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My husband’s birthday is one of those times I actually pull out all the stops in the kitchen. One of his all-time favorite meals I make is homemade lasagna, and since I don’t make it as often as he’d like, surprising him with it on his birthday is always a win.

My family isn’t big fans of ricotta cheese, so I substitute cottage cheese instead. It works beautifully and honestly I think it makes the filling creamier. But if your family prefers ricotta, the swap is easy!

Because my baking dish runs a little smaller than a standard 9″x13″ pan, I only use half a box of noodles but keep the same amounts of everything else. The result is an incredibly saucy, cheesy lasagna that nobody complains about.

One of my favorite tips: make two at once and freeze one before baking. It is such a time saver on those nights when cooking feels like the last thing you want to do. And to skip an extra step entirely, I use oven ready lasagna noodles. No boiling, no fussing with slippery noodles while trying to layer. Life is too short for that.

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Easy Homemade Lasagna

A saucy, cheesy, crowd-pleasing lasagna that comes together without boiling a single noodle.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces Oven Ready Lasagna noodles
• 24 ounces cottage cheese
• 2 cups shredded cheese (divided)
• 2 eggs
• 24 ounces pasta sauce (roasted garlic recommended)
• 1 pounds ground beef, cooked and drained

Directions

1. Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Make cheese mixture: In a medium bowl, combine 24 ounces cottage cheese, 1 cup of the 2 cups shredded cheese, and 2 eggs. Mix well.
3. Make meat sauce: In a separate medium bowl, combine 24 ounces pasta sauce and 1 pounds ground beef, cooked and drained. Mix well.
4. Layer the lasagna: In a 9″x13″ pan, spread 1½ cups of meat sauce. Place ⅓ of the 12 ounces Oven Ready Lasagna noodles over it. Spread half of the cheese mixture over the noodles, then top with ⅓ of the meat sauce. Repeat layering once. Top with the remaining noodles and meat sauce.
5. Add top cheese: Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of 2 cups shredded cheese (divided) over the top.
6. Cover and bake: Wrap the pan tightly with a double layer of foil. Bake for 1 hour, or until the lasagna is fork tender.
7. Rest before serving: Let stand for 10 minutes, still sealed in foil, before serving.

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Notes

Smaller pan? If your baking dish is a little smaller than 9″x13″, use half a box of noodles with the same amounts of everything else. It just makes it extra saucy and cheesy, which is honestly not a bad problem to have.

Ricotta vs. cottage cheese: We aren’t fans of ricotta, so we always use cottage cheese. Either works perfectly here, so go with whatever your family prefers.

Freeze one for later: This recipe doubles really well. Make two lasagnas at once and freeze the second one before baking. Future you will be very grateful on a busy weeknight.

Makes 9–12 servings