Growing up my mother made the best lasagna. Don’t they always? It was cheesy, tasty and a memory that I try to recreate for my family, too. Since it is so easy and delicious, and only 6 ingredients, I thought I would share it with you too!
This Easy Meat Lasagna Recipe takes less than 15 minutes to put together and about an hour to make. Add the 10 -15 minutes that it needs to cool down before you can eat it and it is a great dinner with little effort but huge flavor!
This recipe calls for 6 simple ingredients, some layering and some baking. Anyone can do it and, even if you overcook it- like I often do – you just get a chewy, delicious top layer. Yes, I overcook it on purpose sometimes.
- 2.5 pounds ground beef
- Package of Oven Ready Lasagna Noodles
- 1½ jar spaghetti sauce
- 36 ounces cottage cheese
- 2¼ cups Mozzarella
- Parmesan Cheese
- Brown beef and drain fat. While doing that, spray pan with non-stick spray. Add spaghetti sauce to cooked and drained meat. Add more to make it saucier. Layer bottom of sprayed casserole dish with oven bakes lasagna. Add half the met mixture. Add half cottage cheese on top. Add ½ mozzarella on top. Repeat starting with oven baked lasagna noodles. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes covered. Remove cover, sprinkle healthy dose of Parmesan cheese on top. Cook uncovered another 20 - 25 minutes until top is browning and bubbly. Remove, let stand 10 minutes. Serve.
Layering is the key to this lasagna. You want to always line your lasagna pans with the noodles first. Otherwise, when you scoop it out, the meat will fall back into the pan. Also, i do a layer of noodles, then meat, then noodles again to make it even more sturdy!
I use cottage cheese for the taste and ease of use. Plus I, personally, like the texture better and think it adds more moisture to the dish, but you can use Ricotta Cheese if you prefer that.
I always use the over ready noodles. To make this a faster meal, boiling noodles takes another 10 -15 minutes. Then they come out hot and so you have to wait for them to cool. I can never tell the difference between the precooked and the ones I cook anyway.
Other variations of this dish include adding onions and peppers to the meat mixture, using a spaghetti sauce infused with garlic and oregano and even using sliced sausage, ground turkey, or ground chicken to it. Just make sure you have enough moisture to cook for so long or it will come out dry.
Does your mom make the best lasagna? I’d love to hear all about it!
This looks great. I have never had it with cottage cheese though I have only used ricotta. I have also added pepper jack cheese to give it a little kick. Thanks for sharing.
You are welcome!! I love the moisture the cottage cheese adds! :)
Is it really 24 cups of Mozzarella cheese? Or is it supposed to be 24 oz?
Whoops!! Lol. Ounces
And can you give me an idea of how many this should serve?
It makes a big casserole so maybe 6-8 :) I always have leftovers with 4
My boyfriend and I made this recipe last night and loved it! So simple and tasty. We figured 24 cups of cheese was supposed to be 24 oz haha…..otherwise we would have been asking each other, “Would you like some lasagna to go with your cheese?” Love this recipe!
I was thinking about using Italian sausage instead of ground beef?
I always use half Italian sausage and beef.
Wow, that’s a lot of mozzarella. You might want to correct your recipe.
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LOL -Oh no!!! I will – thank you!!
I mix cottage cheese and ricotta and its delicious! Love it thanks for the recipe!!!
So how many layers of noodles are there? I’m only seeing 2 in the pictures, is that right?
It depends on how deep your pan is. But yes, one at the bottom and one in the middle generally
I made this for my boyfriend tonight and it was a hit! He loved it and it came out well. Thank you!!
YEA!! You are so welcome :)
Can you assemble this a few days ahead and then cook it on the night to serve? Will the no bake noodles break down to a strange texture?
Yep! And you can make it and freeze it and cook it later too. The noodles hold up!
Thank you for a quick answer. Now I can assemble for 12/24.
ENJOY!! :)
What kind of pan did you use?
So good!! My husband absolutely loves it!!!
I make (tweaked) this recipe all the time…to rave reviews. I use a pound of italian sausage, and 1.5 lbs ground chuck 80/20. Dice a medium onion and cook with meat, as well as add a few minced garlic cloves. I load up the Italian spices…oregano, fresh parsley, sweet basil…and also add a touch of red pepper flakes for just a tinge of heat. For the dairy part I use 15 ounces ricotta, 16 ounces of Michigan brand cottage cheese (the best), and 5 more ounces regular cheese…also add an egg and some parm into the mixture, along with some more Italian seasoning. Cook as directed. In the end, I slice fresh mozz cheese and layer on top, then broil for a few minutes until nice and golden brown. I top it with a few zig zags of Alfredo sauce and fresh parsley. Amazing. The recipe is good as is…and a nice canvass for additions. Thanks for the recipe.
I loved the recipe! It was simple and absolutely delicious!! Thank you for sharing:)
Me and my wife made this recipe for lunch loved it we both eat 2 bowls full, easy and delicious to make.
Hi. I would like to know how many servings is this recipe?
Thanks!
This is a great recipe I tried it out it was easy thank
Can this recipe be cut in half in an 8X8 dish?
Yep – you certainly can!
Very good and easy to make! I like it much better with the cottage cheese. I also exchanged noodles for cooked cabbage leaves to make it Keto friendly!
Wonderful recipe!!!
People, read the recipe. It says 2 and 1/4 cups of cheese!
I found this recipe years ago and we love it! I’m making it as a freezer meal for an expectant mama. Once they are ready to heat it, what should I tell them to do exactly?
I am so glad you love it!! I would just make sure it is sealed well for freezing and then add about 15-20 minutes to cook time :)
If I cut it in half, would bake time still be the same?
I’m confused on how to layer this. The directions are different from the photo it seems, thanks!
Awesome recipe and for sure those are quality meats you used.