I can’t believe I’ve gone this long without posting my Simple Homemade Lasagna recipe here! Everyone needs a good go-to lasagna recipe, and this is one that my mom and I came up with years ago and make all the time. It doesn’t require any fancy ingredients, and it’s very kid friendly. What I love best is that you don’t have to boil the noodles ahead of time! This recipe makes two small pans with nine servings each, which is great for making one for dinner and one for the freezer.
I also like that it uses cottage cheese instead of ricotta cheese, even though I’m sure any true Italian cook would roll their eyes at me. My unsophisticated palate just likes the overall texture better. The cottage cheese provides a really nice creaminess but sort of just melts into the layers. But of course, you could substitute ricotta if you please!
One tip for getting the most flavor out of your ground beef is to make sure you are browning it rather than steaming it. Get your pan hot, then add the ground beef and sort of flatten it to one layer. Then just leave it alone! Let it sizzle and crackle until you know there is a nice golden sear on the bottom. This is where a lot of the flavor comes from, and it will make your lasagna extra delicious. Once it is nice and golden, you can use your wooden spoon to break it up and cook it all the way through.
I love having a meal or two in the freezer to pull out if needed. This Simple Homemade Lasagna is pure comfort food and just right for a cozy weeknight at home!
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Simple Homemade Lasagna (No Boil)
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 55 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 mins
- Yield: 18 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
This recipe makes two small pans with nine servings each, which is great for making one for dinner and one for the freezer. No need to boil your noodles!
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 pounds ground beef
- salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3 cups jarred spaghetti sauce
- 1 lb. small curd cottage cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 lb. cheese, shredded (I use half mozzarella and half cheddar)
- 16 uncooked lasagna noodles, trimmed to fit the pan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare two 8 by 8, or 9 by 9 inch baking dishes by spraying with nonstick spray.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, and add ground beef, leaving it in one flat layer to sear. Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
- Once the bottom is golden, break up the ground beef with a wooden spoon and cook through, draining off any excess oil.
- Turn the heat off and stir in 2 cups of the spaghetti sauce. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, and egg together. Set aside.
- Spread a 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of each pan. Lay four noodles over the sauce. Spread 1/4 of the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles. Then 1/4 of the shredded cheese. Lastly, add 1/4 of the meat mixture. Repeat with the same amount of noodles, cottage cheese, shredded cheese, and meat in both pans.
- Cover and freezer one pan if desired.
- Bake the lasagna covered with aluminum foil for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, and then uncovered for 15-20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the noodles are soft. Let it sit for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Serving
- Calories: 317
- Sugar: 3.5g
- Sodium: 529mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 6.9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0.5g
- Carbohydrates: 21g
- Fiber: 1.7g
- Protein: 22g
- Cholesterol: 67mg
thianny says
It is what I need even something tasty and simple to do that does not take a long time to prepare, I really enjoyed this recipe.
Julie says
so glad to hear that!
Christine says
Please, please, please leave cottage cheese and cheddar out of lasagna! Ricotta and mozzarella are the two cheese varieties that are authentic and needed for a real lasagna dish. I bet if you try them you’ll forget the cottage cheese/cheddar in a minute.
Gina says
Christine, totally agree on the cheese!!! I’ve used Mueller’s No cook lazagna recipe for years and ricotta & mozzarella are required!!
Julie says
So sorry Christine, I knew this would be a stumbling block for true lasagna lovers! I promise I will give ricotta a try again 🙂
Christine says
Hi You really should give ricotta/mozz. a try if you haven’t in awhile. It has always been readily available in my area, buy now it is available in grocery stores across the country. You’ll love the creaminess and rich taste it adds to any stuffed pasta dish. Good luck and good eats!!
Julie says
Thank you Christine, I will definitely try it again :0)
Mackenzie says
How much ricotta did you use Instead of the cottage cheese? I’m a vegetarian making this for my meat eater boyfriend so would like to keep it original! Thanks for the suggestion.
Mackenzie Fox says
How much ricotta did you use Instead of the cottage cheese? I’m a vegetarian making this for my meat eater boyfriend so would like to keep it original! Thanks for the suggestion.
Sara says
Actually, authentic lasagna uses a bechemel sauce. Not ricotta.
