The ultimate in one-pan comfort meals, Cheese Lasagna is the perfect marriage of bubbly cheese, tangy tomato sauce and lasagna noodles. This Easy Lasagna Recipe couldn’t be any simpler or tastier!
Meatless Lasagna
Oh, how I adore lasagna! It reminds me of my mother’s kitchen, when she’d make big pans of her cheesy homemade lasagna for all occasions.
Someone had a baby? Make a lasagna. Someone is sick? Make a lasagna. A Saturday night meal with the whole family? That’s right, lasagna.
A helping of lasagna with a bubbly cheesy top is still one of my ultimate comfort foods, with or without meat. With Ricotta, Parmesan, AND Mozzarella cheese, this meatless lasagna recipe is vegetarian friendly and so satisfying that you won’t miss the meat at all.
Did you know you can make a lasagna in one pan WITHOUT using no-boil noodles?
I made this recipe with plain old standard lasagna noodles and it turned out perfectly. No-boil noodles are not required at all. With this recipe, the sauce does the job of cooking the noodles as it bakes.
Feel free to use a differently shaped noodle as well! The goal is to cover most of the bottom of the pan with noodles but not every centimeter of the dish has to be completely covered.
I included two 24 ounce jars of spaghetti sauce in this recipe, however you likely won’t need the entirety of both jars. The sauce should cover everything but you don’t want the noodles totally drowning in it. I used about 40 ounces of sauce in mine.
Save any remaining sauce to dip bread into or store in the fridge to add to reheated lasagna leftovers.
Cook’s note: I love my Easy Marcella Hazan Tomato Sauce in lasagna but this time I used a favorite jarred spaghetti sauce. Just be sure sure to choose a sauce you love eating! It plays a major part in the flavor of the lasagna.
Easy Lasagna Recipe
I kept this lasagna recipe as simple as possible. Cheese lovers will go wild for this super easy and kid-friendly meal!
Ingredients:
- Lasagna Noodles – they do not need to be the “no boil” variety
- Ricotta Cheese
- Spaghetti Sauce -make sure you are using a kind that you like, it will play a big part in the flavor
- Parmesan Cheese
- Eggs
- Parsley
- Mozzarella Cheese
How to Make Lasagna
In a large bowl, combine the cheeses with the eggs and parsley, reserving one cup of the mozzarella for later.
To assemble the lasagna, place about 1 and 1/2 cups of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Gently place four lasagna noodles onto sauce. Most 13×9 inch pans will fit three noodles length (13″ side) wise, and a shorter, broken noodle width (9″ side) wise.
Add about one third of the cheese mixture to the top of the noodles, and gently spread across noodles. Top cheese with 1 cup of sauce, then noodles, then cheese again. Repeat one more time, finishing with a final layer of sauce. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese evenly over the sauce.
Reserve about an hour for lasagna cook time. After baking covered with foil for 45 minutes, uncover the pan and continue baking for another 10 minutes.
Need an even quicker spin on lasagna for tonight’s dinner? Try this Easy Ravioli Lasagna.
Sides for Lasagna
Lasagna can be a full meal in and of itself if you like. It’s delicious paired with a side of Cheesy Garlic Rolls and a Simple Italian Salad as well.
How to Freeze Lasagna
Lasagna makes an ideal freezer meal! You can either assemble the lasagna and freeze it before baking or freeze it after cooking. This recipe is easy to double to make more than one pan of lasagna at a time. Make one for dinner tonight and stick the other in the freezer for those busy nights when you don’t have the time or energy to cook.
Freeze a whole lasagna by covering the dish with a lid or wrapping the whole pan in heavy duty foil before freezing.
To freeze a COOKED lasagna, allow it to cool completely at room temperature first. You can also divide the lasagna into airtight individual serving size containers to freeze. This is a great option for make-ahead lunches!
How to Reheat Lasagna
When reheating a lasagna from frozen, allow it to thaw in the fridge before baking. Individual portions of cheese lasagna can be reheated in the microwave. Add a teaspoon of water or leftover sauce to the top of the serving before microwaving to prevent drying out.
To reheat a whole lasagna, add a few spoonfuls of water or sauce to the top of the lasagna and cover with foil before reheating in the oven. Heat for about 20 minutes or until the cheese gets bubbly.
If you like this recipe, make sure to check out my Ricotta Stuffed Shells and myHomemade Spaghetti Sauce.
Easy Lasagna
Easy Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients
- 48 oz Jar Spaghetti Sauce
- 30 oz Ricotta Cheese
- 2 Eggs
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tsp parsley dried or finely chopped
- 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
- 12 lasagna noodles do not need to be "no bake", regular are fine
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13x9 inch baking pan.
- In a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, eggs, parmesan cheese, parsley and one cup of mozzarella cheese. Mix until well combined.
- To assemble lasagna, place 1 and 1/2 cups of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Gently place four lasagna noodles onto sauce. Most 13x9 inch pans will fit three noodles length (13" side) wise, and a shorter, broken noodle width (9" side) wise.
- Add approximately 1/3 of the cheese mixture to the top of the noodles, and gently spread across noodles. Top cheese with 1 cup of sauce, then noodles, then cheese again. Repeat one more time, finishing with a final layer of sauce. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese evenly over the sauce.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to stand for ten minutes prior to serving.
Neelima says
The recipe was a hit with my friends , thank you .
However the ricotta cheese mixing is little left over, what can I do with it , any suggestions ?
Chassidy says
I want to make this , but I was wondering if the lasagna noodles will get soft enough if I don’t cook them first. I’m usually not a fan of the no baked lasagna noodles because I think they are too hard and dont’t soften enough . I noticed your recipe has a lot of sauce so I’m assuming that will cook the noodles ?
Christi Johnstone says
Chassidy, they should be cooked, though on the al dente side (which is how I prefer all pasta). Another option I’ve used it to just boil them enough to soften them a bit, leaving them still easier to work with than fully boiled noodles, but for those who like really soft noodles, more accommodating of that.
Chassidy says
Simple recipe, but don’t let that fool you ! It was delicious !! I can honestly say this was mine and my family’s favorite lasagna recipe .I did partially cook my lasagna noodles though because I like them a little bit softer 🙂
Christi Johnstone says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Kimberly Brosius says
I’m going to try this on Saturday for a friend but I’m going to put some fresh crushed garlic and fresh basil in the cheese. I have an AeroGarden so I always have the fresh herbs and fresh instead of dried parsley. I will let you know how she likes it.
Marti says
I used Palmini lasagna noodles, added mushrooms, basil, oregano, fresh garlic to the cheese and cut the recipe in half. It was really tasty, recipe is a keeper.
Kara says
Just a heads up, you have the option to change the serving size but the pan size and directions aren’t adjusted to accommodate that :/ I had to improvise because I ran out of the ricotta mix and pasta sauce.
Kara says
oops, not serving size. I meant total servings.
Beth says
My family loved this, even my picky eater!
Laura says
I ran out of both red sauce and ricotta cheese! Next time, I’ll make a note to prepare more of everything. I improvised with just mozzarella and parmesan cheese for the end that got shorted on ricotta. Simple and delicious recipe!
Linda Dellorto says
I have made this lasagna exactly as described in the recipe, with added spinach, with cooked lasagna noodles and without cooking the noodles. It always comes out wonderfully! I intend to make it again soon, but for some reason I can’t find the ricotta cheese. Would it be as good if I substituted cottage cheese?
Christi Johnstone says
So glad you enjoy it! I think it’s a personal preference on the cottage cheese. That is how my mom made it when I was growing up, so to me it’s fine, but I know some people think it’s crazy. If you like cottage cheese, I think you are good.