There are so many tasty and amazing lasagna recipes out there. But what makes this classic lasagna recipe stand out is how easy it is to make, and it’s exceptional flavor and texture combinations.

This classic recipe includes meat sauce, ricotta and mozzarella cheese (you can also use parmesan cheese instead of mozzarella and ricotta), and noodle layers.

But there are couple of tips to take your average oven lasagna to the next level and make it a great, truly irresistible dish.

First of all I always make simple homemade meat sauce. I use a combination of sweet sausage and ground beef. Sweet sausage is a very important ingredient, it is pork sausage flavored with fennel, parsley, garlic, mix of seasonings and sweet basil. It gives the meat sauce its rich, delicious flavor with those beautiful herbal notes. It is also important to cook this delicious sauce for quite some time just to let all the perfect dish flavors come together.

The key to the cheese sauce part is to use the mixture of whole milk ricotta and whole milk freshly shredded mozzarella cheese. Ricotta is flexible and extra creamy and it is the best choice to easily make the richest, most delicious lasagna layers. Freshly shredded mozzarella creates an over-the-top creamy melt that lends authenticity to this dish. It is not just the cheese it is a secret weapon. I will also use Provolone, Romano and parmesan along with the other two. They bring in a little bit of sharp, savory kick to all the creaminess and it is a great balance.

After trying all the noodles around, I came to the conclusion that the no boil variety works the best. I personally love the taste and texture they bring to this dish. They are a little thinner then your regular pasta noodle and taste reminds me almost of a freshly made pasta. And because they are not as soft they will stand up better to all the robust sauces and cheesy goodnesses I am going to be piling up on top of them. And it saves you time and aggravation of boiling slippery, teary noodles.

If you have time it is also a great idea to assemble the lasagna a day ahead and leave it in the fridge. Then just bake frozen or refrigerated lasagna the next day when you are ready to serve. Your kitchen will not be a mess with a pile of dishes waiting to be cleaned.

This extraordinary lasagna will rival a fancy restaurant meal and become an instant favorite. In addition, it is big enough so there would be no leftovers in your family.