a generous handful of fresh spinach and a half cup of ricotta to the bechamel sauce once it thickened. So good!!! I have also used a mixture of ground pork and chicken in place of the turkey. But the dish is also perfect as originally written. A total winner!!!
Thank you. I wanted to know if anyone had success adding a bit of spinach. I can’t wait to make it.
Hi Maureen, adding spinach should work just fine!
The lasagna is amazing. I omitted the mushrooms & diced tomatoes. I substituted the ground turkey for ground beef with hot Italian sausage
so delicious, thank you!
I’m going to make this lasagna for the second time, this time to keep in the freezer to cook later. Everyone loved it the first time I made it! I used the Barilla no-boil noodles which I thought turned out a little soggy for me. Would I have better luck using regular noodles, especially since I’ll be cooking it from frozen for the 2+hours? If so, would you still boil for half time or even a quarter time?
Yes, you might want to use regular lasagna noodles instead. I’d boil them for at least half the time.
Made this lasagna tonight and my family LOVED it. Compliments like best ever and restaurant quality were said! What was best about it, everyone except my husband don’t like mushrooms and when I said it had a whole package of mushrooms my kids eyes popped out. I think your “Mom’s favorite fabulous lasagna” recipe has not been replaced.
I love this lasagna recipe. I never make/eat lasagna because I don’t like ricotta cheese. I made this in December and everyone LOVED it! On rotAtion for dinner from now on.
Best lasagna I’ve ever had!! ❤️❤️❤️
Hey Mel, My family really enjoys this recipe. I wanted to let you know that I printed this recipe from the prepear website and the measurements transferred strangely, for example it calls for 8/9 tablespoon olive oil, 4/9 tablespoon butter, etc. Thought you’d like to know! Happy new year and blessings to you and your family.
Thanks for the feedback, Cindy! I’ll look into it!
Love this lasagna!
I really love all your recipes Mel, but not this one. I really had high hopes for this one, especially since it took me a really long time to get it in the oven and created a quite a mess of lots of pots of pans. This lasagna missed the mark for me. It was really soupy, too much liquid, (it was more like a lasagna soup) and it didn’t have much flavor.
Sorry this one didn’t work out for you!
You are supposed to let the lasagna rest for at LEAST 30 mins prior to serving. This helps it to retain the liquid, hence not being “soupy.” I encourage you to try making it again. This recipe is a winner!!!
Excited to try this, your recipes never fail me! Just a question… my husband is adamantly anti-mushroom. But I think it’s more the texture than the actual taste. The other day I tested him by making him taste black truffle salt and it didnt remind him of mushrooms. Anyway, since its blended in would you say it’s a very “mushroomy” taste? I know this may be an impossible question to answer, just wondering if I should roll the dice or improvise without the mushrooms.
If it is just a texture issue, I would definitely make this recipe as is with the mushrooms because the flavor is great (and definitely not overly mushroom-y!).
This was the most DELICIOUS lasagna recipe that I’ve made yet!!!! Wasn’t sure about lasagna without Ricotta cheese? But this is definitely a family favorite!!!!
Super delicious….followed the exact recipe.
Thanks for sharing
Thank you for this recipe! I successfully vegan-ized it for a lunch get together! It was amazing! I just substituted Gardein meatless crumbles for the turkey, So delicous brand mozerlla for the mozerlla, follow your heart parm, and vegan butter!
MAN! This recipe is soooo good. Thank you, thank you!
BEST LASAGNA EVER! Thank you Mel!
Shared with a friend who declared it the best she ever had. I agree that the bechamel and pureed veggies gives this a rich balance that makes it unique.
Made it exactly as listed and it was absolutely delicious! Don’t change anything.
This is a delicious recipe, however, 9 lasagna noodles do not cover this size pan. I used the whole box and had none to spare! This style lasagna cuts nicely and stands up on the plate.
Glad I tested this recipe before bringing it to a party. I make lasagne with ricotta and bechamel alternatively. This sounded good with the addition of the mushrooms, and the red sauce was ok. Different. The amount of cheese called for here is way too much! Totally unecessary. Half the amounts would have worked.
Sorry this is not a classic lasagne.
I used my own red sauce recipe but this way of making lasagna is the absolute best. I will never use ricotta cheese again. This is by far the absolute best lasagna recipe ever.
Do you have to puree the mushrooms and onion or can you leave them chopped?
It helps thicken the sauce to do so (and I think it helps the overall flavor be more cohesive), but you could definitely omit that step.
This lasagna recipe is undoubtedly the best I have ever made. The depth and layers of flavor is amazing! I took it to a party and everyone raved about it. So much so that I now have to make a quadruple batch for another party tomorrow. I have always made my lasagnas with a bechamel anyway but the earthiness from the mushrooms made a massive difference to texture and taste. I made it pretty much per the recipe except I used a meatloaf mix of meat, beef/veal/pork as that’s what I had.
My husband and I miss many things about living overseas, one of which is lasagna! This recipe brought back memories of our travels in Italy. It is a keeper! The only changes made was, I used ground beef, no mushrooms, added a cup of Merlot to the sauce (letting it simmer longer), and a little brown sugar as well. I only made these changes so picky children would eat it and they loved it! We called it layered spaghetti. Great recipe!
This is so flavorful and rich. I love it!! I can’t get enough of the perfect sauciness, which is saying a lot since I am not a fan of tomato sauces. The less the better is usually how it is for me, but the combination of a homemade, slow-simmered red sauce and the béchamel is unbelievably mouthwatering! I didn’t have mushrooms so I just left them out and used one cup onion to make up some of the bulk. I can’t wait to make it with mushrooms next time! One question- Do you always use turkey or have you ever used ground beef?
I’ve made it with both and it’s fantastic. I prefer lean ground beef – but if I had to choose, I really like it best with ground turkey.
The best!! Worth the extra effort for sure. It’s amazing. I don’t even like lasagna but I LOVE this recipe. Don’t waste your time, I have experimented with different brands of oven ready lasagna needles, and yes, Barilla are far superior.
Thanks for the comment, Kendra!
This was a fabulous recipe. Rich flavors and not one complaint. It’s my go to recipe now. Thank you for sharing.
Best lasagna ever, no joke!
I made this recipe and LOVED it, as well as well my kids did! I actually am not a very good cook, as I fail at many recipes, but even though this one took me a good chunk of time to make, it turned out so fabulous that I will put the work into it again! Thanks!!
BEST. Lasagna. Ever. So happy to find a lasagna without ricotta or cottage cheese in it.
Turkey instead of beef or pork? No ricotta? Sorry, Mel.
That ain’t lasagna.
(And I don’t care what anyone thinks is a wonderful taste treat, fungus does not belong in food. It’s down at the bottom of the survival food list with grubs and raw fish.)
Actually ‘real’ traditional old world lasagna does not have Ricotta or even Mozarella! Get your facts straight. Lasagna is made with Bolognese, béchamel (white sauce) and parmesan.
