✨ The easiest lasagna recipe! Learn our tips and skip boiling the noodles. (2024)

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Julie Clark

Posted: 2/6/2024

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Learn our easy lasagna recipe with no boil noodles! This classic recipe uses two meats and three cheeses for amazing flavor. Your favorite store-bought spaghetti sauce keeps it simple.

About two years ago we shared our family’sbest lasagna recipe. It is 100% homemade (ok not the pasta, but the rest is homemade). It takes a little work, but it is so good and so worth it.

What happens if you’re short on time and still craving that classic homemade lasagna flavor? Lasagna shortcuts likeravioli lasagna bake,lasagna roll upsorskillet lasagnaare always options, but this easy oven ready lasagna recipe is an easy solution. By using your favoritespaghetti sauceour no boil noodle trick, you can make this quickly!

✨ The easiest lasagna recipe! Learn our tips and skip boiling the noodles. (2)

What readers are saying about this easy lasagna recipe:

Jeff says, “I’m a guy that just does not like to cook! I love to eat but just don’t have an enough of an imagination to make something good. But after making this simple lasagna recipe, everybody loved it. The taste was awesome but also just to look at it after it was done in the oven looked amazing! Believe me I never talk about something I’ve made like this but it truly was perfect.” ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Pat says, “I made this homemade lasagna recipe today and it was a terrific hit! My mother-in-law said it was the best lasagna she has ever tasted! Thank you so much for this delicious recipe.” ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Lasagna with Ricotta or Cottage Cheese?

When I was growing up, I always had lasagna with cottage cheese. I didn’t love the texture of ricotta so my mom always put cottage cheese in lasagna instead.

These days I’m more tolerant of ricotta in lasagna. You canuse either cottage cheese OR ricottain this recipe. Use the same amount for either cheese you choose. You can even mix cottage cheese and ricotta cheese together. Both are delicious, but ricotta is more authentic.

Ingredients for Lasagna

This lasagna has simple ingredients, most of which are pantry staples.

✨ The easiest lasagna recipe! Learn our tips and skip boiling the noodles. (3)

A few notes:

Ground beef and Italian sausage. A combination of these two meats give the best flavor. You can season ground pork with ourhomemade Italian sausage seasoningif you prefer.
Spaghetti sauce. This is excellent with a store-bought sauce such as Rao’s marinara or try ourhomemade spaghetti sauce.
Lasagna noodles. We don’t specifically use oven-ready lasagna noodles. Just use regular lasagna noodles and they should cook just fine if you follow our instructions.

✨See therecipe cardfor the full ingredient list.✨

How to Make this Easy Lasagna

To prepare, preheat the oven to 350ºF andspray a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray.

In a large skillet over medium heat brown the ground beef and sausage together. Drain off and discard any fat. Add the minced garlic and spaghetti sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes.

✨ The easiest lasagna recipe! Learn our tips and skip boiling the noodles. (4)

In a large bowl, mix together the cheese mixture: ricotta, 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese, eggs, ½ cup of grated Parmesan cheese, dried parsley, salt and ground black pepper. Mix well.

✨ The easiest lasagna recipe! Learn our tips and skip boiling the noodles. (5)

To assemble, spread ¾ cup of sauce on the bottom of the baking pan. Cover the bottom with 3 uncooked lasagna noodles. Top with ⅓ of the cheese mixture and ¼ of the sauce. Repeat layers (noodles, cheese, sauce, noodles, cheese, sauce).
For the top layer, add 3 noodles, remaining sauce, remaining 1 cup of mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

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Spray a sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray. Cover with the pan with aluminum foil (sprayed side down). This prevents the cheese from sticking. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes.
Let the lasagna stand for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Pro tip

If your sauce is a thick, hearty sauce, add ½ cup water to the edges of the pan. If your sauce is runnier like Old World Style Ragu or even Rao’s marinara, you won’t need as much water.

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Make it a meal.

Try this easy lasagna recipe with ourhomemade garlic breadand anItalian salad.

Italian green beans and roasted potatoes are always great options, too!

How to Reheat Lasagna

If you are wanting to heat leftover lasagna that is in a pan, cover it with foil and bake it in an oven that you’ve preheated to 350º Fahrenheit. Bake it until the internal temperature reaches 165º F. This will take at least 30 minutes, but depending on how much is left, could take up to 50 minutes.

You can also reheat individual slices on a plate in the microwave.

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Can you freeze lasagna?

Yes! You can freeze this easy lasagna both before and/or after you cook it. Here are a few tips:

Use a disposable aluminum pan to make your lasagna in. Then you can easily wrap the unbaked lasagna and freeze it.
If you are baking the lasagna before freezing it, allow the lasagna to cool completely before wrapping it.
Wrap the lasagna twice in plastic wrap and once in foil.
Remove the frozen lasagna from the freezer the day before you want to bake it. This will help it bake more quickly in the oven.
Freeze for 2-3 months.

