Super Easy Homemade Beef Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients
Lasagna Pasta Noodle Dough
- 1 pound all purpose flour 3 1/3 cups
- 1 tbsp sea salt fine grain
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil use more if needed
- 4 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
Spicy or Non Spicy Lasagna Sauce
- 2 cans tomato sauce medium size
- 2 cans diced fire roasted tomatoes medium size
- 2 lbs ground beef optional
- 2 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp dried basil
- 1 tbsp sea salt fine grain
- 1 tbsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp pepper flakes more if you like it spicier
- 1 tbsp italian seasonings spice mix optional
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese optional
- 1/2 large white or yellow onion
- 6 - 8 cloves garlic
- 1 bunch fresh basil leaves optional
- 1 bunch fresh oregano optional
Lasagna Cheeses
- 1 ball Mozerella shredded
- 1 ball Mozerella sliced into disks
- 1/3 cup Parmesan shreds you can use 1/2 to 1 cup
- 1/3 cup Romano shreds you can use 1/2 to 1 cup
- 1/2 container Ricotta cheese
Instructions
- Separate all of your ingredients so you can have everything organized.
How to Make Lasagna Pasta Noodles
- Combine your flour and sea salt into a large mixer or mixing bowl. Next add the eggs and egg yolk and begin mixing them in. Now start adding your extra virgin olive oil until you get a light golden-yellow dough that is slightly sticky to not sticky. I knead mine for about 10 minutes as well. Now roll the dough into a large ball and set it in plastic wrap on your counter or in your fridge for an hour to rest.
- Next take your Lasagna Roller or press and run the dough through it. If you don't have one you can order one here for cheap. You can also cut the dough into 6, 8 or 12 pieces and then roll it out flat with a rolling pin,,,but that takes forever.
I like to add extra flour to all of my dough sliced so that they don't stick together.
How to Make Lasagna Sauce
- While your noodle dough is resting, chop your onion and garlic then toss them into a frying pan with a large drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on medium heat until they soften.
- Once softened, add in the diced tomatoes, the tomato sauce, a large pinch or three of the sea salt and black pepper. Toss in the dried herbs, mix and turn the heat up to 6 or a medium high and let it start to reduce. If you want the sauce to be spicy, add the crushed red pepper flakes to taste here. Chili powder can be good too...but be cautious as it alters the flavor.
Once it boils or you see bubbles coming up, take your ground beef and start adding chunks of it in. Mix it into the sauce well and then let the sauce cook it while it reduces. This took about 20 minutes and I let the ground beef cook inside the sauce for about 18 of them. While your sauce reduced, boil your fresh noodles in salt water. They only take about 3 minutes to cook so watch them closely. - When you have about 2 minutes left, add the fresh herbs into the almost fully reduced lasagna sauce. It adds color, flavor and a lot of contrast to it.
How to Layer & Bake Your Lasagna
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Now begin laying noodles across the bottom of the pan.
- Next chop the remaining oregano, slice the remaining fresh basil and then shred one of the Mozzarella balls and slice the other into discs.
- Pour some of the sauce over the first layer of noodles and then toss on some of the Ricotta, Parmesan and Romano cheeses. Next scatter the shredded Mozzarella over the layer (if you're doing three layers then use 1/2 of the Mozzarella here and if two then all of the shredded). I also added some of the remaining chopped oregano and sliced basil to the lower layers.
- Now add the second or third layer of noodles. Next place another layer of sauce. Now add a bit more Ricotta cheese over it. Next place the discs of Mozzarella cheese evenly over the layer and then top with a sprinkle of the shredded Parmesan and Romano cheese. You can also place any of the slices of basil here for a pretty color and awesome taste. I added a bit of the chopped oregano too.
- Now bake this at 425 for about 20 - 22 minutes and then turn it on broil for about 2 minutes if you want the browned cheese effect.
- The very last thing is to remove it carefully from the oven, let it cool off and then enjoy!