Some southern Italian areas use Ricotta but its made with sheep’s milk and has a different taste and texture to the nasty stuff we have here. Ricotta is an American thing and it’s actually pretty disgusting compared to the alternative.
This recipe is a keeper! I get rave reviews every time I make this and it’s the one thing EVERYONE in our extended family will have more than one helping every.single.time. I’ve only made this three or four times because though it’s not hard, it sure is tedious for those with a small kitchen and with limited counter space.
I make this in 3 or 4 batches every time after the first time. Yes. 3 batches at least. Why? Because we have at least 20 people to feed when making this. This is by far the best recipe ever, Mel! We can’t thank you and Aunt Marilyn enough for this!
Lots of all the way from Kuala Kangsar, Malaysia!
So happy you love this recipe, Farah!
I want to try make this recipe for my daughter’s birthday party this next weekend, but I would like to double the meat (my other lasagna recipe has 2-3lbs of meat in it). Would you change the amount of sauce too?? I love your website and have so much fun choosing my next new recipe to try! Thank you for testing these to the point of perfection and sharing them!
I’ve got this in the oven now. I had to stop half way and boil more noodles because 9 didn’t even cover 2 layers, but i got that worked out. The white sauce thickened up a lot and while i could still spread it, i’m wondering if i should have doubled it because each layer didn’t have much but i’m not sure if it was suppose to have a good amount or just some. I don’t normally do good with lasagna but I am very excited about this one. I used hamburger meat and when i put it in the red sauce to simmer, i added a tad of sugar to it. It was so good! I’m going to serve garlic cheese biscuits with it! I’m excited 🙂
Hi Mel,
I make a lot of your recipes and they’re always fantastic!
Any advice for splitting this into two 8” inch pans? Seems like I would need more noodles, but perhaps someone has already tried this and can give some tips? I want to freeze wine, and use the other one For dinner. Family is too small to use 9 x 13, as there’s only 3 people.
Thanks in advance!
For two 8X8-inch pans, it actually might be fine as is (just doing the math about the surface area of the pans) but to be safe, you might 1 1/2 the noodles and sauces?
Hi Mel, when I was a teenager, I made lasagne using a recipe I got off the Barilla box, and it was very similar to this. It was so good I never ordered lasagne when we ate out cos it would never taste as good. Sadly, I lost that recipe and I am so happy to reacquaint myself with your version! Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
I served this for my good friend’s birthday, and it was a success! I even made some mistakes by almost forgetting the beef, and putting too much cheese. However, it was still awesome and there were many clean plates. Thanks!
My brother served his mission in Milano and this is very similar to a recipe he learned there. I love the besciamella so much…try adding a pinch of nutmeg. Soooo good! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
This lasagna recipe has come the closest of any I’ve made to the most amazing lasagna I had in Italy 10 years ago (I still dream about that)! It was delicious! I loved the extra flavor the pureed mushroom mixture gave it. It didn’t really blend in my blender, so I’ll try a food processor next time. I made two 8×8 inch pans instead of the one 9×13, and it worked great. I poured the cooked bechamel sauce back into the 4 c. liquid measuring cup I used to measure the milk, and it was really easy to pour the white sauce and make sure I wasn’t using too much for each layer.
You’re a gift from heaven, Mel! 🙂 I stumbled on your website while searching for a lasagna recipe without ricotta and/or cottage cheese, and I am so excited to be trying this. It’s in the oven right now – and looks and smells delicious. I love béchamel sauce, and can’t wait to see how it turns out…..!!
I’ve made a number of recipes from your site already – and everything has been a huge hit!! Your chocolate oatmeal cookies are SOO good!! Your website is beautiful and so easy to maneuver, and I’m so grateful to have found someone who’s taste and style I can trust – as I’m not much for wasting time on recipes that just don’t turn out well…! Thank you for your excellent work – and for being so gracious and willing to share it with us!!
So grateful for you! 🙂
Thank you so much! I hope the lasagna was a success!
Hi Mel – I wondered if you could estimate the quantity of red sauce that this recipe makes. I ask because I have a lot of Marcella Hazan’s bolognese sauce in my freezer and I’d like to use that as a substitute for the red sauce in this recipe (just to save myself some time – I’m sure your red sauce is delish!). Thank you!
Hmmm, probably around 6 cups.
This is my go to recipe. So good! My fam doesn’t like mushrooms so I leave them out and it still taste fantastic. I especially love the white sauce.
Oops and a couple of dashes of nutmeg!
Yours is the first time I’ve seen this made with the white sauce besides mine. I’ve used a recipe I got in Europe many many years ago– almost identical. But into the white sauce goes 3-4 tablespoons of fresh Parmesan cheese. 🙂
Ok, second time making this.. Very runny again. I’m determined to figure it out bc this dish tastes soooo good! I used a smaller pan this time and had plenty of noodles. I can’t find no boil noodles, but I’m thinking this is the problem. maybe starting with the dry noodles will absorb more liquid. I’m not giving up!
I do think the regular noodles vs. no-boil may be the issue, Shoby. Also, are you letting it rest for a while before serving? If you use regular noodles again, try only cooking them for a few minutes.
Mel, This is fantastic! I have only ever had lasagna about 5 times in my life since it has taken me a long time to like eating tomato sauces. I made this recipe two weeks ago and I will never in my life ever use another lasagna recipe – it was the best I have ever eaten and it shames Olive Garden’s recipe. Pureeing the vegetables worked wonderfully since I hate the texture of onions. Seriously. You’re a culinary genius 😉 Thank you for sharing! I look forward to trying more of your recipes. This was PHENOMENAL.
So glad to hear it, Brandi!
I am making this for the first time and I want to make it a day ahead. I am afraid that it will be dry. I have read the tips on letting the sauces cool, any other suggestions or comments. Also concerned about the white sauce, when it cools does it thicken and is it hard to spread.
The white sauce is still spreadable if it’s cooled to room temperature (if it’s chilled it may be harder to spread). I think it should be fine if you make it a day ahead of time – I’ve done that several times and it works great.
I’ve made this several times since finding the recipe and it is always great. Two things – mushrooms don’t fly in this house so I sauteed a zucchini & a squash, from the garden, with the onion and then pureed the mixture – dee-lish.
I have frozen and reheated this recipe and did not have great luck. I found that the sauce was absorbed into the noodles. I had some other sauce and just added that but I was a little bummed that it was so dry. I’d love to know if you have thoughts on this or if this has ever happened to you.
Thanks Mel, I love your site and have loved so many recipes I’ve tried from here – good job!
Hi Marie! What kind/brand of noodles are you using? I’ve found when I know I’m going to freeze this, I let the sauces come to room temperature before assembling and it seems to help with the noodles soaking up the warm sauce.
Best lasagna ever!
This is worthy of a leaving a comment, I have never left a comment before…I swapped out the turkey and replaced with mild Italian sausage, amazing! I would decrease the salt a tad in the red sauce is you choose this option. It made for a delicious birthday meal! Thank you for a true Italian lasagna.
