Easy Lasagna Recipe (original) (raw)
Try making this Easy Lasagna Recipe for the best weeknight meal. It's easy to make with your favorite jar of sauce, oven ready noodles, plus three different kinds of cheese. Filling, comforting, and very freezer friendly!
Want another way to make lasagna? Try using frozen ravioli and making Ravioli Lasagna. To make this recipe easy I use a jar of pasta, but you can make your own with Easy Homemade Pasta Sauce. Also for another Italian-style casserole recipe, try making an Easy Southern Baked Spaghetti Recipe.
This time of year makes me crave more comforting foods. And when I say comforting, I’m talking about food that is filling and loaded with cheese, like lasagna.
Lasagna is one of those recipes that appears complicated, but really isn't. It just has different parts to it. You have to prepare the sauce, boil the uncooked lasagna noodles, and prepare the creamy ricotta cheese mixture. Then you have to assemble and bake it for at least an hour.
See...many moving parts. No wonder people reserve it for special occasions.
Over the years, I've tried different ways to cut the time in half and I must say that I've gotten pretty good. So good that now I make lasagna during the work week and it takes me a little less than an hour from start to ready to eat.
Try it for yourself, let's get started!
Why You'll Love This Homemade Lasagna
- No need to boil noodles! You can if you prefer, but using oven-ready lasagna noodles will save you from using another pot and waiting for the noodles to reach al dente.
- Instead of making a whole pan, this recipe is made in an 8x8-inch square baking dish.
- Add in spinach for another layer and pack in some greens.
Ingredients For Lasagna
- Ground Beef - Ground beef is needed to make the meat sauce. Try using a lean ground beef mix that is at least 16% to 25% fat if possible for best results. You may substitute with ground turkey or Italian sausage as well if you prefer.
- Garlic - Adds an intense pungent flavor to the meat sauce. May add more if you prefer.
- Onion - Use any yellow or white onion to add to the ground beef to add an earthy and slightly sweet flavor to the meat mixture.
- Pasta Sauce - To keep this lasagna recipe simple, I prefer to use my favorite jar sauce, marinara sauce, or spaghetti sauce to pair with the meat. For this recipe, I'm using traditional Prego sauce. If you prefer to make your own Easy Homemade Pasta Sauce, then you may do that as well.
- Lasagna Noodles - You may use regular lasagna noodles that require you to boil a pot of water before adding the pasta, but I prefer to speed up the process by using oven-ready (no boil) lasagna noodles.
- Ricotta Cheese - A commonly used ingredient in any good lasagna. It provides a nice soft and creamy texture that's a great balance between the meat sauce and the pasta noodles. Cottage cheese in the same unit of measure can also be used as a substitution.
- Parmesan Cheese - Try using freshly grated Parmesan cheese instead of the bag version as it will combine much easier.
- Mozzarella Cheese - Use shredded mozzarella cheese to layer the lasagna and provide a nice cheesiness to the dish. Try shredding the mozzarella cheese yourself using a box grater because it melts so much better and doesn’t have any additional preservatives.
- Egg - A single large egg is needed to help the ricotta cheese mixture or cottage cheese mixture come together.
- Spinach - Use fresh baby spinach that can be easily located in the produce section at your local grocery store. I prefer to roughly chop the spinach into smaller pieces before layering it into the lasagna. Completely thawed and drained frozen chopped spinach may be used instead.
- Italian Seasoning - This spice blend helps to season the cheese mixture and provides that staple flavor profile that you often find in Italian-style recipes.
- Salt & Ground Black Pepper - Provides a bit of spice to keep the lasagna from tasting flat.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient quantities and instructions.
How to Make Easy Lasagna
Begin the recipe by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. and grabbing a square 8x8-inch baking dish. Set aside.
Using a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef, onion, and garlic. Cook until it has browned. Drain off any excess fat/liquid and stir in the pasta sauce. Cover the sauce and adjust the heat to low, allowing it to simmer while you prepare the cheese filling.
In a medium size bowl, add the ricotta cheese, grated Parmesan cheese, a large egg, Italian seasoning, salt, and ground black pepper. Stir to combine.
Spoon a third of the meat sauce into the bottom of the pan. Spread it out in an even layer. Top with a layer of oven ready lasagna noodles.
Top the noodles with half of the leftover meat sauce and spread it out in a single layer. Add half of the spinach and ricotta cheese mixture. Evenly sprinkle half of the shredded mozzarella cheese.
Top the mozzarella cheese layer with the rest of the lasagna noodles. Followed by a layer of the rest of the meat sauce, spinach, ricotta cheese mixture, and mozzarella cheese.
Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and place that lasagna into the oven to bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Remove the foil and continue baking for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, it should be nice and bubbly.
Lastly, turn on the oven broiler to high and allow the top of the cheese to lightly toast. Watch it carefully though, you should only need about 2 to 5 minutes.
