4 Cheese Beef Lasagna

A good lasagna is a great option when you are looking for a great dinner recipe that everyone is going to love.

Lasagna is delicious, hearty, and filling and can be a great weeknight or weekend meal, even a special occasion meal if you want it to be.

This beef and cheese lasagna recipe is one that you will keep coming back to time and time again.

That’s how mine looks wen I make it it’s so yummy and very scrumptious!

So delicious!

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Why I love the “4 Cheese Beef Lasagna Recipe?

• This cheese and beef lasagna is an easy recipe that you can tailor to the number of people that are eating with you, their preferences, and what you have on hand.
• This is a hearty dish that can be served all season

Do you put raw or cooked meat in lasagna?

When you are making lasagna, you want to cook your meat fully before you put it in the lasagna. This is going to ensure that it is fully cooked and that there is no cross-contamination.

How many layers should lasagna have?

Lasagna should have as many layers as you can comfortably fit in your pan or as you want. Generally, they are at least three full layers.

Do you put meat sauce at the bottom of a lasagna?

Most often you put plain sauce at the bottom of the lasagna to help make a barrier between the noodles and the pan.

Is it better to cook lasagna covered or uncovered?

You most often are going to cook your lasagna covered for the first half of the cook time, then you are going to uncover it so that the cheese on top and the top layer of the lasagna can get crispy and delicious.

How to serve 4 Cheese Beef Lasagna?

This is best served hot with garlic bread and maybe a salad. This is a great dish that can be served alone and that can be truly delicious overall.

4 Cheese Beef Lasagna Cooking Tips:

Make sure you cook your meat and if you are using oven ready noodles that you have enough moisture that the noodles are going to soften and cook.

Variations:

You can add just about anything that you want to your lasagna. You can make it with turkey, chicken, venison, and beef and you can even make it with pork. With lasagna, it is really the structure and the way that it is put together that makes it a lasagna, you can add any ingredients that you want on the inside.

Ingredients:

• Ground beef
• Ground mild Italian sausage
• Onion
• Minced garlic
• Crushed tomatoes
• Basil
• Tomato paste
• Oregano
• Bay leaves
• Sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Lasagna
• Ricotta
• Cottage cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• Spinach
• Eggs
• Mozzarella cheese

How to make 4 Cheese Beef Lasagna:

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Step 2. Cook the ground beef, onions, and ground sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the meat is browned completely, and the onions have softened. Drain any excess fat.

Step 3. Add the minced garlic, tomato paste, oregano, sugar if desired and salt and pepper to taste to the skillet, and stir to combine, sauteing for another 30 seconds.

Adding the minced garlic.

Adding tomato paste.

Step 4. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and add the chopped basil. Stir to combine, and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.

Step 5. In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, eggs, and spinach along with salt and pepper to taste.

Adding the parmesan cheese.

Adding the eggs, and spinach.

Stir to combine well.

Step 6. Place a thin layer of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 deep-sided baking dish.

Step 7. Top the meat layer with a layer of lasagna noodles, you can break them up to fit as needed.

Step 8. Add half of the cheese mixture on top of the noodles, spreading it evenly.

Step 9. Sprinkle 2 cups of mozzarella cheese on top.

Step 10. Spread ⅓ of the remaining meat mixture over the cheese.

Step 11. Repeat with a layer of noodles, then the other ½ of the cheese mixture, 2 more cups of cheese, and the meat mixture.

Step 12. Place one more layer of lasagna noodles on top and cover with the remaining sauce and last cup of mozzarella cheese.

Step 13. Cover the baking dish loosely with aluminum foil so that it does not touch the cheese on the top. Bake covered for 40 minutes, remove the foil and bake for another 30-40 minutes until lightly browned and bubbling.

Slice and serve!

4 Cheese Beef Lasagna

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

A good lasagna is a great option when you are looking for a great dinner recipe that everyone is going to love. Lasagna is delicious, hearty, filling and can be a great weeknight or weekend meal, even a special occasion meal if you want it to be. This beef and cheese lasagna recipe is one that you will keep coming back to time and time again.

4.50 from 2 votes

Review Recipe

Ingredients 

• 1 lb. Ground beef
• 1 lb. Ground mild Italian sausage
• 1 C. Onion chopped
• 3 tsp. Minced garlic
• 1 Large can crushed tomatoes
• ¼ C. Chopped fresh basil
• ¼ C. Tomato paste
• 3 tsp. Oregano
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1 tsp. Sugar, optional for a sweeter sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 15 Lasagna oven ready noodles
• 15 oz. Container ricotta
• 15 oz. Container cottage cheese
• 1 C. Parmesan cheese
• 1 Package frozen chopped spinach dethawed and completely drained of extra liquid
• 2 Large eggs
• 5 C. Mozzarella cheese shredded

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Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Cook the ground beef, onions and ground sausage in a large skillet over medium high heat until the meat is browned completely, and the onions have softened. Drain any excess fat.
• Add the minced garlic, tomato paste, oregano, sugar if desired and salt and pepper to taste to the skillet, and stir to combine, sauteing for another 30 seconds.
• Pour in the crushed tomatoes and add the chopped basil. Stir to combine, and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, eggs and spinach along with salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine well.
• Place a thin layer of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 deep sided baking dish.
• Top the meat layer with a layer of lasagna noodles, you can break them up to fit as needed.
• Add half of the cheese mixture on top of the noodles, spreading it evenly.
• Sprinkle 2 cups of mozzarella cheese on top.
• Spread ⅓ of the remaining meat mixture over the cheese.
• Repeat with a layer of noodles, then the other ½ of the cheese mixture, 2 more cups of cheese and ⅓ of the meat mixture.
• Place one more layer of lasagna noodles on top and cover with the remaining sauce and last cup of mozzarella cheese.
• Cover the baking dish loosely with aluminum foil so that it does not touch the cheese on the top. Bake covered for 40 minutes, remove the foil and bake for another 30-40 minutes until lightly browned and bubbling.

Author: Laura

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How to store 4 Cheese Beef Lasagna?

You need to refrigerate this lasagna and make sure that it is in an air tight container. If you are not going to eat it right away, you want to freeze it.

How to reheat 4 Cheese Beef Lasagna?

To reheat you need to put it in the oven until it is heated through. Generally, you need to put it in the oven for about 15 or 20 mins at 300F.

How much does 4 Cheese Beef Lasagna last on the fridge?

It needs to be used before the three-day mark because of the meat.

Can I make ahead 4 Cheese and Beef Lasagna Recipe?

You can make it ahead, this is a great dish that is going to freeze well and that you can keep in the fridge for up to three days before you need to use it up.

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