Sorry, it is not a real italian dish, there are a lot of mistakes, even if it try to fill the gap. Is it so difficult to find italian recipes on italian web sites? I guess.
Just made this for a large family get together for my grandson. He is serving in the army and stationed in South Korea here for a very short leave, his only request was homemade lasagna. I wanted to be sure he had a great meal before heading back and this recipe blew us ALL away! Everyone said it was the best they had ever had and my grandson was very, very happy and stuffed!!! Thanks for sharing the recipe and even more importantly, thanks for helping us send him back with a full belly and a big smile!!! May God Bless you!
Thanks, Jimmie – good luck to your grandson!
This is absolutely amazing and delicious!! I’m so happy I found this recipe 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing!!
I am brand new to this site and made this lasagna today. It was absolutely amazing, definitely the best we ever had. I was short noodles though, maybe my pan was extra large. Also, as I served onto plates, it spread out almost completely flat, and I was wondering why or if that has ever happened to you. I will be making it again anyway, but would like my presentation to look better
Hi Shoby – do you know the size of your pan? If there weren’t noodles to make a full layer each time, that might be why it flattened. Also, letting it rest out of the oven really helps it hold it’s shape. When I’ve served it too warm, it’s done the same thing you described.
Yes maybe that was what flattened it. Also I had a little white sauce left and dolloped it on top because it was soooo good and I just couldn’t help myself! Thank you for the tip and your amazing recipes!! Made the green lentil soup yesterday and am now officially addicted to your site!
We tried this last night and loved it! My husband isn’t a fan of cheese, especially ricotta and cottage cheese, and he loved this! We did sausage instead of ground turkey and it was delicious. Thank you!
Hi from Malaysia 🙂
Made lasagne for the very first time and loved how it turned out.
Substituted turkey with beef as it is not easy to get turkey here. Instead of white mushrooms I used brown mushrooms and red onions as I had them at home.
It was very delicious.
Thank you for the recipe. This Is definitely a keeper and something I will definitely make again. Thanks for always posting reliable and delicious recipes.
“Try the gray stuff, it’s delicious! Don’t believe me, ask the dishes!” I now know what the gray stuff was. Blended mushrooms, onions, garlic, butter and oil. Oh.my.goodness.
Lovely lovely lovely!
I came across your recipe when I was in search of a classic italian lasagna recipe since my boyfriend tends not to like when I ‘tweak’ things (usually to make them healthier).
However – he loves bechamel sauce!
Now, here was my dilemma… I love bechamel sauce, but I also love ricotta. Many commenters have said the texture of ricotta bothers them, but it’s one of my favorite textures and I love the element it adds to lasagna.
So…. I made the classic bechamel sauce, cooled it, then folded in about a cup of ricotta before seasoning it. I am so pleased with the results!!
This has already been written down in my recipe book, and I’m just waiting for the bf to request lasagna again! Thank you for the great recipe.
The Classic Lasagna is delicious! I’ve made it a couple of times. I made it today & I am freezing it to eat at a later time. Can the lasagna be thawed in the fridge for a couple of days & then cooked? If so, how long should I bake it?
Sure, it could definitely be thawed in the refrigerator. I would bake it for the same as in the recipe (if it is completely thawed) and maybe add another 10 minutes since it will be chilled.
Can you add spinach?
I think that would be tasty.
I just had another successful dinner party with this lasagna! Everyone always loves it and whenever I make it I make 2 so I can have one in the freezer. So yummy!
Oopsie. Correction: Aunties friend. Sorry Aunt Marilyn. ;]
I finally tried a new lasagna recipe. I hate to say this out loud but I have always done lasagna right off the back of the pasta box. As much as I love pasta, I didn’t vary from that generic recipe. I would throw fresh spinach into the ricotta mixture, but that is about it when it came to this dish. So my first homemade lasagna was this recipe. And I was NOT disappointed. I always double the gravy, especially with pasta dishes, and I am glad I did. That white sauce is to die for. I will never buy store bought ricotta again. Never ever ever! And the red sauce was delicious. I used lean ground beef instead of ground turkey, but other than that, I followed the recipe the way it was written. Right down to the Barilla oven ready noodles. Thanks Mel. On leftover night we will be praising you and your grandmothers friend all over again. Grattttsssssiiiii
Hi Mel,
I am fairly new to the site so I am just coming across this deliciousness! I assume I could use ground beef, correct?
This was my first time making lasagna and I was a little nervous but let me just say it wasn’t hard, just time consuming (I took a little over an hour and a half start to finish). Wonderful recipe, we will definitely be making it again! I used ground beef instead of turkey because that is what I had and it worked great! Thanks for another great recipe!
Hey Mel, how long should I cook the ground turkey? Should I cook it completely? Also, if am using a slightly bigger baking dish, can I use more noodles than what has been specified, if needed? I saw in one of the posts that someone required double the red sauce than what’s specified, so should I try to make more red sauce? Thanks!
Nibi John Babu – Yes, cook the ground turkey completely. And I think using more noodles would work just fine. It’s a pretty adaptable recipe. It depends on how much bigger your baking dish is – if it is a couple inches bigger, you might consider halving the sauces again to make a 1 1/2 batch of sauce.
Hey Mel, what brand did you use for the tomato sauce and tomato paste in this recipe? What is the difference between the two? Can I replace the tomato sauce with plain ketchup? I could not find tomato sauce in the store!
Nibi Babu – I usually use Hunt’s and no, I wouldn’t recommend subbing ketchup for the tomato sauce. Tomato paste is much, much thicker than sauce.
I tried this recipe this week because I wanted to try making homemade/fresh lasagna noodles. My husband says it is better than his lasagna! Some time I’d like to try make a variation with red peppers instead of mushrooms for maybe a brighter taste. We will be making it again.
Wow!! I am from South Africa and googled a classic Italian lasagne recipe as I recently had the best lasagne in an Italian restaurant in Johannesburg. This one comes extremely close. I am eating it as I write here. Heavenly! Must say it really takes a long time to make and I had my doubts as I have never had a lasagne with mushrooms in it. It really is worth one’s while to make this lasagne. I will never go back to my old recipe.
I made it and it was delicious!! My fiancé thoroughly enjoyed it. Not too sure what kind of tomato sauce you were talking about though, so I used tomato purée. Thanks for the recipe !! Xox
Oh, HEAVENS! I made this for dinner tonight, and oh heavens. That was delicious. Best lasagna I’ve had… I had to make a few changes because I forgot to buy mushrooms at the grocery store (we rarely ever buy mushrooms) and didn’t have quite as much cheese as the recipe calls for, and it was still phenomenal. If it was THIS good this time around, I can’t wait to taste it again when I am able to follow the recipe to the letter! 🙂
Okay, first of all – no! Spaghetti sauce out of a jar tastes NOTHING like homemade red sauce! The red sauce in this recipe is exceptionally delicious, as well! The best I have ever made, although I do use fresh tomatoes (not canned) and I use spinach instead of mushrooms (for anyone else who is curious about making this substitution: I do cook the spinach in place of the mushrooms, only I don;’t use quite as much. It does not blend very well in my blender, although if you have a food processor it might, so I have to blend the sauce again before layering). Please do try making the red sauce from scratch, it isn’t very time consuming and I promise you will notice a huge difference!
