Raise your hand if you never make lasagna because you think it’s too difficult. Come closer, my friends. Allow me to let you in on a few secrets so that you can learn the easiest way to make lasagna for your family and for guests!
Ten years ago when I first launched my website, this was a recipe I included in my first cute little eBook series. I’ve since taken these eBooks out of my shop and shared most of these recipes on my blog. But somehow, I failed to ever share this recipe for The Easiest Lasagna!!
Awww. Remember these? Precious memories.
Until now. In celebration of 10 years of blogging, it is a must that I finally tell you my secrets for making the easiest lasagna on the planet. Forgive me for waiting this long. Your life will be better now that you can make lasagna with so little effort. Your family will be so happy!
Trick #1: Do not cook the lasagna noodles ahead of time. Simply lay the dry noodles in the pan and layer them with the sauce and cheese. Drizzle about 1/2 cup of water over the lasagna before baking and cover with foil. The water will cook the noodles while it bakes. Easy!
Trick #2: Stir the cottage cheese into the sauce instead of working in vain to spread it onto the noodles as you create layers in the pan. This makes no difference in the taste, but it sure does alleviate a challenging step in the lasagna-making process!
Trick #3: When making one lasagna, for the love of all things simple, make two or three. It takes no extra effort to do this! Then you can put the extra lasagnas into your freezer to effortlessly bake another day!
The Easiest Way to Make Lasagna
- 1 lb ground hamburger meat
- 4 Tablespoons minced onion or chopped fresh onion
- 32 ounces spaghetti sauce
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 8-ounces cottage cheese
- 16-ounce box lasagna noodles
- 3 cups shredded cheese (our favorite is Colby jack but you can also use mozzarella)
- ⅓ cup water
- In a large pot, cook hamburger meat with onion. Drain grease if necessary.
- Stir in pasta sauce and salt.
- Remove from heat and stir in cottage cheese.
- Lay ⅓ of the lasagna noodles (uncooked) to cover the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
- Pour ⅓ of the sauce mixture over the noodles and spread to cover the noodles.
- Sprinkle ⅓ of the shredded cheese over the top.
- Repeat these layers twice more.
- Drizzle ⅓ cup water over the lasagna.
- Cover tightly with foil.
- Bake for one hour at 350 degrees.
I can think of no better time to make this Easy Lasagna recipe! This is a fabulous meal to have in your freezer during these busy holiday weeks. In addition, Lasagna is a wonderful meal to feed guests! Get your ingredients rounded up, and crank out some Lasagnas!!
If you’d like to watch a video of me making three lasagnas, here you go! See how easy this is!
Now, can anyone tell me why Lasagna is spelled with a “g” in there? I may have figured out ways to make this dish simple, but I have yet to learn why it is spelled so silly.
More Simple Recipes
- Simple Baked Salmon and Asparagus
- Simple Crock Pot Chicken Soup with a Kick
- Simple Skillet Taco Pasta
- Last-Minute Lentil Chili
- Simple Sweet and Sour Baked Chicken Legs
- 20-Minute Taco Soup
- Simple Cheesy Baked Chicken
- Simple Creamy Chicken Stew in the Crock Pot
- Simple Italian Beef and Broccoli Skillet
- Simple Bacon Ranch Chicken
- Simple Hawaiian Crock Pot Chicken
- Simple Taco Rice Dinner
- Simple Last Minute Nacho Plate
- Simple Chicken Cheeseballs with a Kick
- Simple Beanie Weanies
- Simple Crock Pot BBQ Spareribs
- Simple Pizza Chicken Bake
- Simple Italian Chicken and Green Bean Bake
- Last Minute Creamy Bacon Spaghetti
- Simple Hamburger Soup
- Simple Parmesan Broiled Fish
- Simple Overnight Saucy Crock Pot Chicken
- Simple 15-Minute Meal
- Simple Overnight Melt-in-Your-Mouth Beef Roast
- Simple 3-Cheese Crock Pot Pasta
- Simple Oven Fried Chicken
- Simple Honey Mustard Chicken Legs
- The Easiest Mashed Potatoes in the World
- Simple Garlic Butter Shrimp
- Simple Crunchy Ranch Chicken Strips
- Simple Crock Pot Shredded Ranch Chicken (for salad or tacos)
- Simple Crock Pot Pizza Casserole
- Simple Barbecue Beef Roast
- Simple Spanish Rice Bowls
- Simple Roasted Rotiserie Chicken
- Simple Green Chile Chicken
- Simple Tex-Mex Creamy Chicken
- Simple Waffle Omelets
- Simple Crock Pot Taco Pasta
- Simple Grilled Chicken
- Simple Hawaiian Beef Roast
- Simple Crock Pot Creamy Stew Meat
- Simple Cheese Stuffed Burgers
- Simple Hashbrown Casserole (For Instant Pot, Crock Pot or Oven!)
