Classic Beef Lasagna for a Crowd

Build it the day before, bake it when guests arrive. Lasagna is better after a rest. That is the best news for anyone hosting a crowd: the most impressive dish on the table is also the one you can make entirely ahead, then forget about until it is time to slide it into the oven. This classic beef lasagna has layers of slow-simmered meat sauce, creamy ricotta and plenty of melted mozzarella and Parmesan, and it feeds ten hungry people with leftovers to spare.

Prep 45 min · Cook 1 hr · Serves 10

In our family, lasagna marks the big moments. It shows up at birthday dinners, graduation parties, the Sunday after a new baby comes home and every holiday weekend when the cousins drive in from Ohio. My aunt used to make three pans at once in a kitchen not much bigger than a closet. This is my version of hers, simplified a little for modern weeknight schedules but still built on the same idea: good sauce, generous cheese and patience at the end.