That being said, I have a question for Mel. I made this (with the above substitutions and the meat omitted), and my lasagna turned out very watery! It was swimming in liquid. Do you think this is because I left out the meat? I also used a slightly larger casserole dish (I didn’t realize this until I started layering), so I had not prepared enough noodles to completely cover each layer. Is it possible that this was the reason? I’d just like to know what I did wrong, because other than the fluid excess this lasagna was the best I have ever had! And like I said previously, pretty much the only homemade red sauce that I have found to be scrumptious. Thanks so much for sharing!
Hi Christy – hmm, not quite sure about the excess liquid. Did it absorb after the lasagna sat for a while? I’m guessing it probably was because of the larger baking dish/shortage of noodles since the noodles absorb much of the liquid. I, too, love the red sauce in this recipe!
It could have been the spinach. All leafy greens are is water, for the most part. Try pushing on them with a paper towel in a strainer to remove excess water.
My husband loves lasagna and asked me to make some for a long time so I’ve tried few recipes until I came upon yours. I was totally in love with it and I have been making this for almost a year now and I am the one that likes it the most. My picky eater can’t stand it though so I don’t make it as often as I would like too but my other three love it.
The only thing I do different is instead of the red sauce I just put spaghetti sauce an let it boil slowly for 25-30 min. The taste is pretty much the same and it saves me lots of time and I found the original recipe a little to salty so i don’t add salt on the white sauce (we under salt everything in here). I want to thank you for this great recipe and the others that I’ve tried and were just delicious and wish you and yours many blessings. I will for sure make a lot more.
I made this for dinner a couple of nights ago. I was thrilled to find lasagna recipe that didn’t include ricotta or cottage cheese. The texture of it lasagna has always turned me off from eating it. The rest of the family though was sure they would be disappointed since they like ricotta cheese in theirs.
Happy to say everyone loved this and they cleaned up the left overs for lunch yesterday. Finally a lasagna the whole family loves. I left out the mushrooms and used ground beef instead of turkey. Planning on cooking up a couple of them to freeze some time this week.
love it 🙂 thank you
ps I usually add little nutmeg into my white sauce-tastes divine 🙂
I also froze the lasagna and it tastes perfectly fine after defrosting…
The first few lines of this post, I’m sure say it all. Just by looking at your photo I am hungry for some classic style lasagna. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
One more thing-I used a bunch of wild mushrooms instead of the “usual” white mushrooms because I just happened to have some. Only had 4oz but the flavor was so rich and earthy. Will use these always from now on. Also used red onion which is my fav to cook with. One other addition-big splash of nice red wine in sauce added with cooked turkey.
My new go- to Lasagne recipe. Amazing and leftovers even better. Just as you described – the layers of flavors are wonderful. Thank you for sharing and I love your website! Just discovered your site about one month ago. Nice job! Great recipes.
Hello,
I’m making lasagna for my friend’s birthday, and I really want to use this recipe because I HATE ricotta in lasagna. However, my friend isn’t a fan of mushrooms. He did request spinach, however. I read all the comments and saw some people have substituted spinach for mushrooms and I was wondering if you can explain how to do this? I have never used spinach in cooking before. Do I use the same amount, and do I cook as directed for the mushrooms or throw it in raw?
Thank you!
Christy – I personally haven’t subbed the mushrooms out for spinach so I can’t tell you the best method. Hopefully the other commenters that actually tried it left some tips! Good luck! I’m guessing you could use thawed and drained frozen chopped spinach and add it at some point to the red sauce.
The white sauce wouldn’t thicken for me also, but it did when it was cooked .
I made this yesterday and the flavor was pretty good. Next time I’ll try spicing up the red sauce a bit. I must have done something wrong with the white sauce as it didn’t thicken at all. I used it anyway but it was literally like pouring milk on the lasagna.
I was just wondering what kind of mushrooms did you use? And on the onions did you use a white, yellow, or purple onion? This recipe sounds delicious and I’m a perfectionist so want to get it just right.
Kimber – I use white button mushrooms usually and I almost always use a yellow onion.
I used fresh tomatoes from my garden! Just boil tomatoes for 30 seconds then place in ice bath to remove skins. Works and tastes great!!!!
Hi Mel!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I have always wanted to make lasagna but never could make it right! I love to bake and cook! I made this lasagna tonight and it was absolutely amazing!!!! My husband loved it too! I used ground beef and pork instead of the turkey and added cottage cheese and ricotta cheese also! It was the best lasagna I have ever had! Thanks again!
🙂
Just a few questions –
If I wanted to use fresh instead of canned diced tomatoes, how would I go about doing that? And did you use fresh mozzarella cheese? It looks great 🙂 can’t wait to try it.
Hi Shannon – I’ve never used fresh tomatoes for this so you’d have to experiment. I’d start by using the same amount in volume as the canned tomatoes and see how that goes. Also, I’ve never used fresh mozzarella but it’s also worth a try.
WOW… really. WOW.
We loved this lasagna! It’s hard to find a lasagna recipe without ricotta cheese. My husband hates it. It was a great dinner and an awesome lunch today.
I made a couple changes. Instead of ground turkey I used half ground beef and half ground spicy sausage. In place of the tomato sauce I used Hunts Zesty and Spicy pasta sauce. Also I used basil, garlic and oregano diced tomatoes, but I left out the Italian seasoning. I didn’t want to over do it.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I already wrote it in my family cookbook.
Mel! I hate lasagna! Well, I thought I hated lasagna. Because my husband and I have a strong aversion to ricotta, it has never been something we’ve enjoyed. Since this recipe uses a white sauce instead, I tried it. We absolutely loved it! It is definitely the best lasagna I’ve ever had; my husband agreed. I can’t wait until my boys are old enough to enjoy it! Thanks for another successful meal!
Just made this lasanga for a dinner party. It was wonderful. I did have to tweet the recipe since someone attending the party was allergic to mushrooms. I substituted red bell pepper and spinach for the mushrooms. Glad I doubled the recipe and froze one for later. Looking forward to it!
We made this last night (and one to freeze) and it is amazing!! Took me about 2 hours from start to finish, but I am slow since I am 36 weeks pregnant and took forever to prep everything, lol. I could probably cut 30 min of prep time out if I wasnt pregnant and enlisted help from my hubby. I shredded all the cheese from blocks and of course had to chop all the veggies, but it was totally worth it! I also did one step at a time rather than boiling while simmering, etc, since I am slow right now. Thanks for a great recipe!
Num! Thank you for this recipe. It took all afternoon to make, which I planned for and enjoyed. The only change I would make is to adjust the amounts for a lasagna pan which is bigger than a regular 9×13.
