Name: Betty’s Baked Lasagna
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 170 min
Yield: 10 servings
Ingredients: 1 ½ pounds ground beef; ½ pound lean ground pork; 1 cup white onion; 2 cloves garlic; 1 can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes; 1 can tomato sauce; 1 ½ tablespoons parsley; 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon fine sea salt; 1 teaspoon basil; ½ teaspoon black pepper; 1 carton whole-milk cottage cheese; 1 large egg; ½ cup Parmesan cheese; 1 tablespoon parsley; 1 teaspoon fine sea salt; 1 teaspoon oregano; 9 noodles lasagna noodles; 12 oz low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella cheese; ½ cup Parmesan cheese

Beef-and-pork tomato sauce simmering in a large enameled Dutch oven with onion, garlic, tomatoes, herbs, and a wooden spoon.

Make the Meat Sauce

Make the Meat Sauce: Add the ground beef, pork, and onion to a large heavy pot or Dutch oven. Cook over medium-high heat for 10–12 minutes, breaking the meat into small pieces, until the meat is browned and the onion has softened. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Drain the excess fat. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, dried parsley, sugar, salt, basil, and black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer, partially cover, and cook for 45–60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is rich and thick but still loose enough to spread between the noodles.

Herbed cottage cheese, egg, and Parmesan filling stirred together in a vintage ceramic mixing bowl.

Prepare the Cheese Filling

Prepare the Cheese Filling: In a large mixing bowl, stir together the cottage cheese, egg, Parmesan, dried parsley, salt, and oregano until evenly combined.

Lasagna noodles boiling in a stockpot, draining in a colander, and laid flat on a clean kitchen towel.

Cook the Noodles

Cook the Noodles: Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the lasagna noodles for about 2 minutes less than the package directions, until flexible but still quite firm. Drain the noodles and lay them flat in a single layer on clean kitchen towels so they do not stick together.

Lasagna being layered with meat sauce, cottage-cheese filling, mozzarella, and noodles in a deep vintage baking dish.

Assemble the Lasagna

Assemble the Lasagna: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread approximately 1 cup of meat sauce over the bottom of a deep 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange 3 noodles over the sauce. Spread one-third of the remaining meat sauce over the noodles, followed by half of the cottage-cheese filling and one-third of the mozzarella. Repeat with another 3 noodles, one-third of the sauce, the remaining cottage-cheese filling, and another third of the mozzarella. Add the final 3 noodles, then finish with the remaining meat sauce, mozzarella, and the ½ cup Parmesan.

Freshly baked lasagna with bubbling meat sauce and a deeply golden mozzarella-and-Parmesan top.

Bake Until Bubbly

Bake Until Bubbly: Loosely tent the baking dish with foil, keeping the foil from touching the cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for 20–25 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling near the center and the cheese is melted and deeply golden in places. If checked with a thermometer, the center should reach 165°F.

Rested baked lasagna with one portion removed, revealing distinct layers of noodles, meat sauce, cottage-cheese filling, and melted cheese.

Rest and Serve

Rest and Serve: Transfer the baking dish to a heatproof surface and let the lasagna rest for 20 minutes before cutting. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley, if desired, and serve warm.