And my Italian gramma uses cottage cheese to save time, so I think it’s fine. 😊
Julie says
Good to know, Sara, thanks!
Karl @ Healthy Kreation says
Never tried cottage cheese in lasagna before but you do have a point about it being creamy. Love that it is so quick and easy to make. Great recipe!
Julie says
Thanks Karl! Hope you get the chance to try it :0)
Alexis Gill says
Hi Julie,
I just came across your no boil lasagna recipe. We love lasagna and it sounds delish. Only question…are you using the “No Boil” noodles or just the plain noodles, not boiled??? Your recipe did not require any extra water while baking and the “No Boil” noodles, if I remember correctly…do.
Thanks so much for your time… Love your recipes, tasty and easy!!!
ACG
Julie says
Hi! Great question – I just used the regular lasagna noodles and put them in the pan uncooked. It saves time and a pot to wash, and that’s why I love this recipe. Hope you enjoy it too!
Nikki says
I tried, this delicious recipe. I’ve always used ricotta cheese but I decided to try the cottage cheese. It doesn’t hurt to try something new, plus all of your other recipes that I’ve tried have turned out good. Well, I was not disappointed. It had a good taste, even though I would prefer ricotta. So either way a person goes, it still tastes good. I like to keep an open mind when trying things. Thanks for your delicious recipe ideas.
Shelly Mathes says
Thanks for the quick lasagna recipe, can’t wait, making this today and will be using exact recipe.
Linda says
Help! Your ingredients list calls for 3 cups of sauce, but the recipe itself only calls for 2 of those cups to be added to the cooked meat; where does the remaining 1 cup go? And, your layering instructions… we end with meat mixture, and not a cheese layer? Trying to make this tonight… improvising as I go because I feel like I’m missing something along the way here. Thank you for any insight you can shed on this.
Julie says
Hi Linda, thanks for your questions. You will add two cups of sauce to the meat, and then 1/2 cup to each pan (this recipe makes two), for a total of three cups. Yes, this recipe ends with meat. But you are welcome to put more cheese on top if you’d like. I hope this helps, and that you enjoy!
Linda says
Thank you, Julie — I totally misread the recipe about sauce first (I used meat + sauce). Turned out delicious anyway. Made it with cottage cheese (we just don’t like ricotta) and it was amazing. I mixed another tsp of the seasoning in with the egg and cottage cheese and it was delightful. Thank you for this recipe. My new go-to! Hubby has eaten it three days this week which means your recipe is a keeper.
Julie says
I’m so glad it worked out for you in the end! Thank you for letting me know!
Deb says
If you freeze one of the pans, what do you recommend for cooking? Frozen? Thawed? Temp and time? Thanks! (And I don’t care for ricotta either!)
Julie says
Hi Deb! I usually move the frozen lasagna to the fridge to thaw the night before I plan to cook it. Then I leave it on the counter for an hour before cooking. I always feel like cooking a frozen lasagna takes so long and then they taste dry. Hope this is helpful!
Cheryl says
I have not tried this recipe yet…..has anyone put it together the day before without freezing but just refrigerated ?.. I don’t want it to be dry since I am using no boil noodles. Thanks.
Jennifer says
This is the way my mom has always made lasagna for at least as long as I have been alive. And now of course so do I. Never used no boil noodles just regular lasagna noodles work just fine. Always uses cottage cheese in place of the ricotta. I know ricotta is the authentic way but I am just not a fan of the taste of it.
Tom ferrara says
Yikes, did I see cheddar cheese, noooooooooooooooooo way you might as well call it enchiladas
Karen Kurr says
Thanks for sharing. Question–Can you freeze this recipe with uncooked noodles without baking first?
Julie says
Yes, you can still freeze the lasagna with uncooked noodles. Enjoy!
Pauline Chan says
This “No Boil” recipe took me an additional 50 minutes on top of the recommended time for the noodles to cook. I wish I had pre boiled them before hand… 🙁
Kate says
I have made this lasagna for years now. I usually add more meat and spaghetti sauce so that layer is a little thicker. We love the cottage cheese. This is my go-to recipe and there is almost always one in the freezer for a friend in need! Thank you.
Julie says
Thanks, Kate! Glad you can make it to suite your own tastes. Love that you share it with others too.
Davene says
Can you use ground chicken or turkey instead of ground beef?