And I love the bechamel sauce–I may have to use it by itself!
This recipe was amazing! I’ve never had lasagna without ricotta and wanted to try something new. This will now be my go to lasagna recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Wow! I made this tonight, although quite labor intensive it is amazing! It is so amazing, in fact that it is 12:45 a.m and I currently eating some leftovers. I don’t think I will ever want a different lasagna! Thanks for sharing this recipe !
I followed the recipe exactly and it was the BEST lasagna I have EVER EVER EVER had!!
Thank you!
The lasagna was fantastic! I am a believer! I have NEVER followed a recipe to the T, and last night I did. I am certain now that I can alter and add, but when you FIRST make this, please follow it exactly! You will NOT be disappointed! (Ok. I did bake it 15 minutes longer than suggested, and then 20 minutes longer with the foil off for browning of the piles of cheese. And I did substitute ground beef for the ground turkey, and I didn’t have parm so I put in another 1/2 pound of mozzarella. So not EXACTLY to a T, but dang good for me! 🙂
You made a lasagna lover out of my husband!! Seriously he does NOT like lasagna, but I was making dinner for a friends b’day and she requested lasagna…. my husband had THREE helpings of it! I used 1/2 ground beef 1/2 italian sausage and it was so good!!
Btw, I Love, Love , love your blog! Great entertainment, good friends and delicious food! Perfecto! 🙂
I am always late to the party, but your lasagna is in the oven as we speak! Putting the kids to bed, having a glass of wine and trying me some lasagna! :). Thanks! :). Perfect pairing for decorating the Christmas tree!
Casey – I use the Barillia no-boil noodles and the recipe is written for how I bake it with those noodles. If you are using a different brand, you may need to alter the baking time a bit.
Hi! Can’t wait to try this:) If I am using the no boil noodles, should I cook it longer than 30 minutes? I ask because the box says (if using their recipe) bake for 45-hour.
Thank you!
I just made this for a friend, I can’t wait to make it for myself! It looked and smelled SOOO delicious! 🙂 Thanks so much for this recipe! It was super easy to make and follow the directions. I loved the “white sauce” and the taste it added to the lasagna. I used regular spaghetti sauce with more seasonings for the “red sauce” too and it worked out GREAT still.
Thanks for the recipe!
I made this tonight for my family. It was really good! Everyone loved it. My husband said it is the best lasagna he has ever had. Thanks for sharing this recipe with us!
This is a fantastic recipe, but instead of ground turkey I used 1 lb. of crumbled sausage. It was tastier!
MEL!!!!!
This is a WINNER recipe!!! I have a fabulous manicotti recipe that is so good, I tend not to venture to much into the lasagna sector. But, I had to try this recipe….. (I was a little worried how it would be with such a basic white sauce, to be honest. BUT, apparently I had NOTHING to worry about!!) Seriously, stellar. I added a bit more of the oregano/basil mixture b/c I like things really flavorful. And I added a bit of sugar. It was amazing. I did find that I needed to double the red sauce to have enough for the whole dish. Job well done.
Also tried the no boil noodles for the first time and they worked! Miracle!
This was super. I really liked the white sauce, but at first I wasn’t sure I would because I like the cottage cheese mixture in my normal recipe. This was a bigger hit with my kids than my usual recipe. I think it also helps that the onion (didn’t use mushrooms) were blended, so nothing they had to pick out. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
My mom always made noodle casserole on Friday with cream of mushroom soup. She hid the can at the bottom of the garbage. To this day, I cannot eat anyone’s casserole. When cooking for a crowd, use cream of celery soup.
Wow, finally someone who doesn’t use cottage cheese or ricotta in their lasagne!
When I moved to the States I was really surprised seeing that besciamella was replaced by *ugh* cottage cheese 🙁 it takes away so much of the original lasagne taste and no one would put that in their food in Italy (most people never ate cottage cheese in their entire lives, let alone putting it in everybody’s all-time favourite dish!)…
Anyhow, where I’m from in Italy we would just use parmesan cheese, besciamella (white sauce) and ragù alla bolognese (tomato sauce+ ground meat), layer that with pasta sheets and that’s it!
April, the longest I’ve made this in advance is the morning of so I don’t know how the night before would be. If you try it I would make sure you cool the sauce components to room temp before assembling.
Can i assemble this the night before?
Ooh, I was looking for a lasagne recipe w/o ricotta and this looks good! Question – I already have a bunch of homemade sauce put away from our bounty of garden tomatoes, how much sauce do you think I would need for this?
Katie – I’ve never pureed the tomatoes so I’m not sure how that would affect the liquid. It might make it a bit more liquidy but with only one can of diced tomatoes, I think it’s definitely worth a try. I’ve frozen it with the no-boil noodles and it worked great!
This sounds delicious! I found your site a couple weeks ago and have already used and loved over 10 of your recipes so far….thanks for helping me enjoy cooking again!! Two questions….my husband is weird about chunks of tomatoes….do you think it would work if I puréed the diced tomatoes before adding them to the sauce or would it make it too soupy? Also…as far as making this in advance and refrigerating or freezing (I’ve read the previous comments) does this still work for the no boil noodles as well? Thanks so much, I can’t wait to make it!
Hi Tara – so happy you liked this. Thanks for checking in (as always!). I appreciate the clarification on terminology for what kinds of foods you can find in England. Are the pureed tomatoes you used similar to crushed tomatoes? You said that tomato paste is called tomato puree so I didn’t know if the pureed tomatoes you used were actually tomato puree, or in other words, tomato paste. Whew! This is confusing. Basically, I would sub for the tomato sauce another tomato product with the same consistency as crushed tomatoes. I’d probably try to stay away from the jarred pasta sauces so you don’t get added flavors, but you might want to throw in some salt to taste and that would be about it.
One more note (to Mindy a few comments above): I used oven-ready noodles also and the 30 minute cooking time was perfect. They were very tender. I then removed the tinfoil and broiled the lasagna for 2 minutes to bubble and brown the cheese.
hoooo! Wow! Yummy supper. So I’ve always kinda prided myself in my lasagna making. It has been my fave food since childhood and on the rare occasion that I have used recipes, they’ve never compared to my own out of my head…..until today! That was amazing! Wow! Even my daughter who hates lasagna (which I think has got to be a crime!) loved it–and she had actually cried when she discovered I was making lasagna for supper! I can’t quite figure out why this was so good cuz it is so similar to how i make my own, however it has got to be how the sauce was cooked–with the pureed, fried veggies and all. I don’t know. Just amazing.
My only question: I am living in England at the moment, and here, as well as in most countries outside of the US and Canada, we do not have ‘tomato sauce’. In most countries that would be construed as ketchup, or maybe a jar of bolognese sauce or Ragu. What would you suggest I substitute for that? Today I used pureed tomatoes (which is the same as passatta), should I just add extra salt or should I add other things as well? Should I use a pre-made jar of Ragu-type sauce? Also here, they call tomato paste tomato puree. So a non-North American reading American blogs could certainly be confused!! thanks for your advice!
