Valerie Bertinelli Shares Her Mom’s Lasagna Recipe

• Valerie Bertinelli shared her mom’s classic beef and sausage lasagna recipe on Instagram.
• The actress-author says she sometimes uses no-boil noodles to make the recipe even easier.
• This adaptable recipe would be great with whole-wheat noodles or even some added veggies.

Once the weather gives even a hint that it might turn into autumn, lasagna starts to sound really good. Lasagna is perfect to make ahead and freeze, share with a big group or give to someone as part of a meal train. A fail-safe, simple lasagna recipe is a must-have, and it’s even more special when it’s a family recipe passed down through the generations. Valerie Bertinelli, the actress and television personality known for her work on One Day at a Time and the Food Network—plus her best-selling cookbooks—happens to have one of those special recipes.

The author and actress shared her mom’s lasagna recipe via Instagram along with a couple adorable photos of herself in her first home in 1979. A good lasagna recipe, even a retro one, never goes out of style—and this recipe proves it.

And while this recipe has stayed close to Bertinelli’s heart over the years, that didn’t keep her from making a little tweak for ease. In her version, Valerie trades classic lasagna noodles for no-boil noodles. “Don’t tell my mom,” Bertinelli joked in the caption of her post.

The hearty pasta-dish uses both lean ground beef and hot Italian sausage, which Bertinelli sautés until cooked through with two cloves of minced garlic, a small yellow onion and dried oregano. Both tomato paste and canned strained tomatoes go into the sauce, which she cooks until thickened, which takes about five minutes. 

For the cheese layer, Bertinelli uses three types of cheese: part-skim ricotta, shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan. She beats all the cheeses together with two eggs, fresh basil and oregano, plus salt and pepper. 

Bertinelli’s simple but hearty recipe is made simpler with the no-boil noodles, which should help you shave some time off of your lasagna-making experience. To assemble the layers, she starts with sauce, spreading a thin layer over the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Next, she adds noodles and tops them with a third of the cheese, then enough sauce to cover the cheese. She says to repeat this layering until the cheese is used up. Then, add one more layer of noodles, cover it in sauce and sprinkle with extra Parmesan and mozzarella.

To keep the cheese soft and bubbly, cover with aluminum foil before baking the dish for 45 minutes at 375 degrees F. To get that golden layer on top, remove the foil and cook uncovered for an additional 15 minutes. 

Make sure to let the lasagna rest for about 15 minutes before cutting into it—that way, it’s not too hot and messy to enjoy. Serve it up with salad or roasted veggies to round out this comforting and decadent meal. 

There are a few substitutions and swaps that work well with this recipe. To increase the fiber content, use whole-wheat noodles, one of our favorite healthy noodles. For some extra vegetables and iron, stir some spinach in with the sauce. It cooks down considerably and you (and your potentially picky eaters) won’t notice it. If you need to decrease spice for people’s tastes or preferences, switch out the hot Italian sausage or just use beef. If you want it more spicy, add in some red pepper flakes to the sauce for an arrabiata feel. 

No matter if you swap out some ingredients or make it as is, this cozy lasagna is bound to be a crowd pleaser.