17 Common Lasagna Mistakes Everyone Makes

There are certain pasta dishes that are a total breeze to throw together. A basic pomodoro or a quick carbonara can come together inside of 30 minutes, and if, worst case, you have a total recipe fail on your hands, it's not the disaster that a more involved pasta dish would be — say a lasagna. Because when you've only committed a few ounces of spaghetti and a handful of sauce ingredients, a simple pasta dinner that doesn't work out isn't the end of the world, even if its final resting place is the garbage can. But an entire casserole dish stuffed to the brim with layers of meat, cheese, sauce, and noodles that comes out inedible? That's enough to make a grown man cry, and most of us would choke down even the most miserable of lasagnas to avoid dumping it.

The good news is that even the biggest lasagna-ruining mistakes are easy to avoid, once you know what they are. By abiding by a few simple rules, you'll never again pull a mushy, soupy, crunchy casserole disaster from the oven. You're welcome. 

Assembling lasagna can be a bit of a chore with all those layers and all those ingredients. But it turns out there are a few ways that you can make things a lot easier on yourself — it's all about assembling it in the correct order. 

Before you roll your eyes and continue your haphazard lasagna prep, answer these questions: Does your bottom layer of noodles always stick to the pan? Do you find it challenging to spread the filling evenly over the sauce? If you answered yes to either, you need this tip.

For starters, Sabrina Sexton, culinary arts program director at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, told Today, "The secret to a perfect lasagna is to always use equal parts of lasagna noodles, sauce and whatever other filling you want to use." Aside from that, she says, it's important to follow this order of assembly: "Sauce, noodle, filling, repeat." 

"The filling should always go straight on top of the noodle because it is easier to spread," Sexton explained. "If you put sauce on the noodle first, the filling will be very difficult to spread." And one more smart piece of advice: Always put a little sauce down on the bottom of the pan before your first layer of noodles to prevent sticking.

Let's be honest — although super simple to do, the extra step of boiling pasta can be the thing that pushes lasagna from doable weeknight meal to Sunday dinner only, when you've got ample time to spend in the kitchen. Enter no-boil noodles, your weeknight lasagna savior. But isn't that cheating, you wonder? Lasagna purists might say "no way" to this shortcut, but Epicurious' Adina Steiman says "yes way," and not just because they're easier (but they definitely are).

Steiman sings the praises of the no-boil noodle option, saying "they're actually way more delicious than the regular, frilly-edged kind you have to cook before using." That's because, she explains, since they have to cook through in short order, they're a lot thinner than traditional dried lasagna noodles, and it's that thinness, which is closer to the texture of homemade pasta, that provides a more delicate and tender mouthfeel. We're sold.

One thing to keep in mind, Steiman notes, is that since the noodles go in dry, there needs to be plenty of sauce for them to soak up, and every last bit of surface area needs to be coated. Nobody wants to bite into a crunchy lasagna. 

If you stick to the status quo, you'll just keep making the same ol' meat lasagna with ground beef that you've been making for years. Maybe it's the recipe that your grandma handed down to you, and you just couldn't think of straying from the tried-and-true family favorite. Do yourself a favor — while Grandma's not looking, change up that meat. She'll probably like it even better than her original version.

As Allrecipes bluntly puts it: "All-beef is not best." It might work for your basic spaghetti in meat sauce, but with lasagna, pork reigns supreme, or more particularly, Italian sausage. That's because the sweeter and fattier pork sausage provides a finer texture than ground beef, says The Seattle Times, and is the preferred meat in Italian ragùs. If you just can't break with tradition completely, at least substitute half the beef with pork. Once you see how good that is, you'll likely make the leap to full sausage.

For even more meaty goodness, Taste of Home's Stephanie Marchese takes a different approach. "The more sausage the better, so I use both bulk and link," she says. "The bulk sausage adds depth and richness to the sauce, which our family calls sugu. I slice the links and add slices between the layers of noodles to provide a big burst of flavor."

Lasagna soup? Sure, sounds perfectly delicious. Soupy lasagna? Not so much. There is nothing more disappointing than serving that first square of lasagna only to have it sagging, soggy, and dripping, the telltale watery mess left behind in the pan. And sorry, throwing it in the fridge overnight isn't going to solve your problem. You'll just have watery lasagna leftovers. 

