This lasagna recipe comes from my brother-in-law, Peter, who lived in Italy for a couple of years. While I’ve made a couple of minor changes for sheer convenience, it is still the same, genuine lasagna recipe he brought home with him, and it’s the very best lasagna I’ve ever had! Do yourself a favor and make the Lasagna Sauce a day ahead of time!
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Béchamel sauce
- Real butter – no substitutions!
- All-purpose flour
- Milk
- Peter’s Pasta and Lasagna Sauce – You’ll want to make a recipe of this Lasagna Sauce a day ahead of time!
- No-boil lasagna noodles
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Shredded Parmesan cheese
- Egg
- Ricotta cheese
How to Make Peter’s Lasagna
- First you’ll make the Béchamel sauce by melting some butter, whisking in some flour, and then whisking in flour until well combined. This gets heated gently until bubbly and thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- This is where I tinkered slightly with the recipe. It can be hard to layer red sauce and Beéhamel consistently. It’s all going to end up in the same place so, for sheer convenience, I simply mix them together. Set that aside.
- Next you’ll mix up some ricotta, Parmeasan, and a beaten egg.
- You’ll layer sauce, noodles, and cheese until you have 4 layers, with a layer of sauce of top. That gets topped with even more cheese, then you cover the whole thing in foil and pop it in the oven.
- When it’s done baking, you’ll pull that foil off and let the Lasagna sit for about 20 minutes. This is an important step, as it allows the sauces to thicken so they don’t ooze out when you cut into your lasagna!
Storing and Other Tips
- Store leftover lasagna, tightly covered, in the refrigerator and enjoy within 4-5 days for best results.
- You can prep this lasagna up to 24 hours in advance and bake when ready.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this ahead of time?
Absolutely. Assemble, wrap tightly, and store in the fridge a day ahead of time then bake when you’re ready!
Can I freeze this lasagna to bake later?
We have had readers report this works well, but your baking time will be significantly longer. I recommend freezing in a metal pan so it won’t be shocked by oven temperatures.
Peter’s Genuine Italian Lasagna
This delicious lasagna takes a bit of time to pull together but the final product is well worth it!
Servings people
Ingredients
Béchamel Sauce
- ¼ cup real butter (½ stick) NO SUBSTITUTES
- ¼ cup white flour
- 2 ½ cup milk
Other Ingredients
- 1 recipe pasta and lasagna sauce
- 12 no-boil lasagna noodles
- 8 ounces shredded mozzarella divided
- 4 ounces shredded fresh Parmesan
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1 16- ounces Ricotta
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- To prepare Béchamel sauce, melt butter over medium-low heat in a medium saucepan. When melted, whisk in flour until combined. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly. Heat until bubbly and thickened to a medium consistency that coats the back of a spoon.
- To make things easier, I prefer to mix my Béchamel in with the red sauce. Once mixed, set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine 6 ounces shredded mozzarella (about 1 ¾ cup), the ricotta, the Parmesan, and the beaten egg.
- Using a ladle that measures ½ cup (or a ½ cup measuring cup), spread 1 cup of sauce onto the bottom of a 9×13 pan. Add 3 noodles. Spread a layer of the cheese mixture. Spread 1 ½ cups sauce and then repeat so you have 4 layers of noodles. You should end with a layer of sauce on top. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella (and some extra Parmesan if you have some left over).
- Cover tightly with foil and bake about 50 minutes.
- Remove from oven and remove foil. It will probably look a little runny. Don’t be scared–you still need to let it stand about 15-20 minutes. During that time, it will thicken up nicely and should hold up well when cut and served.
Nutrition
Calories: 340kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 90mg, Sodium: 654mg, Potassium: 438mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 868IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 337mg, Iron: 1mg
Calories: 340kcal
Cost: $24
Did You Make This Recipe?Snap a picture, and hashtag it #ourbestbites. We love to see your creations on our Instagram @ourbestbites!
Questions & Reviews
this was DIVINE! it spilled over in my 9×13 pan, so now my oven is a mess, but it was so good. word to the wise: use a cookie sheet under your pan in case it decides to spill!
Just in case anyone’s still wondering about how long to bake this when it’s been frozen – I had an 8×8 Pyrex pan with this lasagna in the freezer. I put the 8×8 Pyrex pan (still covered with foil) straight from the freezer into the cold oven, turned it on to 350*F, and it took 3 hours exactly to get the center of the lasagna to 160*F.
I didn’t preheat the oven because I didn’t want to “shock” the cold Pyrex with the blast of heat, and have it shatter.
Just made this for dinner… OMG. So good. My husband LOVES it, and said the worst thing about this lasagna is he just wanted to keep eating and eating. I’m the world’s pickiest eater (ramen and PB&J sandwiches are staples of my diet) and I loved it too! I used ground turkey instead of beef, and added 1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes and 1 tsp paprika to the sauce. Made them in 2 8×8 pans to freeze one for later since it’s just the two of us. This lasagna wasn’t runny at all for me. Please tell Peter and Stephanie thank you for me, I’m so glad they (and you!) shared this.
I made this the other night when my IL’s came over to our house, and we all LOVED it. It was even great as leftovers, and I’m a totally leftover hater. Also, I used the old school type of noodle but did the whole wheat. I cooked them before (I have HORRIBLE luck with no boil noodles) and I actually assembled everything and froze it all for a day and a half, took it out of the oven, then baked it for an hour on 375 and it was perfect. The whole wheat noodles were great in it. We couldn’t even tell a difference (we’ve noticed with some dishes we totally can, so I was excited about that). This will be my go to home made lasagna recipe! Love it and loved the sauce! Thanks Kate!
So you know that movie, “Julie and Julia?” I think I’m going to try “Our Best Bites & Wendi.” Okay, so not catchy at all, but seriously, the recipes on your site are AMAZING–no one in my family would complain a bit if I only made y’all’s recipes for the next year. So yummy!! I’m making this recipe today for our big Sunday dinner tomorrow.
PS: I haven’t thought of the Cougareat pasta place in years (and years)! I totally used to do the same thing with the red and white sauces. Thanks for the great memory!
I love your site! I’m working on May’s dinner menu & this recipe will definitely be added. My only question is, can you use homemade lasagna noodles rather than the no-boil? I’m thinking the texture should be about the same.
Yep, of course! And you win the prize of the year for the most adventurous lasagna maker!! 🙂
Has anyone figured out how long to cook this from frozen? I'm going to make it for the in-laws but would like to freeze half for later!
This was the BEST lasagna I've ever eaten….even better then my ex-boyfriend's Italian mother's! I discovered your blog recently and have been drooling ever since! I finally got the chance to make some of the recipes and they did not disappoint. This lasagna was SO yummy. Mine wasn't runny at all – it really came out perfectly (which doesn't normally happen when I make lasagna!). I did use 1 lb of ground beef rather than the 1/2 lb it called for. Another note – Barilla oven ready lasagna noodles are smaller – so you need to use 4 per layer. I discovered this halfway through so I added extra noodles to the last two layers. We had this with the breadsticks…it was the perfect birthday dinner for my hubby…Thanks so much!
Yum!!!! Just finished this one, we had it for dinner. I'd say invite some people over this makes a ton plus they will be impressed. Mine was a little runny. I can see that by tomorrow it will be perfectly set.I'm keeping this one for sure.
WOW! You ladies are UH.MAZING! I never ever cooked until I found you! Now I can't stop staring at all the pictures, no lie. I made this for my husband and I have pretty much elevated to a state of perfection haha. I love the way the recipes are written, its like I have y'all telling me what to do! Thanks a million!
Jazmin