2019-08-22T14:57:56-05:00By Lori|Recipes|41 Comments
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 Recipetakes 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.
5.0 from 7 reviews
Easy Meat Lasagna Recipe
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Enjoy this simple recipe with tons of flavor!
Author: Lori Pace - ADayinMotherhood.com
Recipe type: Pasta
Ingredients
- 2.5 pounds ground beef
- Package of Oven Ready Lasagna Noodles
- 1½ jar spaghetti sauce
- 36 ounces cottage cheese
- 2¼ cups Mozzarella
- Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
- 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!
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About the Author: Lori
Lori is a single work from home mom of three daughters, ages 11, 10 and 8. She has been the author of ADayinMotherhood.com for over 8 years and blogs because it is cheaper than therapy. She wants to connect with her readers through honest and engaging posts! Contact me for authentic posts, creative ideas and beautiful but real photos!
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41 Comments
Tanya WhiteOctober 21, 2013 at 10:41 am - Reply
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.
LoriPaceOctober 21, 2013 at 10:55 am - Reply
You are welcome!! I love the moisture the cottage cheese adds! :)
Maureen OttenFebruary 13, 2014 at 4:20 pm - Reply
Is it really 24 cups of Mozzarella cheese? Or is it supposed to be 24 oz?
LoriPaceFebruary 13, 2014 at 4:36 pm - Reply
Whoops!! Lol. Ounces
Maureen OttenFebruary 13, 2014 at 4:43 pm - Reply
And can you give me an idea of how many this should serve?
LoriPaceFebruary 13, 2014 at 4:45 pm - Reply
It makes a big casserole so maybe 6-8 :) I always have leftovers with 4
Danika Marie AndersonDecember 17, 2014 at 9:32 am - Reply
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!
EricJanuary 20, 2015 at 4:38 pm - Reply
I was thinking about using Italian sausage instead of ground beef?
Kristi ReedOctober 2, 2018 at 9:49 am - Reply
I always use half Italian sausage and beef.
RuthAugust 29, 2015 at 9:50 am - Reply
Wow, that’s a lot of mozzarella. You might want to correct your recipe.
.LoriAugust 29, 2015 at 2:02 pm - Reply
LOL -Oh no!!! I will – thank you!!
EmilyOctober 6, 2015 at 12:52 pm - Reply
I mix cottage cheese and ricotta and its delicious! Love it thanks for the recipe!!!
DanielleJanuary 6, 2016 at 6:43 pm - Reply
So how many layers of noodles are there? I’m only seeing 2 in the pictures, is that right?
LoriJanuary 6, 2016 at 7:03 pm - Reply
It depends on how deep your pan is. But yes, one at the bottom and one in the middle generally
Kari BodeAugust 22, 2016 at 8:19 pm - Reply
I made this for my boyfriend tonight and it was a hit! He loved it and it came out well. Thank you!!
LoriDecember 22, 2016 at 12:17 pm - Reply
YEA!! You are so welcome :)
Nancy SDecember 22, 2016 at 11:41 am - Reply
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?
LoriDecember 22, 2016 at 11:47 am - Reply
Yep! And you can make it and freeze it and cook it later too. The noodles hold up!
Nancy SDecember 22, 2016 at 12:16 pm - Reply
Thank you for a quick answer. Now I can assemble for 12/24.
LoriDecember 22, 2016 at 12:17 pm - Reply
ENJOY!! :)
CaoimheApril 12, 2017 at 10:09 pm - Reply
What kind of pan did you use?
SABRINAOctober 12, 2017 at 5:18 pm - Reply
So good!! My husband absolutely loves it!!!
Korey RobisonOctober 13, 2017 at 9:54 am - Reply
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.
SandraNovember 4, 2017 at 6:36 pm - Reply
I loved the recipe! It was simple and absolutely delicious!! Thank you for sharing:)
Shawn WilliamsDecember 16, 2017 at 1:42 pm - Reply
Me and my wife made this recipe for lunch loved it we both eat 2 bowls full, easy and delicious to make.
YiraDecember 17, 2017 at 9:27 pm - Reply
Hi. I would like to know how many servings is this recipe?
Thanks!donilleFebruary 8, 2018 at 12:23 pm - Reply
This is a great recipe I tried it out it was easy thank
ReginaMarch 4, 2018 at 10:22 am - Reply
Can this recipe be cut in half in an 8X8 dish?
Lori PaceMarch 4, 2018 at 10:49 am - Reply
Yep – you certainly can!
Kim SeeberMarch 28, 2018 at 3:07 pm - Reply
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!
KellySeptember 6, 2018 at 5:57 pm - Reply
Wonderful recipe!!!
ChristinaSeptember 9, 2018 at 5:39 pm - Reply
People, read the recipe. It says 2 and 1/4 cups of cheese!
ChrashaeOctober 18, 2018 at 4:27 pm - Reply
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?
Lori PaceOctober 18, 2018 at 4:42 pm - Reply
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 :)
AlaynaDecember 27, 2018 at 6:07 pm - Reply
If I cut it in half, would bake time still be the same?
AmberMay 19, 2019 at 11:05 am - Reply
I’m confused on how to layer this. The directions are different from the photo it seems, thanks!
RTC FoodsSeptember 3, 2020 at 1:47 am - Reply
Awesome recipe and for sure those are quality meats you used.
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