Don’t we all crave a little bit of comfort food this time of year? Cool, crisp weather and a hot meal cooking in the oven. I love the smell of this floating through my house. It is a little chilly for us in Arizona this year and my husband family has been nagging begging me to make this oldie but goodie. This is our favorite “fast” lasagna. I have been making it for well over 12 years and it never fails me.
He LOVES pasta and that means lasagna is very high on his list of favorites. I was determined to make my own and this is what I came up with. I have no idea where I got the inspiration from, but more than likely it was the back of a frozen lasagna and the picture on the front. This was my “meet in the middle” moment and the end result checked all the boxes for us.
The holidays mean busier schedules and were all looking for those quick and easy comfort foods. With just a few store bought ingredients and a few simple steps, it will make enough to feed a crowd. This is definitely not a small casserole.
Typically I will serve dinner and freeze the rest of the lasagna for another night when I don’t have time to cook. It’s also great for a potluck and easy enough to double the recipe and make two. Now we’ll keep this one short and sweet, let’s get to the good stuff…
What You’ll Need:
Ground Italian Sausage- I always use Italian sausage for my lasagna to keep it very simple and extra flavorful without the extra effort. One of my favorites if I can find it is Turkey Italian Sausage, it has less fat and makes a very nice lasagna. If you do not have sausage, you can use ground beef and season it to your liking with salt, pepper, & Italian seasoning. You can even add a small chopped onion and a clove or two of minced garlic. Nothing fancy, just add some flavor to that ground beef.
Oven Ready Lasagna Noodles- I use a 12 ounce package, any brand works as long as it is oven ready. All that means is the noodles do not need to be boiled before assembly. Please don’t skip out out on the noodles. Definitely make sure you have oven ready before you start cooking. If it is not then your lasagna will not be cooked when you take it out of the oven.
Spaghetti Sauce- Pick yourself a nice marinara, something simple with plenty of flavor. You’ll need two-26 ounce jars of your favorite sauce. If you love it with spaghetti, it will be great in lasagna.
Mozzarella- You need a 1-pound block of cheese, grate it yourself. I know the pre-shredded stuff is easier but the anti-caking ingredients that are added, changes how the cheese melts. Of course, if pre-shredded is something you already have on hand or need to buy for convenience… go for it. It will still taste delicious.
Ricotta- I love ricotta cheese, it adds that perfect creamy layer to the filling. If you are on a budget or can’t find ricotta, you can use cottage cheese as an equal replacement.
Eggs- You will need 2 large eggs to mix in with the ricotta. It acts as a little bit of a binder/thickener that helps keep those layers a little bit neater.
9 x 13″ Casserole Dish- You’ll need a nice big casserole dish. I use a regular casserole dish, but if you have the deeper one that is made for lasagna… even better.
Sheet Pan- I highly recommend placing a large baking sheet underneath the casserole dish to catch any spills that may occur. As it cooks and the cheese melts it could bubble over. It’s just a little added insurance during the baking time. It is also easier to take out of the oven without spilling.
Italian Seasoning- I love to sprinkle a little on top of my final layer of cheese. If you have some parmesan you can sprinkle it over the mozzarella and garnish with the Italian seasoning right before baking. It adds a little something special.
Our Favorite Pairings:
Cranberry Spinach Salad- Toss some fresh baby spinach with Italian dressing and top with dried cranberries, aka Craisins.
Roasted Broccoli- Cut some broccoli into florets and toss with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and cover with foil. Bake along side your lasagna for 15 minutes, remove the foil and cook on the top rack for another 15 minutes.
Simple Garlic Bread- Combine 1 stick of salted butter with 3-4 cloves of minced garlic. Slice a loaf of French bread in half and butter it generously with the garlic mixture. Bake on a baking sheet on the top rack of the oven until browned, approximately 10-15 minutes.
Quick & Easy “Homemade” Lasagna
Equipment
- 1 9 x 13" Casserole Dish
- 1 Large Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Italian sausage, ground
- 2 -26 ounce jars of spaghetti sauce
- 1 -32 ounce container of ricotta cheese, or cottage cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 1 -12 ounce box of no-boil lasagna noodles
- 1 lb. mozzarella cheese, shredded
Optional Topping
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 F and grease your casserole dish with a little olive oil or non-stick spray. Pour 1/4-1/2 of one spaghetti sauce jar into the bottom of the dish. Set aside.
- Heat a large frying to medium heat. Spray with non-stick and cook the ground Italian sausage until it is no longer pink and is starting to lightly brown. Drain any excess oil if needed.
- Add the remaining spaghetti sauce to the browned sausage. This is your meat sauce. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ricotta (or cottage cheese) with the eggs, salt & pepper. Set aside.
- Now we start layering:Lay 4-5 lasagna noodles into the bottom of the greased & sauced casserole dish.Next, put half of the ricotta mixture over the noodles and gently spread into an even layer. (See photos above)Sprinkle about 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella over the ricotta. Ladle a third of the meat sauce over the cheeses and carefully spread out the best you can without moving the cheese underneath. You want nice neat layers if you can. Repeat by laying down 4-5 lasagna noodles over the meat sauce. Then the remaining half of the ricotta, another 1/4 cup of mozzarella, and another third of the meat sauce.Finally lay 4-5 noodles and pour the remaining meat sauce. Top it off with the rest of the shredded mozzarella.
- Place the casserole dish onto the large baking sheet. Bake on the middle rack for 45 minutes. It should start to bubble as the cheese melts and be lightly browned on top.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes before cutting into it and serving.
- Enjoy with your favorite side dish!
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