Weeknight Lazy Lasagna

Name: Weeknight Lazy Lasagna
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Asian Appetizers, Asian Dinners, Comfort Food Dinner Recipes, Comfort Food Recipes, Indian Recipes, Italian Dinners, Italian Recipes
Ingredients: 8 ounces uncooked lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch pieces; 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese; 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided; 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese; 1 jar (24 ounces) pasta sauce with meat

On hectic nights, no one has time to stack several layers of lasagna. My version combines a few steps to cut down on prep, but keeps all the cheesy, saucy, noodle-y goodness that makes lasagna an all-time favorite. —Nancy Foust, Stoneboro, Pennsylvania

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch pieces
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 jar (24 ounces) pasta sauce with meat

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Drain noodles well; stir into cheese mixture.
Spread 1 cup pasta sauce into a greased 11x7-in. baking dish. Layer with half of the noodle mixture and 1 cup sauce; layer with the remaining noodle mixture and sauce. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Cover with greased foil; bake until heated through, 10-15 minutes.

Test Kitchen tips

This is the perfect recipe to use up broken lasagna noodles, but other pasta shapes like mafalde or bowtie can be used, too.

The cooked lasagna noodles have a tendency to stick together, so stir it into the ricotta cheese mixture right after draining. If made ahead, toss in a small amount of olive oil after draining.

For easy spinach lasagna, add a couple layers of fresh baby spinach (no chopping or pre-cooking required).

Use Italian cheese blend in place of mozzarella and Parmesan for a sharper flavor and (bonus!) fewer ingredients.

Nutrition Facts

1 serving: 332 calories, 10g fat (5g saturated fat), 29mg cholesterol, 901mg sodium, 45g carbohydrate (11g sugars, 3g fiber), 17g protein.

Reviews

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Average Rating:

steph1286

Dec 5, 2019

This was a great lasagna. My boys just loved that they could break up the noodles. I don’t like to make any changes when I first make a new recipes but my boys will not eat ricotta cheese. So in place I used cottage cheese. It came out great and will make again just the same. Also I did read about the noodles sticking together so in the boiling water I added some olive oil just before I added the noodles. It worked very well.
Angel182009

May 31, 2018

this was by far one of my favorite variations of lasagna. It was so easy to put together.
alfoa

Dec 18, 2017

The taste is great because, well, it’s lasagna. The issue I have is that it’s still a bit fussy—the noodles stick together when mixing with the cheeses. I had to keep reaching into the bowl to separate them, which was messy. I think the only way to make lasagna easier is to use no bake noodles. I’ll try it again and update if I have an easier time next time. I used non-meat sauce to make it vegetarian.
alfoa

Dec 10, 2017

The taste is great because, well, it’s lasagna. The issue for me is that it’s almost as much work as regular lasagna. By draining the noodles well (as instructed), they stuck together when mixing with the cheese, so I had to keep reaching in the bowl to pull them apart. And there is still plenty of layering to do. I think the only way to make lasagna less fussy is to use no-boil noodles.I used non-meat sauce to make it vegetarian.