Lasagna is one of my favorite foods. I always grew up thinking it was difficult to make, but when I attempted it on my own, I realized that it’s fairly simple to prepare…and so delicious!
Do you usually boil your noodles ahead of time when you make lasagna? I never have, and it always turns out great, so I’m wondering if it’s worth it?
Homemade Meat Sauce:
2 pounds ground sausage
1 clove garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon basil
2 Tablespoons parsley
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups diced tomatoes (canned or fresh)
6 oz can tomato paste
Mushrooms (optional)
1 zucchini, shredded (optional)
1 bell pepper, chopped (optional)
Cottage Cheese Mixture:
2 cups cottage cheese
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
9 whole wheat lasagna noodles
1/2 pound shredded mozzarella cheese
Step 1: Brown sausage. Drain, and add to medium-sized sauce pan. Add remaining sauce ingredients, and stir to combine. Bring sauce to a boil, and simmer for 20 minutes.
Step 2: Boil 9 whole wheat lasagna noodles (I always skip this step…) In medium-sized bowl, mix cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, salt, and pepper.
Step 3: Now it’s time to assemble your lasagna in a 9×13-inch pan. Start with 1/3 of the meat sauce, and follow with 3 noodles.
Step 4: Spread 1/2 of the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles, and sprinkle 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese.
Step 5: Repeat steps 3 and 4. Follow with 3 more noodles and the remainder of the meat sauce.
Step 6: Cover with foil, and bake at 350F for 20 minutes. Remove foil, and bake another 20 minutes. Let stand before serving. Enjoy!
Homemade Meat Sauce:
2 pounds ground sausage
1 clove garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon basil
2 Tablespoons parsley
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups diced tomatoes (canned or fresh)
6 oz can tomato paste
Mushrooms (optional)
1 zucchini, shredded (optional)
1 bell pepper, chopped (optional)
Cottage Cheese Mixture:
2 cups cottage cheese
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
9 whole wheat lasagna noodles
1/2 pound shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions:
1. Brown sausage. Drain, and add to medium-sized sauce pan.
2. Add remaining sauce ingredients, and stir to combine.
3. Bring sauce to a boil, and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Boil 9 whole wheat lasagna noodles (I always skip this step…)
5. In medium-sized bowl, mix cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, salt, and pepper.
6. Assemble in a 9×13-inch pan. The 10 layers are as follows (from bottom to top):
1/3 of meat sauce
3 noodles
1/2 of cottage cheese mixture
1/2 of mozzarella cheese
1/3 of meat sauce
3 noodles
1/2 of cottage cheese mixture
1/2 of mozzarella cheese
3 noodles
1/3 of meat sauce
7. Cover with foil, and bake at 350F for 20 minutes.
8. Remove foil, and bake another 20 minutes. Let stand before serving.
Looks good. Can't wait to try it.
Let me know how it turns out, Beth!
Ellie
I make a similar pasta dish. Instead of meat I use zucchini and eggplant and spinach and no eggs. Did you know you can also make it in the slowcooker?
I've never tried making it in the slow cooker. I might have to look up some recipes.
Ellie
Ellie, help! My coconut oil melted in the warm house now that the weather changed. Can I still use it?
Yes, you can! 🙂 The quality won't be affected by this at all, only the consistency.
you can totally still use it 🙂 it doesn't make any difference.
Coconut oil naturally softens as the temperature rises. It should say on the container that it solidifies at temperatures less than 75 degrees or so. In my opinion, melted coconut oil is a whole lot easier to use! 🙂
I agree with the others here. You can still use it. If it cools down, it should return to its original consistency. 🙂
Ellie
Are you pregnant yet? Maybe you'll be this year sometime? Just curious.
Hmmmmm, only a mother would ask something like that on a lasagna recipe post. Is that you, Lily?
Lol
Nope, I'm not. 🙂
Ellie
Hey, shouldn't this be private? I'm quite speechless!