So what's the solution? With each component of the lasagna, you need to make sure you're removing as much moisture as possible. After you boil your noodles, they should be drained very thoroughly, and even blotted with a paper towel to remove any excess water. When it comes to sauce, it can't be too thin — saucy is fine, but watery is bad. Reduce the mixture to ensure it's got a hearty, thick consistency. Ricotta is another culprit for soupy lasagna, but that can also be drained. Just strain the ricotta in cheesecloth to allow any moisture to drip out before adding it to the mix. Lastly, beware of vegetables that might give off water when cooked. Things like mushrooms, spinach, and chunky tomatoes will release all their moisture as they bake, resulting in lasagna soup. If you do want to add those veggies to your dish, just sauté them first so they release the water in the pan, not into your lasagna.

It's hard not to dive headfirst into a bubbling lasagna as soon as it comes out of the oven, or at the very least peel a layer of that golden brown cheese off the top. But you shouldn't, for two good reasons. 1. You will most certainly burn off each and every one of your taste buds, making each subsequent bite of lasagna taste like regret. 2. Letting the lasagna rest is key to successful serving.

Chef Will Cox told First We Feast that you need to wait at least 15 minutes, and up to 30 if you can stand it, before cutting into your lasagna. He says that giving it this time will allow it to set up and ensure that each square holds its shape. "If it's too hot it'll spew everywhere," Cox says. "You've gone from lasagna to a huge mess on a plate."

If you take your cooking tips from Sandra Lee, queen of all things "semi-homemade," you might be tempted to add a can or two of Campbell's condensed tomato soup to your lasagna, just like she does in her cookbook, Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Cooking 2. Of the lasagna recipe, Lee writes, "I've loved this lasagna recipe since I was a child. My grandmother passed down the recipe... The unique flavoring comes from apple cider vinegar and health-conscious cottage cheese." Oh, and don't forget the condensed tomato soup, which is sure to add to that "unique" flavor.

The question is: Should you really put condensed tomato soup in your lasagna? You can do whatever you want, obviously, but when you're Sandra Lee and your (almost) mother-in-law is the very Italian Matilda Cuomo (mother of Lee's partner, New York governor Andrew Cuomo), you probably shouldn't. When Mrs. Cuomo was asked by The New York Times if her son might prefer Lee's semi-homemade version of lasagna — which is devoid of any actual tomato sauce — to her own, she replied, "That's not how you make a lasagna." Okay, then.

For what it's worth, taste-testers at the NYT who sampled the less-than-authentic lasagna did say it wasn't the worst they'd ever had, noting its "cafeteria-style" and its "sweet" and "ketchuppy" flavor. Yum?

Mozzarella might be a decent addition to lasagna because of its melting properties — though make sure to follow the advice to use the fresh version for the best result. However, it would be a shame to restrict it to only one cheese variety. This dish would greatly benefit from various cheese additions that can deliver a mountain of flavor and help bind everything together. Creativity in the cheese department can effortlessly turn your average lasagna into a spectacular cheesy dish.

For the most reasonable addition that will deliver a lot of character, look for Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano as two classic and most reliable traditional options. If you want to amp up the creaminess, don't be afraid to experiment with mascarpone or classic cream cheese, which can be a good substitute for ricotta. For more tang and slightly less conventional versions, opt for some good blue-veined varieties or aromatic goat cheese. Some good spicy cheddar or American pepper jack would also add a nice touch, and if you are feeling especially creative, why not mix it up with a combination of different varieties? 

When choosing the cheese inside your lasagna, make sure it melts well. You don't want to find large chunks that cannot melt and could potentially ruin the texture. Lasagna should be soft and almost fork-tender.

Though lasagna layers can be tweaked and changed according to preference, many home cooks make the mistake of not correctly seasoning each element before it goes inside the lasagna. For some reason, many wrongly assume that seasoning each component might result in an overwhelming and too aromatic dish. The usual outcome with this approach is a bland and tasteless lasagna you'd never want to try again.

Sauces are the leading flavor builders inside the lasagna, so always ensure each element is appropriately seasoned before assembling the dish. You want the flavor to come through with each bite, and to achieve that, you need components that have enough character and power. For tomato sauces, make sure it has enough salt and pepper to take care of the savory note, and you may want to add some herbs or a touch of chili flakes for heat and complexity. White sauces can be especially problematic if not seasoned well, as they are pretty mellow and can be easily overwhelmed with other elements. Keep your white sauce on the lighter side, but a touch of nutmeg in the béchamel and some herbs inside the ricotta mix can be a total game-changer.

You'll want to skip seasoning the cheese as it usually has enough flavor on its own, and there is no need to season pasta sheets as they will soak up all the flavor from the sauces and any other add-ons you include in the mix.