I saw that someone subsituted Spinach for the Mushrooms in the recipe. How much Spinach do you use or recommend? I’m super excited to try this recipe but am not a fan of Mushrooms.Thanks!
This definitely was the best lasagna ever! I made this last night for a get-together and everyone loved it. My husband thought the turkey was sausage. I did cook it for 60 minutes on 375 degrees because I was using oven ready noodles and I didn’t think 30 minutes was long enough. Turned out awesome! Thanks for the recipe!
I’ve got a shortcut that makes this the crowd pleaser at my house. Of course, everyone loves it, but I’ve made it easier on the cook. I process all my veggies 1st, then saute them – the result is the same with far less mess than processing hot cooked vegetables. This is also a great recipe to go vegetarian – the mushroom sauce is so ‘meaty’, even without the turkey, that my husband never misses it on Meatless Monday!
Oh my goodness, this lasagna is delicious!! Thanks for sharing!!!! You really do have the best recipes!
So good! My husband is pretty sure anything with ground turkey is the opposite of good so I subbed out 1/2 hot Italian sausage and 1/2 ground beef. This was seriously delicious. We had my sister and her carnivore husband over and lets just say we didn’t have to worry about leftovers. The amount of food consumed by the guys was spectacular. Definitely a home run meal.
Amber – I buy anything from Hunts to Red Gold. I stay away from the generic, simply because I haven’t had good results but otherwise, I’m not brand specific.
Which brand of tomato paste and sauce do you usually use?
It was perfect!
I have never eaten lasagna before and I made this recipe since it was mentioned as a classic dish… I substituted the meat with carrots,red peppers, mushroom, broccoli and spinach and it tasted GREAT! Thank you for the recipe!
Oh my goodness! I have used plenty of recipes from online blogs and such, however, I have NEVER taken the time to comment. THIS lasagna, game changer. Sold. Will NEVER make it another way again! I will say I did the unthinkable (inexcusable, but I’m just sooo busy and have limited time), I used a jar sauce (ouch, I know.), next time I will allow myself the time and energy to use all FRESH ingredients (no jar/can of anything).
Thank you so much for the recipe, had more than one person say it was their best ever, and certainly MY best ever!
Made it and LOVED it! Will use it again and again!
Leslie – hmmm, that’s a good question. You could probably eliminate the butter and flour altogether and then bring the milk, salt and pepper to a simmer. Make a little slurry of cornstarch and cold water (maybe 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water) and whisk it into the milk. Bring the milk to a boil and whisk constantly to let thicken. If needed you might have to add more of the cornstarch slurry – just keep in mind that the cornstarch has to be mixed with cold water before being added to the milk. I honestly have no idea what the consistency/flavor would be like but it’s worth trying. Good luck!
I was wondering what you’d recommend if I’m making this gluten free as far as the flour in the bechamel sauce…. Do you think I could heat the butter and milk together and then whisk in cornstarch? I think the flour might be the key for the smooth silky sauce, but then nothing is ever the same without gluten, is it? (Yes, I’m planning on using G-F noodles!)
I’m thinking using Mel’s Creamy Garlic Alfredo recipe would be a good substitution…
This is a great lasagna recipe. I am love with bechamel sauce in lasagna, and so is my husband. Thanks!
I will be making this one instead of my other go to from now on…thank you…looking forward to making more stuff from this website! Thank you
It was awesome.. I left the sauce in the frig overnight and put it together for dinner this evenin…my mom, my niece and her friend said it was great! ! Turned out not to be salty
Lisa – I don’t know why your sauce tasted overly salty – how was the finished lasagna?
I just made the red sauce and seems to me it is really salty? Will the white sauce help wittaking out some of that or maybe it is too much garlic?
I am a newcomer to Mel’s Kitchen and I love it! I tried this lasangna and it was awesome….and believe me I have made some pretty teriffic lasagna from some famous chefs. I used turkey italian sweet sausage instead of regular ground turkey and baked mine for 10 minutes more with the foil off, but I live at high altitude. I was shocked at how easy this recipe was but how delicious!
Wow! I love pinterest and that’s how I found your blog. I also love it when I actually have time to prepare a recipe and give my real honest opinion….this was fabulous!!!
Mine took a good bit longer to bake than yours, but other than that the instructions were easy to follow, clean up wasn’t bad since there was a little down time, and the result is divine!
I used ground beef, but next time I think I am trying sausage for a little something extra.
Thank you, thank you!
This was an amazing lasagna! I always trust your word. Thank you for the recipe!
Has anyone tried this with veggie turkey or soy?
Sallie – I’ve never frozen this, although my sister has and said it baked up wonderfully. I have made the day before and refrigerated – that’s what I’ll be doing this year.
Have you ever tried freezing this or making it a day ahead of time? I am having an Italian Christmas Eve and I’m hoping not to get stuck in the kitchen all night!!
I tried this lasagna tonight and it was awesome!! My husband and I invited my sister, brother in law and my dad over for dinner and were nervous about trying a new recipe. It was amazing!
I just had to post that I made this lasagna last night and it was AMAZING! My husband and I both agreed that it was the best lasagna we’ve ever had! Thanks for all your amazing recipes!
Ok I made it!! And OMG it was the Best Lasagna I’ve ever had!! And I don’t eat lasagna because I never like the way it was put together! Now I’m in heaven and will probably gain 10 pounds! I definitely went heavy on the cheese, but well worth it!! Thank you so much!!
I just want to say I just prepared this! It’s cooking in the oven as we speak, with 2 minutes left on the timer! I had soooo much FUN making this!! I can’t wait till it’s done and I can write all about it! Thanks doll!
I made a similar recipe from Cooks Illustraed magazine, they made a bolognese (meat) sauce and the white sauce with the Barilla no cook noodles and cheese. Most amazing lasagne I ever made, and I have made plenty. So this sounds amazing too, who would have thought no ricotta? Saves a lot of money too, as ricotta can be expensive.
Hello!
Can this lasagna be made a day ahead of time? If so, what would you suggest for the cooking time? Thank you!
Jennifer – yes, you can make it ahead of time. I would recommend letting the sauce components cool before layering the lasagna. If refrigerated, I would add 15 minutes to the baking time.
I made this lasagna last night and it was absolutely delicious. The sauce is so creamy! I really can’t wait to have some for lunch today. This is recipe box worthy for sure!
I made this lasagna last week along with your other lasagna recipe (your mom’s). We ate the other one the night I made it and put this one in the deep freezer. I just cooked it last night. 90 min covered @ 375 then 3o more minutes uncovered, and about 10-15 to cool on the stovetop. I have to say my husband and I prefer this one. We loved it! It is a new favorite. Oh, and I used the Wal-Mart/Great Value no boil noodles with no problem…
I assembled it the night before – put it in the fridge overnight “raw” and it cooked up beautifully and everyone LOVED it. Raved. And now they all asked me to send them your link. So you have some big new fans in the greater Buffalo region! I ended up making it with 1% since I had to go to the store anyway…
trying this today – serving tomorrow… can’t wait! Just a quick question – why not skim milk? I have made white sauce before (for a “fancy” mac and cheese recipe) and used skim, and it seems to turn out fine. Is it for more flavor or the texture of the sauce? Many thanks!
