Italian Lasagna

This recipe for Italian Lasagna is a family favorite. A rich meat sauce, ricotta cheese, Mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese marry together in this delicious traditional casserole. While veggie lasagna is delicious, I am a sucker for lasagna made with meat sauce.

 

Creamette Back of the Box Italian Lasagna Recipe

My father-in-law absolutely loved my lasagna recipe. He’s been gone for a few years now, but I always think of him when I make it for dinner. I wish that I could take credit for putting this Italian Lasagna recipe together, but I can’t. Many years ago I had followed the recipe on the back of the Creamette lasagna box and was sold. However, each time I wanted to make it, I just looked on the back of the box, always throwing the one away before it.

RELATED: you might also like this recipe – Ravioli Lasagna

One day I was in the grocery store picking up the noodles. I looked on the back of the box and it had a recipe for “Vegetable Lasagna” on the back. Oh no! I checked every box on the grocery store shelf, but alas, no “Italian Lasagna with Meat” recipe. ACK!

So I hoped and prayed that I still had a box in the cabinet. I was lucky, there was still half a box of noodles on my shelf at home, so I immediately cut the recipe off the box and taped it to a piece of paper. It’s tattered and sauce splattered, but it’s tried and true and holds a special place in my recipe binder.

That story is from 2008 when I first published this recipe. Since then I’ve made it over and over, this time using the printer friendly version of the recipe at the end of this post.

Many people have come to this blog post and commented that they too lost this Creamette lasagna recipe, so I’m happy to share it here with you.

No-Boil, Oven-Ready Noodles or Regular Lasagna Noodles?

Over the years I have tried different types of noodles. Creamette and other brands have come out with oven-ready noodles, also known as no-boil noodles. People still wonder if they can or should boil them. There’s no need to boil oven-ready noodles. You can just layer them right into the recipe. However, I like to soak them first, just to soften them up and make them pliable so they are easier to handle and work with.

This simple noodle soaking trick works for regular lasagna noodles too. Hence no more boiling at all if you don’t feel like it! Easy. Simply fill a pan with hot tap water. Place the noodles into the water about ten minutes before you assemble your casserole. Remember, this can be done with both types of noodles. Just don’t soak them too long, especially if there are a lot in the pan. They can stick together and be difficult to separate.

More cook’s notes to consider

If you are using regular lasagna noodles, use half of a box. If you are using oven-ready, use the whole box. This is based on using Creamette and the shape of their noodles. The oven-ready noodles are shorter and wider, therefore I layer them in the pan differently than I do the regular noodles. Watch the video above and you’ll see me making this recipe with the oven-ready noodles. The regular lasagna noodles are long and narrow and fit the full length of a 13×9 baking dish. You basically need about 12 noodles to make lasagna. A regular box of noodles will have about twice that many, while a box of no-boil noodles will have 12-14.

Recipe change from the box

My family prefers I leave the olives out of my lasagna, so I’ve never included them. The recipe from the back of the box is below PLUS 1 cup sliced pitted ripe black olives. If you decide to use them, just layer them in with all the other lasagna ingredients.

Can I make this in the crockpot?

Yes you can – here’s this recipe as a Crockpot lasagna.

Ingredients you will need for this lasagna:

• 1/2 of a (1-pound) package lasagna noodles, uncooked OR 1 whole box Oven-Ready lasagna noodles
• 1 lb bulk Italian sausage
• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (28 oz) can tomatoes, cut up (undrained)
• 2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoons fennel seed
• 1/4 teaspoons pepper
• 1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese
• 1 egg beaten
• 1 tablespoon parsley flakes (or 2 teaspoons fresh minced parsley)
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 4 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Useful kitchen tools:

• 13×9 baking dish
• Whisk
• Large saute pan
• Herb scissors

We’ve been loving this recipe for two decades, I hope you love it too!

Serving Suggestions

Serve Italian lasagna with sliced homemade Italian bread, garlic bread, breadsticks, or a leafy green salad. Enjoy warm from the oven.

More Lasagna Recipes

• Instant Pot Lasagna 
• Veggie Lasagna
• Crockpot Lasagna
• Ravioli Lasagna
• Pizza Lasagna

Italian Lasagna

This Italian Lasagna comes from the back of the Creamette lasagna noodle box from years gone by. I’ve been making this lasagna recipe for over 20 years!

4.98 from 122 votes

IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!

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Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 15

1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Calories: 398

Author: Amanda Davis

Ingredients

• ▢ ½ pound lasagna noodles OR 1 whole box Oven-Ready
• ▢ 1 lb Italian sausage
• ▢ ½ lb ground beef
• ▢ 1 cup onion chopped
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 28 ounces tomatoes cut up (undrained)
• ▢ 12 ounces tomato paste
• ▢ 2 teaspoons sugar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons salt
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons dried basil leaves
• ▢ ½ teaspoons fennel seed
• ▢ ¼ teaspoons pepper
• ▢ 15 ounces ricotta cheese
• ▢ 1 large egg beaten
• ▢ 1 tablespoon parsley flakes or 2 teaspoons fresh minced parsley
• ▢ ½ teaspoons salt
• ▢ 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• ▢ ¾ cup Parmesan cheese grated

Things You’ll Need

• ▢
  13×9 baking dish
• ▢
  Whisk
• ▢
  3.5 quart saute pan
• ▢
  Herb scissors

Before You Begin

If you are using regular lasagna noodles, use half of a box. If you are using oven-ready, use the whole box. This is based on using Creamette and the shape of their noodles. The oven-ready noodles are shorter and wider, therefore I layer them in the pan differently than I do the regular noodles. Watch the video and you’ll see me making this recipe with the oven-ready noodles. The regular lasagna noodles are long and narrow and fit the full length of a 13×9 baking dish. You basically need about 12 noodles to make lasagna. A regular box of noodles will have about twice that many, while a box of no-boil noodles will have 12-14.

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 F.
• In large skillet, combine Italian sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic. Cook until sausage is no longer pink and onion is tender; drain. Stir in next 7 ingredients. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes.
• Fill a baking pan with hot tap water and place the uncooked noodles into the water. Set aside.
• In medium bowl, blend ricotta, egg, parsley, and salt. Spoon 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce into 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Layer one-third each lasagna, meat sauce, ricotta mixture, Mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers two more times.
• Cover with aluminum foil. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes.
• Uncover, bake until hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes longer.
• If top is not browned enough, you can turn the temperature of the oven up to 500 F and baked for a few more minutes. Be sure to WATCH and check every couple of minutes as it will brown quickly!
• Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 398cal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 1098mg | Potassium: 589mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1170IU | Vitamin C: 13.9mg | Calcium: 303mg | Iron: 2.2mg

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This recipe was originally published on September 28, 2008