Lasagna has become one of my family’s favorite holiday meals. So in the case of a large Holiday gathering here is how I would bake two lasagnas at the same time.
Two lasagnas in separate pans can be baked in the oven at the same time. You can either place them on the same rack side by side, or use the bottom and top racks separately. The best way to do this is to use the middle rack for both lasagnas. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 to 45 minutes.
So we know that it can be done but, there are more variables to consider. One is if you are going to bake frozen lasagna’s cooking, consider that the cooking time and temperature is going to be different.
Also if you are using an older oven that doesn’t bake evenly There are some steps you can take to ensure both lasagnas are cooked equally. So let’s go into more detail about how to go about doing this.
Before you go cooking a lasagna be sure to read up on my lasagna baking guide. Best Temperatures For Baking, Serving & Reheating Lasagna
Baking Two Lasagnas Together
Lasagna can take a long time to bake in the oven but as we know it is well worth the wait. This time we want to bake two lasagnas. luckily it does not take twice as long to bake two lasagnas. when we bake them at the same time.
so assuming you have enough room in your oven then you shouldn’t have any problem. especially if you are using a convection oven. because they are designed to distribute the Heat evenly throughout the oven.
This is the main issue to keep in mind, because if the lasagna pans are blocking any of the Heat from circulating in the oven. then the food is going to have trouble properly baking.
Although I mentioned that baking the two lasagnas on the same rack will work best. make sure that there is enough of a gap between the two pans, Allowing air to rise between the pans and circulate.
The reason baking the lasagna’s together at the middle of the oven works best. Is because the temperature will be more equal for both.
As opposed to using the top and bottom rack separately. When you do this you risk the lasagna’s baking differently at separate times.
The one on the bottom rack is going to cook from underneath much faster, while the top rack lasagna may not be done.
So if you have room on one rack to put two pans go for it. Otherwise here is how I would do it on two racks.
When baking when lasagna on the top rack and one on the bottom. Here is the simplest way to make sure that they cook evenly.
You’re going to bake the lasagnas for 45 minutes. Halfway through you’re going to want to move each pan.
Simply swap places of each pan. Move the bottom one to the top and the top one to the bottom.
Do this halfway through the baking time. This way each lasagna will cook for the same amount of time in each spot.
Baking Two Frozen Lasagnas
He may be wondering if frozen lasagnas are going to be any different. Well you can bake two frozen lasagnas at the same time as well.
The baking time is going to be significantly different though. More time is going to be needed to properly bake the lasagnas.
there are two reasons why it’s going to take longer. One is that the two frozen lasagnas are going to drop the oven’s temperature before the baking begins.
Even after preheating the oven as soon as you place the frozen food in the oven. The temperature is going to lower in the oven and will need to bring itself back up to the temperature you set it at.
The other reason is that the frozen food takes longer to heat. Take the normal cooking time and add about 50% to that.
So for a 45-minute cooking time you could add about 22 additional minutes. A baking time of 1 hour should be enough.
Here is a conversion table for thawed and frozen foods. Specifically for baking times.
| Thawed Baking Time | Frozen Baking Time |
| 20 Minutes | 30 Minutes |
| 25 Minutes | 38 Minutes |
| 30 Minutes | 45 Minutes |
| 35 Minutes | 53 Minutes |
| 40 Minutes | 60 Minutes |
| 45 Minutes | 68 Minutes |
| 50 Minutes | 75 Minutes |
How Long To Cook Two Lasagnas
Since the baking time is no different for two lasagna as opposed to a single pan of lasagna.
You can follow the recipes cooking time that was used. Remember to add additional time if you are reheating a frozen lasagna.
A good way to save time would be to thaw your frozen lasagna in the refrigerator overnight. Then you can bake it without adding any more time.
There are many recipes to make lasagna and depending on the size and number of layers the cooking times will vary.
First the most common cooking temperatures are 350°, 375° and 400° Fahrenheit.
Baking times can vary from 30 minutes to 55 minutes. I would bake the lasagna covered with foil for 30 minutes, then for the remaining 15 minutes remove the foil.
45 minutes seems to be the most average time for baking a lasagna.
Also you should let the lasagna rest after baking for about 10 to 15 minutes. That way it is fully done cooking and the ingredients have settled into place.
Helpful Tips
Here are some helpful tips to follow. When you plan to make a lot of lasagna.
If you are making two lasagnas because you are going to serve a large group of people. Consider making the lasagnas a day in advance. This will save you a lot of additional cooking time.
Because overall that lasagna can take up to 1 to one and a half hours to fully make.
Double that time when you are making two lasagnas. This includes cooking the beef and the noodles even before you bake the whole lasagna.
Then you can freeze your lasagna for up to 2 days. Thaw the lasagna in the fridge overnight before you plan to bake and serve.
One common problem with making lasagna. Is that it contains too much liquid.
To avoid this problem make sure you drain and dry the noodles completely after boiling them. Also make sure to use a thicker sauce, you can add thickening agents like cornstarch or flour to a thin sauce.
Read how to thicken pasta sauce to learn more.
Another great tip for cooking two lasagnas at the same time. Is to use a glass baking pan, this way you can see into the lasagna. Helping you be able to determine how well it is cooking. You should be able to see the sauce boiling and the cheese melting.
Best Lasagna Pan
When it comes to lasagna pans. You can use either glass, ceramic, aluminum or stainless steel.
Glass and ceramic share a lot of the same properties. They both can take longer to heat up. Making them fragile when it comes to drastic temperature changes.
A very good ceramic dish to use for lasagna can be found on Amazon here.
Aluminum and stainless steel both conduct heat very well. Meaning they will heat up faster.
Making metal pans great for pizzas and pies and foods that you want to be crispy. Lasagna is only suppose to be slightly crispy on the top, if you like it that way.
The best type of pan to use for lasagna is either glass or ceramic. Because they take longer to heat up they will bake food more evenly.
Both of them also hold heat very well. So you can serve your lasagna in these pans, keeping the food warm.
You can check out this inexpensive Pyrex baking dish on Amazon here.