Carefully remove it and allow it to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting to serve warm. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips to Make the Best Lasagna Recipe
- Try to remember in which direction you placed the lasagna noodles and make sure that you repeat the same direction with the second layer to get those perfect layers.
- Grate the parmesan cheese yourself or grab the freshly grated version from the deli/prepared food section of the grocery store. Skip the bagged cheese section or grated cheese from the shelf for the best result and fewer added ingredients.
- Use a block of mozzarella cheese and shred it yourself using a boxed cheese grater. Trust me, it melts so much better! One 8-ounce block of mozzarella cheese should provide you with enough shredded cheese for this recipe.
- Lightly spray the aluminum foil with cooking spray before topping the lasagna. Make sure the side that you sprayed is facing the lasagna. This extra step will prevent the cheese from sticking to the foil.
Storage Tips
Storage. If you have any leftovers, simply cover the baking dish with a lid or some aluminum foil and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also transfer leftovers to a separate airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.
Reheating. When ready to serve, you can reheat it in the microwave or the oven at 300 degrees F. until warm.
Make Ahead. This recipe can be made in advance. Assemble it and cover it tightly with aluminum foil before storing it in the refrigerator overnight. When ready to bake, allow it time to come to room temperature a bit before placing it into the oven to bake per recipe instructions.
Freezing. Assemble the lasagna in the baking dish and allow it to cool to room temperature. Without baking, cover it tightly with a double layer of aluminum foil or plastic wrap and store it in the freezer for 1 to 2 months. Allow it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then bake as directed. You may need to add some additional pasta or tomato sauce if you plan on freezing it and it may also require additional cook time.
More Recipes You'll Love
Have any comments, questions, or other delicious ideas for this Easy Lasagna Recipe with Ricotta? Please share them in the comments below!
8x8 Lasagna Recipe
Try making this Easy Lasagna Recipe! It's easy to make with your favorite jar of sauce, oven ready noodles, plus three different kinds of cheese.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Resting Time 10 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 9
Calories 345 kcal
1 8x8-inch square baking dish
1 Large skillet
1 wooden spoon
aluminum foil
1 pound ground beef
1 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
24 ounces (1 jar) pasta sauce
15 ounces ricotta cheese
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 large egg
½ tablespoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
4 to 6 individual oven ready (no boil) lasagna noodles
1 cup spinach, roughly chopped
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
Begin the recipe by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. and grabbing a square 8x8-inch baking dish. Set aside.
Using a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the 1 pound ground beef and 1 cup chopped onion. Cook until it has browned. Add in the 1 clove minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Drain off any excess fat/liquid and stir in the 24 ounce jar of pasta sauce. Cover the sauce and adjust the heat to medium-low, allowing it to simmer while you prefer the rest of the ingredients.
In a medium size bowl, add the 15 ounces ricotta cheese, ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 large egg, ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper. Stir to combine.
Spoon a third of the meat sauce into the bottom of the baking dish. Spread it out in an even layer. Top with a layer of 2 to 3 oven ready lasagna noodles.
Top the noodles with half of the leftover meat sauce and spread it out in a single layer. Add half (½ cup) baby spinach and half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Evenly sprinkle half (1 cup) of the shredded mozzarella cheese.
Top the mozzarella cheese with the rest of the lasagna noodles. Followed by a layer of the rest of the meat sauce, (½ cup) baby spinach, ricotta cheese mixture, and (1 cup) mozzarella cheese.
Cover the baking dish with some aluminum foil and place that lasagna into the oven to bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheese has melted. Remove the foil and continue baking for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, it should be nice and bubbly.
Lastly, turn on the broiler to high and allow the top of the cheese to lightly brown. Watch it carefully though, you should only need about 2 to 5 minutes. Carefully remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting to serve warm. Enjoy!
Try to remember in which direction you placed the lasagna noodles and make sure that you repeat the same direction with the second layer to get those perfect layers.
Grate the parmesan cheese yourself or grab the freshly grated version from the deli/prepared food section of the grocery store. Skip the bagged cheese section or grated cheese from the shelf for the best result and fewer added ingredients.
Use a block of mozzarella cheese and shred it yourself using a boxed cheese grater. Trust me, it melts so much better! One 8-ounce block of mozzarella cheese should provide you with enough shredded cheese for this recipe.
Lightly spray the aluminum foil with cooking spray before topping the lasagna. Make sure the side that you sprayed is facing the lasagna. This extra step will prevent the cheese from sticking to the foil.
Calories: 345kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 23gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 105mgSodium: 826mgPotassium: 499mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1102IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 308mgIron: 2mg
The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Keyword easy lasagna recipe, lasagna
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Original post date 10/09/2017. Updated 02/20/2023 & 03/04/2024.