Lasagna Recipe
If you’re Italian and you’re thinking, cottage cheese in lasagna? I totally get you! I always turned my nose up to that idea. But with great cottage cheese brands available these days, I recently made these Lasagna Roll Ups with Cottage Cheese and my family went nuts over it! So, I set out to create a cottage-cheese version of my go-to Italian lasagna with meat sauce, and I’ll never make it any other way. It doesn’t change the flavor or texture of the final dish, it just adds more protein – my family devoured it! So if you’re reading this and thinking, “Cottage cheese in lasagna?” I swear it works. You can’t tell at all! More lasagna recipes you may love are this Lasagna Soup Recipe, Spaghetti Squash Sausage Lasagna Boats, and Chicken Parmesan Lasagna.
Lasagna Ingredients
Ground Beef: I used 93% lean ground beef. Onion: Dice half of a medium onion. Garlic: Mince three cloves. Tomatoes: You’ll need a 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes. My favorite brand is Tuttorosso. Salt to season the tomatoes Noodles: Buy oven-ready lasagna noodles, such as Barilla’s, to make this easy lasagna with less steps. Eggs: Eggs help bind the cheese mixture in lasagna so it doesn’t run out when baked. Cottage Cheese: Use a good quality part-skim cottage cheese, like Good Culture, for extra protein. Mozzarella: Mix some part-skim shredded mozzarella in the lasagna filling and sprinkle the remainder on top. Grated Cheese: You’ll need a quarter cup of grated Pecorino Romano cheese or Parmesan cheese. Parsley: Add chopped fresh parsley into the cheese mixture and garnish with more.
How to Make The Best Lasagna Recipe
Variations
Is lasagna better with ricotta or cottage cheese? Both are good in lasagna, but cottage cheese gives it a protein boost. You can substitute equal amounts of ricotta cheese if you prefer to make a ricotta cheese mixture. Pecorino: Substitute Pecorino with parmesan. Sausage: Use Italian sausage in place of ground beef. Add Meatballs: Use turkey meatballs or beef. Protein: Sub lean ground turkey for beef. Vegetarian Lasagna: Omit the beef and add thawed frozen spinach or sautéed diced zucchini. Gluten-Free Lasagna: Use gluten-free noodles. Egg Allergy? Skip the egg. The cheese filling may be a little runnier, but it’ll still taste good! Herbs: Swap parsley with fresh basil.
What to Serve with Lasagna
This homemade lasagna recipe pairs well with some French bread, garlic bread or garlic knots and an Italian salad or veggies, like Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower or Cacio e Pepe Brussels Sprouts.
How to Meal Prep Lasagna
Meal Prep: Assemble the casserole, cover it with foil, and refrigerate it overnight. When ready to serve, bake the lasagna as instructed. Freeze Unbaked: Tightly cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and foil, and freeze it for up to three months. Thaw the unbaked lasagna in the fridge and bake according to the directions, or bake it from frozen for about 90 minutes until heated through. (Don’t forget to remove the plastic first!) Leftovers: Leftover cooked lasagna will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days, or you can freeze it for up to 3 months. To thaw, refrigerate it overnight and microwave or bake until warm.
More Ground Beef Recipes You Will Love
Slow Cooker Ground Beef Ragu Baked Beef and Cheese Manicotti Italian Beef and Spinach Meatballs Stuffed Pepper Soup One-Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
