Make the meat sauce: Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook 5 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds.

• Add ground beef (and sausage if using). Cook until browned, breaking it up as it cooks. Drain excess grease if needed.
• Stir in tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, oregano, basil (or Italian seasoning), pepper, optional red pepper flakes, and optional sugar. Simmer uncovered 20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust salt.

Cook noodles (skip if using no-boil): Boil noodles in salted water until just shy of al dente. Drain and lay flat so they don’t stick.

Mix ricotta layer: In a bowl, combine ricotta, egg, Parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper.

Preheat oven: 375°F.

Assemble (9×13 pan): Spread about 1 cup sauce on the bottom. Add a layer of 3–4 noodles. Spread ⅓ of the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella. Spoon on about 1½ cups sauce.

• Repeat Step 7 two more times. Finish with a final layer of noodles, remaining sauce, and remaining mozzarella (plus Parmesan if desired).

Bake: Cover tightly with foil (lightly oil the underside so it doesn’t stick to cheese). Bake 25 minutes covered. Uncover and bake 15–20 minutes more until bubbly and lightly browned.

Rest: Let lasagna rest 15–30 minutes before slicing for clean pieces.

Notes

No-boil noodles: Keep the sauce slightly looser; if it’s very thick, stir in a splash of water before assembling.

Make-ahead: Assemble, cover, refrigerate up to 24 hours. Bake covered about 10 minutes longer.

Freezing: Assemble and wrap well. Freeze up to 3 months. Bake from frozen at 375°F for ~75–90 minutes (covered most of the time), then uncover to brown.

Equipment

• 9×13-inch baking dish
• Large pot or Dutch oven
• Mixing bowl
• Foil