How to Make Lasagna from Scratch

Homemade Lasagna Recipe

Homemade lasagna from scratch is a delicious and fairly healthy meal that is simple to make. All you need are tomatoes, pasta, and cheese, and you'll have the perfect family dinner for Sunday night. This lasagna recipe is quite basic, but it can be customized to suit your family's taste.

The ingredients you'll need to make lasagna from scratch are:

10 medium tomatoes diced (or 13 small or 8 large tomatoes)
one 4-6 oz container of ricotta cheese
6 oz shredded mozzarella
two cloves garlic, crushed
one small onion, diced
one package lasagna noodles, slightly softened
salt, pepper, basil, oregano, and olive oil to taste

(1) In a large sauce pan, add the diced tomatoes, diced onion, crushed garlic, a few dashes of salt and pepper, and one tsp each of basil and oregano. Let the sauce cook uncovered on medium for about 20 minutes, then let it simmer on medium-low for about 30 more minutes. The secret to good tomato sauce is letting it cook long enough so that the flavors blend and mellow out. You can also add a drizzle of olive oil to the sauce.

(2) Shred the mozzarella for the lasagna while the sauce is cooking.

(3) When the lasagna sauce is almost done, soak the lasagna noodles in a shallow pan of hot water for about 10-15 minutes. Take them out, and place them on a clean plate.

(4) Once the sauce is done, start building the lasagna by placing one layer of noodles at the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Add alternating layers of sauce and noodles. On the final layer of sauce, add dollops of ricotta cheese, then cover the entire top of the lasagna with shredded mozzarella cheese.

(5) Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and bubbly.

You may have some leftover sauce depending on how saucy you like your lasagna. In this case, you can simply freeze the leftover sauce, and thaw it for another batch of lasagna. If you have a ton of zucchini left over from your garden, add slices of zucchini between the layers of noodles and sauce, or use them as a topping over the cheese.

If you use whole wheat pasta, it is not necessary to soften the noodles, as they will cook rather quickly in the oven. For a meatier meal, add shredded chicken, Italian sausage, or ground beef to the sauce.