- Simple Lasagna Casserole (For Instant Pot or Crock Pot)
- Simple Chili Mac
- Simple Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
- From Burrito Bar to Casserole (a 5-Minute Meal!)
- Simple Bacon Cheeseburger Roll
- Simple Garlic Parmesan Chicken Legs
Join Simple Meals
Make life even simpler when you sign up to receive our weekly Menu Planning Packets. One tiny price, loads of weekly help. Read about this and sign up here!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Woohoo! In honor of our 10-year Heavenly Homemakers anniversary, be sure to pick up your very own printed copy of The Best of Heavenly Homemakers!!
My mom gave me a recipe many years ago that is for the microwave. A very good recipe that I used for years while the kids were young. I had it memorized because of making it so often and then quit making it when just me at home so have now forgotten the exact recipe but is pretty much like this one, only you cook it in the micro. I used different meats in place of hamburger sometimes – ground turkey, ground Bison. And used a mixture of cottage cheese and ricotta. Ending the layers with the cheese mixture. I don’t remember what micro setting or time. And I think I covered the dish with Saran wrap while cooking, not sure now. And did not pre cook the noodles either. Thanks Laura!
I just found your blog again after a year and a half. I must have deleted from my favorite places and not sure I ever signed up but I signed up today! Gosh I have missed reading your blog and you always have the best recipes and ideas. I was cleaning out emails and low and behold there was your blog. Great day to find you again!
We like lasagna, but I hardly make it because it is time consuming. But, with this new “easiest way”, I’ll have to make it again!
This is the kind of lasagna my mom made, but layered, so not THE simplest. And i think there were eggs mixed into the cottage cheese? But I’m so excited to use this simplest recipe this week as you suggest! I’m making three today with the meat I browned yesterday in the instant pot. I’m all excited to have one ready for dinner when we are busy decorating for Christmas later this weekend and all I will have to do is pull it out and put in the oven! Woo Hoo! Thanks Laura! And Happy Thanksgiving to you.
Hi Laura!! Two things: can you please give tips on freezing and reheating after prepping? Also, could I use ricotta instead of cottage cheese?
Yes, you can switch ricotta for cottage cheese. As far as freezing and reheating, I freeze it unbaked, then put it into a cold oven. Turn on the oven to 250 degrees and bake (covered with foil) for three hours. Perfection!
If I am making lasagna to freeze, at what point do I add the water? I’m prepping for baby ?
TIA!
I usually add the water when I’m making it, freeze it, then bake as normal!
Thanks for the recipes Laura….but the music is a bit much….way too loud, makes is hard to understand all you are saying…..would rather hear you talk than the music…:)
Did you make 4 layers in the first one and 3 in the other two? As the first one looked fuller….?
I know you can purchase the kind of noodles you don’t have to pre-cook, were these the same….and if they are the kind you don’t have to pre-cook, then do you still need to use the water?
Thanks Laura…..12/9/18
Thanks for letting us know!
Laura recommends making three layers of noodles per lasagna. :-)
If you buy noodles that don’t need to be pre-cooked, go ahead and follow the directions on the package. Otherwise, if you are using regular lasagna noodles follow Laura’s water tip!
Thank you!
-Bethany (Laura’s assistant)
I make lasagna almost like this too! Soo easy! But I also add some raw spinach on top of the cottage cheese layer, it’s an easy way to get spinach in the children and they don’t even mind it because what’s to complain about lasagna? :) I’ve also used the same recipe and used macaroni or any other kind of pasta instead of lasagna noodles when we wanted lasagna but I didn’t have lasagna noodles on hand
Thanks for the instructions and video. Can you tune down the music in your video? It’s hard to hear what you are saying.