Nancy – the milk adds a richness to the sauce that is hard to achieve with skim – having said that, if you prefer skim, I’d still give it a try. The sauce might be slightly thinner, but it could still work, I’m thinking.
SO excited to try this, and am SO GRATEFUL that Allie M got me addicted to your site!
Mel, this might just be the BEST thing I have made off your site…and that’s saying A LOT considering I have made tons of your stuff and loved every bite of everything! I cannot get over the smooth, richness of the two sauces in this! I love skipping the ricotta and going straight for the bechemel! Especially since it just makes the already amazing red sauce taste even better! My entire family just about died over it! I added frozen chopped spinach to the red sauce based on some of the previous comments, and it was a success! The leftovers were AMAZING! Why are lasagna and spaghetti so much better the second day? I really can’t figure that one out, but man oh man we were fighting over these leftovers! Thanks yet again for making me look like a genius!
I can’t wait to make this tonight! It looks delicious!! Except I have one question.. I know your feelings about shredded mozzarella cheese for pizza, is that the same for lasagna too or can I use pre-shredded cheese? Thanks!
Alicia – well, to be honest, I only ever shred my own mozzarella since my husband (by virtue of him working for a cheese manufacturing company) has tainted my tastes for preshredded cheese forever. Having said that, in this lasagna, I actually think preshredded mozzarella would work fine. It might be slightly less melty than cheese you shred yourself but mixed in with all the other ingredients and you probably won’t be able to tell.
OMG! Now that I am not working b/c of our recent move, I have been trying to cook more meals at home. I have downloaded and printed and filed maybe 20 recipes and this is the one that has been the hands down very favorite of mine . I may have used all the saucepans I own and dividing the portions out in 3’s was very clever although I was not sure at first. I have never been so satisfied with the flavors and texture.. oh and the cheese! In not so short. Mel, thank you for taking the time to do this for not only those who cook often but those like me… just getting started. 🙂
Catherine – I’m glad that despite the multiple pans used and the time that this lasagna was a hit. It is one of my absolutely favorites. Just seeing your comment makes me want to have it for dinner tonight!
Made this tonight and DH said it was the best lasagna he’s ever eaten! I have to agree! Thank you so much for the AWESOME recipe!!! I love your blog!!
Christy – thanks for the rave reviews on this recipe! I’m so glad it was a hit.
Made this yesterday..WOW..I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to find a recipe for lasagne that tasted this good. This will be my ONLY lasagne from now on…Not soupy at the end like so many others are..perfect pieces after it has rested 10 minutes. and SO creamy delicious. I am planning to add a bit of red and green pepper to ours next time as we like that, but other than that, will NOT change a thing. I am making this yummy recipe for our annual Christmas party this year for sure!!
Diana – I am thrilled that you loved this recipe, especially since it is my favorite lasagna recipe, too. Thanks for letting me know!
Great, then I can make it way ahead of time. One less thing to do the day before we leave. I’m bringing the make ahead garlic bread too, so good! Thanks for the tips! Soggy lasagna does not sound too appealing. =)
This looks amazing and I love that it uses ground turkey! Have you subbed ground turkey in your mom’s lasagna before? I was going to try that but found this recipe to try instead. I was also wondering if I made this ahead of time would it be good in the fridge for 2 days? Like make it Sunday night and bake it Tuesday night. We are going camping(with a trailer with a fridge and an oven) and I would like to make it before we leave and keep it in the fridge. What do you think?
Hi Katie – I have subbed ground turkey in my mom’s lasagna and it works out great. As for this lasagna, I’m afraid it might get a little soggy sitting for two days. if you really want to make it ahead, I’d make it up to a week ahead and freeze it. Then, bring it frozen to camping and let it thaw in the fridge (wouldn’t need to thaw all the way) and cook it from a slightly frozen state. Does that make sense?
I don’t like lasagna much at all, but my husband loves it, so I broke down and made this and I ate about half the pan by myself! It was so good! I’m a new fan of your blog. I’ve already made about 6 other recipes and this is my new go-to source. Even my 2 year old will eat most of what I fix!
Ashlee – too funny! I’m so glad that you liked this lasagna and that I’m not the only one guilty of overeating something I love. I’m thrilled you’ve liked the recipes you’ve tried – thanks for letting me know!
Angela – thanks for checking in again! I was curious to know how this worked and am so glad to know that it baked up well after being frozen and semi-defrosted. Thanks for letting me know!
Angela again from #36 above. Just reporting back in on freezing the lasagna. Worked great, tasted great. Just needs plenty of time to defrost. Had it in the fridge for a day and on the counter for another 6 hours or so and was still frosty when it came time to bake it. Took about 1.5 hours to cook. But absolutely delicious, so definitely a keeper and worth every minute of the prep and cook time. Thank you! Another winner!
L – thanks for your comment! Were you able to use lactose-free milk for the bechamel sauce also? I’m so glad that your mother was able to enjoy it, too. Thanks for letting me know!!
Finally worked up the guts to make this–it was my first lasagna! I substituted all the cheeses with my mother’s lactose-free version and she couldn’t even tell the difference. Everyone was impressed with the no-boil noodles either, since we’ve never used them. Your recipes are clear and precise, which is great for someone like me who is just starting out at cooking! Thank you for giving my lactose-intolerant mom a chance to have lasagna again!
Pat – thanks for checking in. I’m so glad you liked this lasagna!
Wow, the white sauce added a great dimension to this dish!! The lasagna was delicious!
Jackie – yes, I’m sure you could substitute Italian turkey sausages. I’ve never used them so I’m not familiar with the taste, but if you like the taste of them, go for it!
Hi Mel
I was wondering if I could use the Italian Turkey Sausages in this recipe instead of ground turkey, which I think have more flavor, what do you think?
hayley – I don’t even dare weigh in on the issue of using jarred sauce because with the no-boil noodles, I’m not sure exactly how much sauce you need to cook them fully (I’ve never measured the amount of red sauce this makes). However, if you dare to try it, let me know!
Angela – I’ve never tried freezing it, but my sister has, although she hasn’t cooked it yet. I’m pretty sure it will cook up just fine (considering that normal lasagna freezes fine). I’d try it for sure. Let me know if you do.
Have you tried freezing and reheating this? I made two and realized how much food it is…hoping to freeze, unless the mushrooms or some other ingredient might freak out. Thoughts?
Thanks!!!
I was planning on making my regular old lasagna this week, and bought all the ingredients for it, including my regular marinara from a jar. (Dont judge me…:). I’m wondering if I could make this with just my jar red sauce? And if so, how much should I use?
Anonymous – I use regular white button mushrooms.