How to Cook Frozen Lasagna

Lasagna will cook the most evenly and have the best results if you remove the lasagna from the freezer the day before you want to cook it. This will help it to mostly defrost and bake more easily.

Remove the wrappings, then cover with just one layer of foil.
Bake in a 350º F oven covered for about 50 minutes, then uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes.
**If the lasagna was previously baked, you won’t need to bake it as long. Start at 30 minutes covered, then uncover and bake until heated through and bubbly on the edges.

Easy Lasagna Recipe (No Boil Noodles)

4.70 from 2039 votes

Learn our easy lasagna recipe with no boil noodles! This classic recipe uses two meats and three cheeses for amazing flavor. Your favorite store-bought spaghetti sauce keeps it simple.

Servings 15

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Resting Time 10 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
½ pound sweet Italian sausage
1 teaspoon minced garlic
48 ounces spaghetti sauce (your favorite sauce)
15 ounces ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese)
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 large eggs
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons dried parsley or 4 tablespoons freshly snipped
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
12 lasagna noodles
¼ cup water**

Instructions

To prepare, preheat the oven to 350ºF and spray a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray.
In a large skillet over medium heat brown the ground beef and sausage together. Drain off and discard any fat. Add the minced garlic and spaghetti sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes. 1 pound ground beef, ½ pound sweet Italian sausage, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 48 ounces spaghetti sauce
In a large bowl, mix together the ricotta, 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese, eggs, ½ cup of grated Parmesan cheese, dried parsley, salt and ground black pepper. Mix well. 15 ounces ricotta cheese, 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, 2 large eggs, ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese, 2 teaspoons dried parsley, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
To assemble, spread ¾ cup of sauce on the bottom of the baking pan. Cover the bottom with 3 uncooked lasagna noodles. Top with ⅓ of the cheese mixture and ¼ of the sauce. 12 lasagna noodles
Repeat layers (noodles, cheese, sauce, noodles, cheese, sauce).
Top with 3 noodles, remaining sauce, remaining 1 cup of mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. If your sauce is a thick, hearty sauce, add ½ cup water to the edges of the pan. If your sauce is runnier like Old World Style Ragu or even Rao’s marinara, you won’t need as much water. ¼ cup water**–
Spray a sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray. Cover with the baking dish with aluminum foil (sprayed side down). This prevents the cheese from sticking. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes.
Let the lasagna stand for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Video

Notes

The liquids from the spaghetti sauce should be enough that the noodles will cook beautifully in the oven as the lasagna bakes.
You don’t need oven-ready lasagna noodles. Regular lasagna noodles should cook just fine.
If you prefer, you can boil lasagna noodles as the box instructions suggest and then make the lasagna as described. Don’t add any extra water if you choose this method.
Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
The calories shown are based on the lasagna being cut into 15 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 piece of lasagna. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. **

Nutrition

Author Julie Clark

Course Main Dish

Cuisine Italian

Calories 358

Keyword best lasagna, easy lasagna recipe, how to make lasagna, lasagna recipe, no boil noodles

Have you tried this recipe?

Share a review below or share on Instagram with the tag #tastesoflizzyt.

Other Lasagna Recipes

White Chicken Lasagna
Lasagna Casserole
Lasagna Skillet
Lasagna Burgers

✨ The easiest lasagna recipe! Learn our tips and skip boiling the noodles. (14)

About Julie Clark

I'm Julie Clark, CEO and recipe developer of Tastes of Lizzy T. With my B.A. in Education and over 30 years of cooking and baking, I want to teach YOU the best of our family recipes.

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Jeff vyfschaft

3 years ago

I’m a guy that just does not like to cook! I love to eat but just don’t have an enough of an imagination to make something good. But after making this everybody loved it. The taste was awesome but also just to look at it after it was done in the oven looked amazing! Believe me I never talk about something I’ve made like this but it truly was perfect.
Thank you
Jeff

View Replies (1)

Monica

2 years ago

Delicious! For people who are saying the pasta is still “firm” after an hour: Pasta isn’t supposed to be cooked within an inch of its life. I have never once cooked noodles for baked ziti, lasagna, etc and I have never once had an undesirable result. Pasta should have a little texture. It should talk back. It’s called ‘al dente’ and it means literally, “To the tooth”. As in, you should be chewing it, it shouldn’t just slide down your throat. GROSS! There’s no way, if this dish is prepared as directed, you’re getting undercooked noodles. You’re getting properly cooked…Read more »

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