My Grandma always made lasagna when we had special family gatherings and it was a childhood favorite!

When I got married I asked my Grandma for her recipe and she happily obliged me. Her original recipe had a premixed spaghetti sauce packet, but I primarily stay away from premixes. So I just adapted her recipe to make a simple bolognese sauce and layer it with the pasta and cheese mixture.

Fresh from the oven Lasagna Bolognese

Simple Make-Ahead Lasagna Bolognese + Sauce Recipe

In my recent Youtube video, I filmed a 21 meal Freezer prep cook day and this is the recipe I used to make four lasagnas for the freezer. Lasagna is really a perfect make-ahead meal to pop in your freezer. I also have a blog post with all the recipes here.

Well, let’s get cooking! This recipe makes enough bolognese sauce for two lasagnas or you can save the extra in your freezer for easy pasta dishes.

BIG TIP here, always season and taste as you go, a little tweak or a dash of that and soon it will be very intuitive and natural to make every recipe your own.

Lasagna Bolognese

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
6-8 garlic cloves
1 -2 onions diced
3-4 grated carrots
2 pounds ground beef
1 pound ground pork
64 ounces whole or halved tomatoes with juice Side note: I use 2 quarts of my canned tomatoes with juice and it works great in this recipe. I also blend my tomatoes in a blender if I'm going for a smoother sauce.
6 tbsp tomatoes paste
1/2 cup cream (optional)
2 tbsp oregano
1-2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
box lasagne noodles
12 oz cottage or ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 tsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
mozerella
cheddar cheese

Instructions

Bolognese Sause
Instructions
1. Cook onions until they start to soften add in garlic and cook until soft and translucent.
2. Add beef and pork, brown, and drain fat.
3. Add half a cup of cream and the grated carrot. Stir in the tomato paste, tomatoes with juices, and seasoning. Cover and simmer for 30-60 minutes until nice and thick.
This makes enough sauce for two lasagnas or you can make one lasagna and freeze the sauce for spaghetti or other uses.
Lasagna Bolognese
Instructions
1. Mix 12oz of cottage cheese or ricotta cheese with 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning. Salt and pepper to taste.
2. Have grated mozzarella and cheddar cheese for the topping, you can also layer it between each layer of noodle depending on how cheesy you want it.
3. Now it's time to layer your lasagna. Layer sauce, cheese mixture, and noodles and repeat until desired thickness. ( I do not cook the noodles, this is a make-ahead lasagna. Keep in the fridge for a few hours or freeze and when you bake the noodles are perfect. Just make sure they are completely covered in sauce.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour - let sit for 15 min before eating

How to make Bolognese Sauce

So simple and yet so delicious, after the prep work is done all you have to do is let it simmer away until it’s as thick as you like it. From there you can layer it with cheese and noodles for a delicious Lasagna Bolognese or you can freeze it. I pour it into a freezer one-gallon bag and lay it flat to freeze, that way you can stack better. Reheat on the stovetop and use it for spaghetti or other pasta dishes.