KA – I’m so glad that this lasagna was a hit and especially that you liked it so much! Thanks for letting me know.
I’ve been struggling to find a way around making lasagna without ricotta because I can’t find a decent lactose-free substitute; I’ll definitely have to try this!
Made this last night and it’s the only lasagna I’ve ever made that I liked! Also, my mom, sister, nephew, son and husband loved it! Thanks!!!
What kind of mushrooms do you use for this recipe?
….well I do have a years (decades!) old favorite, but because I think you are just one of the greatest, I’m going to add this to my stash…will have to try this when the lasagna bug bites again.
Hi Melanie C. – you definitely don’t want to add any extra liquid to the recipe. There is plenty of moisture with the red and white sauce so I promise the noodles will cook fully!
Melanie!!! You have convinced me! This sounds and looks heavenly! I can’t wait to try it!
Hi Melanie! I’m DYING to try this lasagna, and the garlic cheese bread! I have a question…my lasagna that I make now, I love to use the Barilla no-boil noodles. however, if I use these, I add a little extra water to the tomato sauce, and leave the water out if using regular, cooked, lasagna noodles.
do you not add any extra water when using the no-boil noodles? I’m just wanting to make sure, because in my experience the no-boil ones need LOTS of moisture when cooking.
I normally don’t like lasagna because of ricotta cheese, I think it is disgusting. But my husband loves lasagna and is sad I don’t make it. ha I will definitely be trying this because it actually sounds delicious! Love your blog and all the recipes.
Stacie – the ground turkey is not an adaptation from the recipe – it was called for in the original I got from my Aunt. As for if it is authentic, I’m not sure, but it tastes great. I’m guessing a red meat may be more authentic but I like this with the ground turkey.
Is ground turkey really “classic Italian lasagna” or is that a variation?
Hi, Ruth! Thanks for your comment. I’m so glad you like the blog and that this recipe was a hit. Thanks for letting me know!
Doris – oh, I would die for fresh pasta noodles. I actually have a new pasta maker I’m experimenting with but I’m not very good at it yet. Thanks for your input on lasagna – very trustworthy since you actually live in the “land of lasagna!”
Anissa – I was waiting to hear the verdict after you posted your first comment that you may try this. I’m definitely going to be throwing some spinach in mine next time, too. Thanks for trying it that way and letting us know it worked out great!
K – I’ve only ever made this using Barilla’s brand of no-boil noodles so maybe there is something to the brand you use if yours turned out soupy. If you want to continue making it with the Walmart brand, it sounds like maybe cutting down on the sauces would be the best option!
Anonymous – you could definitely substitute ground beef for ground turkey.
could I substitute the ground turkey for ground beef and still get the same results?
A wonderful variation to this recipe is to sprinkle the bread lightly with smoked paprika before grilling to a bubbly brownness.
Made this yesterday and it was amazing!! I LOVE your blog. It is by far my favorite recipe blog that I follow. I’ve made so many of your recipes I can’t even count. I just love that your recipes are for normal food that a family (with kids) can eat- but definitely not boring!!
-Your fellow Wisconsinite
This was FABULOUS. I have a question though- My lasagna was still soupy after 15 minutes cooling time. I followed recipie exactly (which I don't always do, as I am an avid cook)but mine was a little soupy until about 40 minutes later. I used Walmart noodles, would that be the difference?Thanks so much, I love your posts.Kara
Not sure if this makes a difference, but I had to cook the white sauce for about 12-15 minutes while adding a pinch of shredded mozzarella cheese before it thickened.
oh, melanie, this is terrific! the white sauce, the tomato sauce, the cheese. the cheese. this may be the quintessential lasagna for me. did i mention the cheese?
I make mine similar to this one, but I use a slowly cooked meat and tomato sauce called ragu (not to be confused with the jars you find at the store!!). I use Barilla noodles for the lasagna. You don't need to cook them. You place them as they are when you make layers and they cook with the bechamel and ragu sauces. And yes, lots of cheese!!
Just made this, with spinach instead of mushrooms, and it's the best lasagna I've had in a very long time. This is my new go to recipe. SO GOOD everyone! Thanks!
Chicken in lasagna! Yummy=) I might just have to double the cheese cause I love it sooo much.
I love your recipes and your photos make me drool!! Just wanted to let you know I nominated your for the One Lovely Blog award :)http://mamajanskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/03/how-sweet-it-is-to-be-loved-by-you.html
This sounds like amazing lasagna! Tell aunt Marilyn thanks!!
Trying this out tonight with all the staples I have on hand. We're not big mushrooms eaters though, so I'm thinking about substituting baby spinach for the mushrooms… a way to add nutrition and the kids won't even know. 🙂 Thanks for the great post. I had no idea what to make for dinner tonight without having to go to the store and this did it! Awesome!
Melanie, I'm so excited you posted this recipe. I served my mission in Italy (Milan), and when I saw this picture, it brought back great memories of WONDERFUL lasagna I ate there. It even LOOKS authentic, can't wait to make it!P.S. Did you know a lot of Italians put nutmeg in their lasagna? It adds such a unique flavor. So unexpected.
YUM!!!
THANK YOU for posting this… I love the ingredients… I remember making a bechemel sauce too but the recipe still asked for ricotta… I think it was a Giada de Laurentis recipe… yours seems easier… i've bookmarked it…
My mouth waters when I read your blog! Sounds so delicious!
I first learned of, and tried, a lasagna with bechamel sauce a couple years ago. Can't wait to try yours!
Oh, I'm so excited to try this! I was raised using a white sauce and ricotta in my lasagna so this recipe just looks fabulous!! It is going on my "to make" list for this weekend. I can't wait to try it 🙂
This is really close to the Lasagna I make here In Italy. I am lucky enough to live in Northern Italy via the US Air Force. In the last 2 years I have eaten so much lasagna it is ridiculous. But it is my most favorite dish in all of Italy.I too was floored the first time I had true Authentic Lasagna made with Bechamel aka White sauce!Since being here I have been on a quest for a great Lasagna recipe. I have made so many over the last two years.reading your entry today has put a big ol smile on my face.You have a great recipe here. Cannot go wrong with White Sauce and cheese!The only thing is being here in Italy you easily find Fresh Lasagna noodles in the grocery stores. So I use fresh noodles. Takes no time to bake too. If you can find fresh sheets of lasagna in a specialty store I highly recomend trying them out!
This looks great. Can't wait to try it. I don't know about you but I prefer Italian recipes made at home than a restaurant. They seem better. Anyhow, I plan to make several of your recipes this week. I appreciate your blog. So helpful! This one and Amber's (thismommycooks.blogspot.com) are my favorite.
my grandma is Italian, and like you I'm partial to my mom's lasagna. But I'm not above trying a new recipe. I love lasagna and I"ll be trying this one out for sure!
I'm an Italian American. I'll be trying this version of Lasagna. Thanks so much for posting it. I love your blog and really appreciate all of your recipes and comments of each one. Valerie H.