Cheese Lasagna
Updated Feb 15, 2026
This easy homemade Cheese Lasagna is a family favorite dinner with little prep required. Layers of parmesan, ricotta, and mozzarella cheeses come together for the ultimate cheesy bite!
The best cheese lasagna
This three cheese lasagna is one of those classic dinners that is easy to make but feels fancy. It is a great homemade lasagna recipe to try if you have never made it before and is very beginner friendly!
This homemade lasagna is a family favorite that features 3 kinds of cheeses, just like our Three Cheese Baked Ziti.
The recipe is simple to make but big on flavor! Just layer it all up, and bake until you have bubbly cheesy goodness making your house smell like heaven.
Cheese Lasagna ingredients
- Onion and garlic: fresh garlic and onion add that extra depth of flavor to this lasagna that really takes it to the next level. Don’t skip these!
- Ricotta cheese: ricotta cheese is sandwiched between layers of lasagna.
- Egg: this is used as a binder for the cottage cheese and parmesan layer.
- Dried oregano
- Grated parmesan cheese: freshly grated is a must in my opinion!
- Pasta sauce: pick any flavor you like.
- Mozzarella cheese
- Oven ready lasagna noodles: these are so easy to bake with! No boiling required. Just layer and bake!
- Fresh basil: a key ingredient for making your lasagna really taste amazing.
What kind of pasta sauce should I use?
While you can use any kind, I recommend spending a bit extra to get a good quality pasta sauce. The flavor makes a big difference I have found! We like Rao’s brand pasta sauce.
How to make three cheese lasagna
Start by adding the garlic and onion to a skillet with the olive oil. Cook that over medium heat for around 10 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is softened.
Mix up the ricotta cheese, egg, parmesan, oregano, and fresh basil.
Now it’s time to layer! You will do three layers of the following: lasagna noodles, ricotta parmesan mixture, pasta sauce, and mozzarella cheese.
How to layer a lasagna
- Spread a thin layer of pasta sauce to the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish.
- Layer 3 lasagna noodles on top of the sauce.
- Spread out a layer of the ricotta mixture over the lasagna noodles.
- Top with a layer of sauce, then mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat the layers of lasagna noodles, ricotta, sauce, and cheese two more times, ending with the mozzarella on top.
Once the three cheese lasagna is assembled, cover it with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
If you like those crispy edges and a firmer top, remove the foil for the last 5 minutes or so to let the cheese crisp up and get nice and browned.
How to serve Cheese Lasagna
Serve this dinner with a little side salad and some crusty garlic bread for a perfect meal! This would be absolutely delicious paired with a Caesar salad.
Storing
You can store leftover lasagna in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
What are the best cheeses for lasagna?
The best cheeses for lasagna are a combination of ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese.
What is the best Ricotta Cheese for Lasagna?
Whole milk ricotta cheese is the best ricotta to use for lasagna.
More Pasta Recipes
- Cream Cheese Pasta
- Vegetarian Baked Ziti
- Crock Pot Baked Ziti
- Million Dollar Baked Ziti
- Mushroom Pasta
- Vegetable Pasta
- Veggie Lover’s Baked Rigatoni
Cheese Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 15 oz ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 25 oz jar of good quality pasta sauce
- 2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 9 oven ready lasagna noodles
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Add the garlic and onion to a skillet with the olive oil. Cook that over medium heat for around 10 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is softened. Add the pasta sauce, stir, then set aside.
- In a bowl, stir together the grated parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese, oregano, egg, and fresh basil.
- Grease a 9 X 13 casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Add 1/3 cup sauce to the bottom of the dish and spread it out.
- Add 3 lasagna noodles in a row over the sauce.
- Add 1 cup of the ricotta mixture and spread out over the noodles.
- Add 1 cup of the sauce and spread out over the top/
- Sprinkle on 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese/
- Add the next layer: 3 noodles, 1 cup of ricotta mixture, 1 cup of sauce, and 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese.
- For the final layer, add 3 noodles, the rest of the ricotta mixture, the rest of the sauce, and the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella over the top.
- Cover the cheese lasagna with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- Allow the lasagna to stand for 10 minutes before cutting it into pieces. Serve and enjoy!
I’ve never made lasagna before and this recipe sounds delicious. Do I boil the noodles first or put them in uncooked?
This recipe uses oven ready ones, uncooked when they go on 🙂
@Joy Shull, can I use the regular lasagna instead of oven ready one? If yes, would the process be the same?
Yes you can.
Have you made this and frozen and then cooked it? I am freezing it for future(I have a kitchen reno coming up). I’m not sure if I should defrost first ot cook from frozen.
It smells amazing!
I haven’t but I think it would work ok either way! You just may need to adjust the cook time.
Very delicious! Just wish I added some salt to the pasta sauce
are the noodles the no boil ones?
I used regular lasagna noodles.