If like me, you love a good lasagna but it’s just too time consuming, you are going to love this casserole. It’s as simple as it is delicious. This Quick & Easy “Homemade” Lasagna combines “no-boil” noodles, hearty Italian sausage, your favorite marinara sauce and plenty of cheese. It’s a family favorite dinner at our house for those busy nights.
Don’t we all crave a little bit of comfort food once in a while? Especially when we have cool, crisp weather, I love the smell of this drifting through my house. The weather is little chilly for us in Arizona this year and my husband has been begging me to make this oldie but goodie. It has been what I call a “back pocket recipe” for well over 12 years and counting for good reason. It never fails me.
What You’ll Need:
Ground Italian Sausage- I always opt for a ground Italian sausage over ground beef. It’s simple and flavorful without the extra effort. If you do not have sausage, you can use ground beef and season it with salt, pepper, & Italian seasoning. You can even add a small chopped onion and some fresh minced garlic. Nothing fancy, just add some flavor to that ground beef.
Oven Ready Lasagna Noodles (aka no boil)
Marinara Sauce- 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 of this on top with my final layer of cheese. Parmesan cheese also makes a great topping, if you have some on hand.
Our Favorite Pairings
Cranberry Spinach Salad- Toss some fresh baby spinach with Italian dressing and top with dried cranberries.
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 or until tender.
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.
Looking for more dinner ideas? Check these out!
Instant Pot Shredded Beef Chili
Instant Pot Meyer Lemon Risotto
Alfredo Chicken & Bacon Flatbread Pizzas
If you try this Quick & Easy “Homemade” Lasagna or any of my other recipes tag me on Instagram @joymakersandco, I’d love to see what you make!
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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