Easy Homemade Lasagna

Slice of Lasagna being taken out of pan with cheese pull

4.77 from 13 votes

This Easy Homemade Lasagna may not be traditional, but it is still delicious! Made with cottage cheese, a simple meat sauce, and lots of cheese, this lasagna recipe is a family favorite.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Total Time1 hr 10 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 261kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Equipment

9x13 pan

Ingredients

2 tsp olive oil
1 pound ground beef or Italian Sausage
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt omit if using Italian Sausage
1 teaspoon dried oregano
12 whole wheat lasagna noodles uncooked
1 ½ cups cottage cheese
1 egg
¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes optional
2 tsp minced garlic
3 cups homemade tomato sauce or your favorite store brand of spaghetti sauce
1 cup water
2 cups mozzarella cheese divided
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese divided

Instructions

Brush a 9x13 pan with olive oil and preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit
Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in meat and begin to brown. Add in 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon oregano and brown fully. Turn off heat and drain off any excess grease on meat and return to skillet. Add in spaghetti sauce and 1 cup of water and mix well.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cottage cheese with parsley, minced garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, egg, and ¼ cup parmesan cheese until well combined.
Spread a thin layer of the meat sauce on the bottom of the pan. Lay 4 noodles down. Evenly top the noodles with ½ of the cottage cheese mixture and then spread out 1 cup of the meat sauce over the cottage cheese mixture. Lay 4 more noodles down and spread with the remaining cottage cheese mixture evenly over the noodles. Top with 1 cup sauce and 4 more noodles. Pour the remaining sauce over the noodles and top with the shredded mozzarella cheese and remaining parmesan cheese.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and return to the oven to bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and the noodles are tender
Let sit for 10 minutes or so, before slicing and serving.

Video

Notes

Storage: Lasagna can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days after baking or frozen after baking for up to 3 months.

Meatless Option: To make a meatless lasagna, omit the meat or use your favorite veggie crumble. Just be sure to still combine the spaghetti sauce with 1 cup of water, as this recipe needs that extra moisture.

Noodles: You do NOT need no-boil noodles for this recipe. You can use them if you have them on hand, but regular or whole wheat lasagna noodles work perfectly for this recipe. (If using Gluten-Free lasagna noodles, you must pre-boil, as they release too much starch and would cause this lasagna to be watery and have an off-putting flavor.)

Cheese: Feel free to adjust the amount of cheese to your family's liking. Often times I will omit the parmesan from the cottage cheese filling and everything is still delicious.

Cottage Cheese: If you prefer, use ricotta cheese in place of cottage cheese.

Want to take a shortcut? Skip the step of browning meat, use sliced pepperoni in the layers of the lasagna in place of ground meat being added to the sauce. The pepperoni will add a hearty, meaty taste--minus the work!

Nutrition