Meet my new and improved go-to lasagna. This Easy Lasagna Recipe with Cottage Cheese is proof that you don't need ricotta to make a truly incredible homemade lasagna. It has all the cozy, cheesy, from-scratch red sauce goodness of my original lasagna recipe, just with a creamier cottage cheese twist that makes every bite more delicious. Once you try it, I promise you won't be going back.
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Looking for the perfect sides to serve with this cottage cheese lasagna? I have you covered. My baguette garlic bread is basically mandatory for scooping every last bit of sauce, and my cheddar tarragon buttermilk biscuits are a fun swap when you want something a little different. My no-knead bread is another great option for sauce-scooping, and if you want something lighter on the side, my broccoli salad and kale caesar salad both pair beautifully with all that cheesy richness. Pair any of these with this easy lasagna recipe for a dinner that feels like a warm hug on a plate!
Why You'll Love This Recipe 🔥
- Just as creamy as the original, only better. Cottage cheese gives you all the rich, cheesy texture of ricotta, plus a little something extra that makes this easy lasagna recipe even more filling and satisfying.
- Made completely from scratch. No jarred sauce here, the red sauce is homemade start to finish, so you control exactly what goes into it.
- Freezer-friendly. Make a double batch and stash one in the freezer for those nights that are too busy to cook a homemade meal.
If you're into easy lasagna recipes, you have to try my recipe for lazy lasagna, and my easy one pot lasagna soup, too!
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Ground Beef - Lean ground beef keeps the sauce from getting greasy, but any ground beef works just fine.
- Cottage Cheese - Use full-fat for the creamiest texture. Blending it quickly gives it a more ricotta-like texture, or use ricotta in a 1:1 ratio if you'd rather.
- Lasagna Noodles - Regular boiled noodles, oven-ready, or fresh noodles all work here. This recipe was developed using oven-ready noodles, which soak up a bit of extra sauce while they cook. If you're using boiled or fresh noodles, just use slightly less red sauce.
- Mozzarella & Parmesan - Shredding your own cheese from a block melts more smoothly than pre-shredded bags, which can turn a little grainy.
A complete list of ingredients with quantities can be found on the recipe card below.
Easy Tweaks and Variations
- Make It Spicy: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the sauce if you like a little heat.
- Supreme Add-ins: Add sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions, or diced veggies like carrots, zucchini or spinach to the sauce.
- Switch Up the Meat: Try shredded roast chicken, velveted chicken cubes, ground pork, or ground turkey instead of beef.
- Add Cheddar - Sprinkle a bit of sharp cheddar into the topping layer along with mozzarella for a sharper flavour, just like my original lasagna.
How To Make This Easy Lasagna Recipe
Step 1
Make the cheese mixture. Stir together cottage cheese, egg, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Step 2
Cook the aromatics and meat. Sauté the onion until translucent, add the garlic, then brown the ground beef and Italian sausage. Drain excess fat.
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Step 3
Build the sauce. Stir in the crushed stock cube, Worcestershire sauce, dried basil, maple syrup, and water, then simmer briefly. Add the tomato sauce and simmer until slightly thickened.
Step 4
Sauce the dish. Spread a couple scoops of the sauce over the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish so the noodles don't stick or burn.
Step 5
Layer it up. This is a 4-layer lasagna: noodles, cottage cheese mixture, sauce, and cheese, repeated three more times.
Step 6
Finish the top layer. Top the final layer of noodles with the remaining sauce and cheese.
Step 7
Bake. Bake at 350°F until the cheese is browned and the lasagna is bubbling, about 50 minutes.
Step 8
Rest and serve. Let the lasagna rest for 15 minutes before slicing so it holds together.
Expert Tips
- Use a baking sheet, save your oven. Set the casserole dish on a baking sheet lined with foil to catch any drips and make cleanup easier.
- Let your sauce simmer. A full 10-15 minutes helps the from-scratch sauce thicken so your lasagna isn't watery.
- Rest before slicing. Letting the lasagna rest for at least 15 minutes out of the oven helps you cut clean slices without a slippery sauce avalanche.
- Shred your own cheese. Block cheese melts smoother than pre-shredded, which is coated in anti-caking agents that can make it grainy and clumpy.
Storage Options and How To Store
- Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Reheating: Cover with foil and reheat in a 350°F oven until it is warmed through, or microwave individual portions.
- Freezer (baked): Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Freezer (unbaked): Assemble in a freezer-safe dish, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, adding extra time as needed. Freezing lasagna in a glass casserole dish is not recommended, it can explode or crack from thermal shock if placed in a hot oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Cottage cheese is a fantastic substitute for ricotta. It bakes up creamy, holds its texture better at high heat, and adds a little something extra to every bite.