I use the same recipe. Great minds think alike!
Lol! 🙂
Ellie
I usually do fresh pasta. I make the dough myself and roll it out on an old fashioned pasta rolling machine that hooks to the counter and turns with a handle. Because it is fresh I Boil for about 2 minutes and then it goes right into the pan.
That's neat. I would love to make fresh pasta. Does it take a long time?
Ellie
How do your noodles come out soft, not crunchy? I don't see enough liquid to get them cooked while in the oven. ???
I'm not sure, to be honest. The sauce must be liquidy enough.
Ellie
I know I asked this question on another post, but I didn't see a response, so I thought I'd post this again…Hope you don't mind! 🙂
Where in Europe did your Grandmother live? In which branch of the armed forces did your Grandfather serve?
I don't mind at all. My grandmother was German but she was born and raised in Russia. I'm not sure what branch my grandfather served in.
Ellie
Lasagne is awesome 🙂 I never boil the pasta, just make sure to layer it between not-too-dry meat and cheese layers.
My mum and I have always made it with good quality mince (i.e., ground beef … though pork and veal is the traditional combination). Recently I've made it with TVP (texturised vegetable protein) for a vegetarian version, and provided you've added enough other flavour (e.g., tomato paste, herbs, maybe spices), you really can't tell the difference. We also make it with a cheese (bechamel) sauce, though I'm keen to try the ricotta or cottage cheese version, as I'm sure it would be quicker!
Thanks for sharing, Shell! I have always made it with cottage cheese, but it would be nice to try variations.
Ellie
That looks so good! I was just telling my mom the other day that I wanted to make a lasagna with some sausage that we'd gotten for a really good deal. Will totally have to try this recipe! Thanks for sharing the recipe with us!
Ellie,
I feel like I should be giving you recipes since you're the newlywed! But I thank you so much! I, too, have wondered about cooking the noodles beforehand but have been leery of trying. I am making this tomorrow night since my husband simply adores pasta. This recipes looks wonderful.
God Bless, Maggie
Hi Maggie,
I would be happy for any recipe suggestions you would like to share. 🙂
God bless,
Ellie
Looks really, really good! Lasagna is one of my favorites, too 🙂
Thank you! 🙂
Ellie
I've never heard of not cooking your noodles! Does it really actually work? It looks like a time- and dishes-saver. 🙂 Maybe I'll try that one of these days.
Hi Betsy,
In this recipe, it somehow works not to cook them ahead of time. But that might not be true for all recipes.
Blessings,
Ellie
it looks very…interesting :/
You can make slow cooker lasagna… it's wonderful
I've never tried that, but it sounds interesting. Do you have any recipe suggestions, Ayla?
Ellie
Looks amazing. might try it sometime.
Thanks! Let me know how it turns out. 🙂
Ellie
I love that you use sausage! We always use sausage for these kinds of recipes because I don't eat beef. Pork or turkey sausage adds some extra flavor :). I think this is going on the menu for next Sunday!
Let me know if you like it! 🙂
Ellie
Made it last night and husband loved it! Still amazed that I didn't have to cook the noodles first. I did add in the zucchini and mushrooms. Thank you!
I'm thrilled to hear that, Maggie!
Ellie
We make lasagna with cheese filled raviolis. By doing that we don't have to add cheese or noodles. It's easy to make and saves money, too!
That's sounds delicious!
Ellie
Congratulations on your success!
Yes, you can make slow cooker lasagna, but I don't recommend it. I've tried it, and I thought the noodles turned out too mushy.
A tip I learned years ago is to soften the noodles by placing them in a 9"x13" baking dish and pouring a kettle of boiling water over them to soften. I grew up in a very Italian area so we always use ricotta cheese and tend to go the traditional route of making baby meatballs for the meat layer—although I have taken to making regular meatballs and breaking them up to save some time.
That sounds like an easy way to soften the noodles. Hmm, I had no idea that baby meatballs were the traditional way to do the meat layer!
Ellie