One meal that stands out brightest from my childhood is this my mom's homemade lasagna. Truly, this is The Best Lasagna recipe. I'm might be biased, but I'm also right. And, don't you worry about the cottage cheese; it makes this the creamiest and easiest lasagna in all the land.
This recipe, which is older than me, passed to my mom from her childhood best friend. Rumor has it, my mom ate this lasagna the night before she gave birth to me. Perhaps that explains my special love for this untraditional take on an Italian classic.
With just two layers of lasagna noodles, the beef (2 pounds!), gooey mozzarella, and creamy cottage cheese take center stage. Plus, there is no fussy béchamel sauce to deal with. Any time I take this dish to a dinner party I'm asked to share the recipe. So, here you go my Kitchen Intention friends, my family's favorite dish.
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Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Onion and garlic - build the flavor base for this dish.
- 2 pounds ground beef - this is a big flavor component. I like the 80/20 beef, but you can get lower fat.
- Dried parsley, bay leaves and basil - add a flavor layer and hold up to the baking process.
- Lasagna noodles - Of course! But only 2 layers in this dish
- Cottage cheese - this replaces a traditional béchamel sauce. I use full fat for full flavor, creaminess, and thickness. You could substitute ricotta cheese, the texture is quite similar but ricotta doesn't have the tang of cottage cheese.
- Tomato Sauce - buy your favorite brand since there is a lot in this dish. Or, if you are feeling up to it, make your own.
- Tomato Paste - thickens the sauce.
- Mozzarella slices - use dry mozz, like you would buy for a sandwich.
See the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and quantities.
Recipe Q&A
Heck yeah, cottage cheese! Eliminate the fussy hassle of a béchamel sauce with quick and easy cottage cheese. Even those who swear they wouldn't eat a bite of cottage cheese will dig this dish.
Yes, a traditionalist would agree with you on the 3 layers. A traditionalist, I am not (see question above about cottage cheese). I believe only 2 layers are need as the noodles are really a vehicle to get beef and cheese in your belly. They provide some structure and let other flavors shine.
Fresh mozz will add extra moisture to your lasagna and may alter the texture. It will probably still taste great, but might be a bit runnier. My preference is pre-sliced, dry mozzarella, like you would use for a sandwich.
I don't recall the events in question, so I'll take her word for it. Maybe that's when she decided to add a splash of wine to the sauce!
I don't recommend low fat cottage cheese because it will make the lasagna thinner and runny.
Make In Advance
- This can be made 24 hours prior to an event. Be sure to cool the lasagna thoroughly before covering with foil and storing in the fridge.
- To reheat, remove foil and warm in a 275° oven for 30 minutes.
Storage Tips
- Leftovers will keep for 3 - 4 days covered in the fridge.
- Lasagna can be frozen for 3 months. I prefer to freeze individual servings in freezer bags and reheat in the microwave.
Equipment
- Large pot: I like a Dutch oven. If you have 2 large pots, you can prep the meat and noodles simultaneously. Otherwise, make the meat sauce, set aside and reuse that pot for your noodles.
- Mixing bowl: I'm a fan of ceramic bowls, but stainless steel are a bit hardier and light weight.
- Lasagna pan: any large rectangular shape will do. I like to serve this right out of the pan, so a pretty one for the table is a nice touch.
Serving Suggestions
This goes well with garlic bread, Caesar salad (try that with our eggless dressing), and a glass of red. Not drinking? Me neither. I like a sparkling water with lemon.
Best Lasagna with Cottage Cheese
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Description
While this may not be a traditional Italian lasagna, there is no skimping on creamy, cheesy, meaty deliciousness, making this, in my humble opinion, the best lasagna recipe.
Ingredients
For the meat sauce:
- 2 lbs. ground beef
- 1 medium white onion, finely diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
- 3 teaspoons dried basil leaves
- 2 bay leaves crumbled
- 2 tablespoons dry red wine (my mom's secret ingredient finally revealed!)
- 30 oz tomato sauce
- 6 oz tomato paste
For the noodles:
- 9 lasagna noodles (extras in case of breakage)
For the cottage cheese sauce:
- 24 oz cottage cheese
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, divided in half
For assembly:
- 16 oz slice mozzarella cheese (use dry, pre-sliced mozzarella)
Instructions
For the meat sauce:
- Begin browning ground beef in Dutch oven over medium heat, about 3 - 4 minutes. Break apart the meat as you brown.
- When beef is about 75% brown, drain fat from pan, except 1 tablespoon
- Add onion to pan and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes
- Add garlic to pan and cook for 30 seconds
- Add next 8 ingredients to the pan (salt through tomato paste)
- Increase heat and bring sauce to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 30 - 40 minutes until sauce reduces slightly.
For the noodles:
- While sauce simmers, boil lasagna noodles according to al dente instructions on package.
- Drain lasagna and place in pan of cold water until used. Prior to using dry each noodle with paper towel or dish towel.
For the cottage cheese sauce:
- In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to combine cottage cheese, eggs, salt and pepper. Mix until eggs blend into cheese.
- Stir in ½ c. Parmesan cheese
To assemble and bake:
- Preheat oven to 375°
- Butter (or use nonstick spray) 9x13 baking dish
- Layer 3 - 4 noodles on the bottom of the dish
- Top noodles with half of the meat sauce
- Place 8 oz mozzarella cheese on top of meat sauce
- Spread half of cottage cheese mixture over mozzarella slices
- Repeat all the layers (step 3 - 6) one time
- Sprinkle the top with remaining Parmesan cheese
- Bake for 30 minutes until brown and bubbly
- Finish under broiler for 2 minutes
- Let stand 10 minutes before cutting
Notes
- Use dry mozzarella cheese slices
- Grating your own Parmesan will taste much better than the shelf-stable stuff in a green can 🙂
- If you have left over dry lasagna noodle, use them in your next soup dish. Just break them into little pieces and add to your soup for the last 10 minutes on the stove.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is estimated by Nutrifox.
- Prep Time: 60
- Cook Time: 40
- Category: Pasta, Indulge
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 square
- Calories: 339
- Sugar: 7.1 g
- Sodium: 609.7 mg
- Fat: 8.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 32.2 g
- Protein: 32.4 g
- Cholesterol: 92.7 mg
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Nancy says
My favorite dish of all time. Plus, quite trendy now with the cottage cheese comeback.