EASY MOUTHWATERING HOMEMADE LASAGNA

Easy mouthwatering homemade lasagna made easy with oven-ready noodles, homemade marinara sauce, and three cheeses. Say goodbye to labor intensive homemade lasagna and impress friends and family with this homemade recipe!

This Roasted Garlic White Veggie Lasagna is another crowd pleasing recipe! Even better, this Easy Chicken Parmesan made with this Homemade Marinara Sauce.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but there seems to be this misconception that lasagna is super labor intensive! Let me fix that misconception though- it’s really not that hard to make! Once you make it and realize it is not as hard as it seems, you can plop this meal on the table in well under an hour! 

What makes this lasagna easy to make?

One of the main things that make it easier than most is the oven-ready lasagna noodles. When these noodles first hit grocery store shelves, I was very apprehensive about them! Noodles that you don’t boil; how do they get soft, or will they get soft?

Low-and-behold!

They cook PERFECTLY! With the sauce to noodle ratio, and the cooking time, the oven-ready noodles have a great al-dente bite when they’re finished. 

Of course regular lasagna noodles can be used for this recipe. Be sure to boil them just a little under al-dente because they will continue cooking when placed in the oven. Also, after boiling the noodles, drain them well and pay dry to remove access water. If they are still wet and  added to the dish, the lasagna could be too watery. 

Things to consider when making this lasagna: 

• You can make this even more simple by using store bought marinara sauce, it definitely won’t taste as good as the homemade version though!
• Follow the same exact steps of using lasagna noodles that require boiling- just boil the noodles to al dente, and drain and dry the noodles prior to layering. If they have too much moisture, the lasagna will be very watery.
• Try to purchase the long oven-ready lasagna noodles if they are available at your local grocery. If the long ones are not available, use the shorter ones and just layer them in the pan to fit without overlapping.

Yield: 8 Servings

Easy Mouthwatering Homemade Lasagna

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Easy mouthwatering homemade lasagna made easy with oven-ready noodles, homemade marinara sauce, and three cheeses. Say goodbye to labor intensive homemade lasagna and impress friends and family with this easy and delicious recipe!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 5 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 package Oven ready lasagna noodles
• 6 cups Homemade marinara sauce 
• 1 pound Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled
• ½ medium Onion, diced
• 1 cup Mushrooms, chopped
• 1 tablespoon Garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• ½ tablespoon Onion powder
• ½ tablespoon Seasoning salt
• 1 tablespoon Sugar
• 8 ounces Cottage cheese
• 1 large Egg
• 2 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 cups Parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, to sprinkle on top 

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Cook Italian sausage until there is no more pink, set aside trying to preserve any leftover grease in the pan.
   
2. Add diced onions and chopped mushrooms to the pan, add one tablespoon of olive oil if needed to sauté the vegetables. Sauté them until soft and translucent, for about 5 minutes.
   
3. Drain the excess grease off of the veggies by placing them on a paper towel lined plate. Wipe any excess grease out of the pan as well (using paper towels- be careful it’s hot)!
4. Return meat and veggies to the pan, and add the homemade marinara sauce. Add the seasonings and mix well (reserve the one tablespoon of Italian seasoning to sprinkle over the top). Heat until it’s simmering, and then turn it off.
   
5. In a large bowl, combine the cottage cheese and egg. Mix it together well and set aside.
   
6. Spray non-stick cooking spray in a 9x13 baking dish. Spoon about one cup of the marinara sauce into the bottom of the dish and spread out to one even layer.
7. Place oven ready lasagna noodles in one even layer, careful not to overlap. Spoon about ¼ cup of the cottage cheese mixture over the dry noodles, and spread it out as evenly as possible.
   
8. Sprinkle ¼ cup mozzarella and parmesan cheese over the dish. Next add another layer of the marinara sauce, about a cup, and spread it out evenly.
9. Continue with steps 7 & 8 until at least three to four layers are made. Try not to layer above the baking dish or it will spill over in the oven.
10. On the last layer, only add the meat sauce and the shredded cheese, then sprinkle the reserved Italian seasoning over the top.
11. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 5-7 minutes to allow the top to brown.
12. Remove lasagna from the oven and allow it to cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Notes

You can make this even more simple by using store bought marinara sauce, it definitely won’t taste as good as the homemade version though!

Follow the same exact steps of using lasagna noodles that require boiling- just boil the noodles to al dente, and drain and dry the noodles prior to layering. If they have too much moisture, the lasagna will be very watery.

Try to purchase the long oven-ready lasagna noodles if they are available at your local grocery.

PRODUCTS USED FOR THIS RECIPE: