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Million Dollar Lasagna

This decadent lasagna features a rich cream-cheese and ricotta filling, hearty beef and sausage sauce, and layers of melted mozzarella, making it a crowd-pleasing comfort dish perfect for potlucks and family dinners.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 450
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Meat Sauce
  • 1 lb ground beef Can use lean ground beef
  • 1 lb Italian sausage Sweet or hot, casings removed
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 jar (24 oz) marinara sauce Or homemade
  • 1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp sugar Optional, to balance acidity
Cheese Mixture
  • 16 oz ricotta cheese
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened Let sit at room temperature before use
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese Freshly grated preferred
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped Or 1 tsp dried parsley
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese Divided; 1 cup into cheese mix, 1 cup for layers
Lasagna Assembly
  • 12 pieces lasagna noodles, cooked Or use no-boil noodles
  • Extra parsley for garnish Optional

Method
 

Prepare the Meat Sauce
  1. Heat a large skillet or pot over medium. Add ground beef, Italian sausage, and diced onion. Cook until meat is browned and onion is soft. Drain excess fat.
  2. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
  3. Stir in marinara and crushed tomatoes. Add Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and sugar if using. Reduce heat and simmer for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Make the Cheese Mixture
  1. In a large bowl, mix ricotta, softened cream cheese, grated Parmesan, egg, and parsley until smooth. Fold in 1 cup of shredded mozzarella. Set aside.
Assemble the Lasagna
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
  2. Spread a thin layer of meat sauce on the bottom of the pan. Lay 3 cooked lasagna noodles over sauce, slightly overlapping.
  3. Spread a generous layer of the cheese mixture over the noodles. Add a layer of meat sauce, then sprinkle a handful of shredded mozzarella.
  4. Repeat layers (noodles, cheese mixture, meat sauce, mozzarella) until ingredients are used. Finish with a final layer of meat sauce and the remaining mozzarella.
Bake
  1. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15–20 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden.
  2. Let the lasagna rest for 10–15 minutes before slicing to allow layers to set. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve warm.

Notes

Best served with a crisp green salad, garlic bread, or alongside medium-bodied red wines. Refrigerate leftovers and reheat them in the oven or microwave. Use part-skim cheeses for a lighter version or swap in gluten-free noodles as needed.