Blending or mashing the cottage cheese helps it mimic ricotta's smooth texture, especially if the curds are on the larger side. This step is completely optional and based on your personal preference.
Once it's mixed with egg, seasonings, and baked into the layers, the cottage cheese flavor disappears completely, and you're just left with a creamy, delicious texture.
Absolutely! Assemble it up to 24 hours in advance, cover, and refrigerate until you're ready to bake.
This is usually from under-simmered sauce, too wet of a cottage cheese mixture, or not letting the lasagna rest before slicing it. Simmer your sauce until thickened and always let the lasagna rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting it.
More Delicious Pasta Recipes
If you love pasta recipes as much as we do, you have to try these:
If you made this Easy Lasagna Recipe with Cottage Cheese or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating, a 💬 comment and share it on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook!
📖 Recipe
Easy Lasagna Recipe with Cottage Cheese
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Print Recipe Pin RecipeEquipment
- 9x13 Casserole Dish
- Deep Skillet
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
Cottage Cheese Mixture
- 2 cups Cottage Cheese
- 1 large Egg
- ½ cup Parmesan Cheese shredded
- 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
Red Meat Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 medium Sweet Onion diced
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 1 lb Italian Sausage casings removed and crumbled
- 1 Beef Stock Cube crumbled
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 3 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Dried Basil
- 1 cup Water
- 5 ¾ cups (2 - 23 oz cans) Tomato Sauce
Lasagna Noodles & Cheese
- 375 grams Lasagna Noodles oven-ready (no boil)
- 6 cups Mozzarella Cheese shredded
Instructions
Cottage Cheese Mixture
- In a medium bowl, stir together the cottage cheese, egg, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Red Meat Sauce
- In a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the ground beef and Italian sausage. Cook, breaking up the meat as it browns, until fully cooked through. Drain excess fat and return the meat to the skillet.
- Crush the stock cube with your fingers and add it to the skillet along with the Worcestershire sauce, dried basil, maple syrup, and water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 3 to 4 minutes over medium heat.
- Add the tomato sauce, bring to a simmer, and cook over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened.
Assembling the 4 Layer Lasagna
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread 1 cup of the red sauce over the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish, covering it completely so the noodles don't burn. Top with 3 to 4 lasagna noodles to cover the base of the dish (the exact number of noodles per layer depends on the size and shape of your dish). Spread ⅓ of the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles, followed by 1 ½ cups of red sauce and 1 ⅓ cups of mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat the noodle, cottage cheese mixture, sauce, and mozzarella cheese layers two more times.
- For the fourth and final layer, top with 4 noodle sheets, the remaining 3 cups of red sauce, and the remaining 2 cups of cheese.
- Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the cheese is browned and the lasagna is bubbling around the edges. Let the lasagna sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
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Notes
- Lasagna Noodles: Boiled noodles, fresh, or oven-ready can be used. This recipe was developed using oven-ready noodles, which tend to soak up more sauce as they cook. Slightly reduce the amount of red sauce you use if you are using boiled or fresh noodles.
- Cottage Cheese: Can be swapped in a 1:1 ratio for ricotta, if preferred. For a more ricotta-like texture, quickly blend the cottage cheese to make it smoother and break down the curds.
- Ground Beef: The leaner the beef, the better. If you prefer, the ground beef can be swapped for ground pork, ground turkey, or shredded chicken.
- Shredded Cheeses: Always shred your own cheese from a block. Pre-shredded cheeses are loaded with anti-caking agents and struggle to melt smoothly, leaving you with a grainy, clumpy texture.
- Optional Add-ins: Try adding red chili flakes into the red sauce to make it spicy, or add sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions, shredded carrots, or spinach to the sauce for a little something extra.
- Use a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil under the casserole dish to save your oven from any drips and for a super easy cleanup.
- Always simmer the red sauce until thickened. Failure to simmer the sauce may result in a watery lasagna.
- Store leftover lasagna in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in the oven or microwave.
- This cottage cheese lasagna can be made up to 24 hours in advance, wrapped tightly and kept in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator and it will vary based on the ingredients that you use.
Allison says
Pictures look great with your new camera. Like the steam rising from the goodness.
Jessica says
Thank you! I am loving getting to know my new camera!
Eddie says
A lasagna even Garfield would be proud of, 5 stars all the way!!
Jessica says
This lasagna recipe was one of the first posts on my website, and now it has been completely re-imagined and re-photographed, and it's truly better than ever!