With a combo of ground beef and Italian sausage plus herbs, in a perfectly seasoned tomato sauce with layers of creamy cheese in between, your tastebuds are in for a treat with this easy and creamy Million Dollar Lasagna. No wonder this is my family’s favorite pasta dish!
I can say with much confidence that this is my family’s favorite pasta dish! After all, last Christmas when I asked them what they wanted as part of our Christmas Eve dinner, they all in unison said they wanted the creamy pasta bake that I always make for them and especially when we have company!
I knew they were referring to none other than the cheesy and super yummy baked millionaire spaghetti I often make consisting of a flavorful bolognese sauce sandwiched in between layers of pasta and smothered all over with a combo of cream cheese and sour cream for extra yum!
But since it’s Christmas time, I thought I’d make it more special by using lasagna noodles! To make things even easier I used my favorite brand of no-boil lasagna so that I didn’t have to bother pre-boiling the noodles, which definitely saved me extra time and effort!
But what made this lasagna tasty and robust is the combination of two types of meat in the sauce! I used not just plain ground beef but mixed it with Italian sausage. I also added some dried herbs to enhance the flavors some more.
Using my favorite marinara (or spaghetti sauce) in combination with some extra tomato sauce that I also enhanced with a little salt and brown sugar totally elevated this dish. It’s anything but bland.
As you can imagine the extra cheesy goodness added on top plus the layers of cream cheese combined with sour cream just made it even more astounding!
Authentic Italian lasagna – it is NOT! But, with all its delicious flavors, I guarantee you’d feel like a million bucks and your entire family would love this! What’s more, it’s so easy to make so definitely make it soon!
Easy Creamy Million Dollar Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed (if in sausage form)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp brown sugar, or to taste
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp dried thyme or Italian seasoning
- 1 (24) oz bottle of spaghetti sauce, of your choice
- 1 (8) oz can of tomato sauce
- 1 pack no boil lasagna noodles, (about 12 pieces)
- 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sour cream
- butter, for greasing dish
- 2 cups mozarella cheese or Italian blend cheese, shredded
Instructions
- In medium heat, cook the ground beef and Italian sausage until lightly browned. Add the onion and cook until softened. I don’t add any more oil because the meat would presumably have a little fat in them but feel free to use a little oil, if needed.
- Stir in the salt, brown sugar, garlic powder, dried thyme or Italian seasoning, spaghetti and tomato sauces. Simmer on low for about 5-10 minutes. This is to develop more flavor in the sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your taste.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Mix the cream cheese and sour cream together. You can use an electric mixer for convenience.
- Grease a 9×13 baking dish with a little butter. Spread about a cup of meat sauce in the bottom of the pan. Top with about 4 lasagna noodles (I place them side by side vertically but feel free to place the noodles lengthwise if preferred). Evenly spread 1/3 of the cream cheese mixture over the lasagna noodles. Top with 1/3 of the remaining meat sauce. Repeat layering twice beginning with another 4 lasagna noodles, 1/3 portion of cream cheese mixture, and another 1/3 portion of the meat sauce. Top with the shredded mozzarella or Italian blend cheese. Cover tightly with foil and bake for about 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered for another 10 minutes or just until bubbly and the lasagna noodles are fully tender. If you're using no-boil lasagna, read the manufacturer's instructions with regard to the length of cooking time and let it serve as your guide. Mine called for about 40 minutes. If using pre-cooked lasagna, reduce cook time to about 30 minutes.
- Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Last updated on January 23rd, 2023 at 09:41 pm
Made this last night and it was a hit! Thank you so much for this delicious million dollar lasagna recipe!
I’ve never tried sausage and ground meat in lasagna before – sounds delicious!
You don’t put meat in your lasagna?
Author
There are two types of meat there? Please check the recipe – ground beef and Italian sausage.
This lasagna sure tastes like a million bucks! So much flavor in it and everyone loved it.
My family loved this million-dollar lasagna recipe! They said it was their favorite lasagna ever and that I needed to make it again.
Yummy! My family is definitely going to love this recipe! Can’t wait to give this a try!
We loved it! I actually forgot to use ground beef so it was just sausage. Our new favorite lasagna!
Author
Yay, I’m so delighted you enjoyed this! our favorite lasagna version, too. Thanks for kindly letting us know.