Cottage Cheese Lasagna (with Oven-Ready Noodles)

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 50

Total Time: 1 10

Servings:

Calories: 364kcal

Author: Lauren

Enjoy this delicious twist on a classic weeknight dinner! This Cottage Cheese Lasagna with oven-ready noodles is the ultimate comfort food! Made with layers of creamy cottage cheese, rich marinara, and a hearty meat sauce, all nestled between tender oven-ready noodles and gooey cheese.

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Ingredients

1 lb. lean ground beef I used 92%
1 large yellow onion (200g) chopped
5 cloves garlic minced
14- oz. can diced tomatoes drained
24 oz. jar marinara sauce get a good one with lots of flavor! We like Muir Glen tomato basil
1.5 tsp italian seasoning
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp black pepper
12 oven-ready lasagna noodles I used Barilla
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (336g)
2 oz. grated parmesan cheese (56g)

Cottage cheese filling:

24 oz. small curd cottage cheese full fat
1 large egg
2 oz. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt & pepper each

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish.
Add the ground beef and onions to a large skillet. Cook over medium-high, breaking into crumbles as you go with a wooden spoon. Drain.
Add the garlic, stir for 30 seconds, until fragrant then add the diced tomatoes, marinara sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, cinnamon and pepper. Stir together. Let mixture come to a boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes then remove from heat to cool.
Combine all the ingredients for the cottage cheese filling in a bowl.
Add about one cup of meat sauce to the bottom of the dish and spread out.
Layer with 4 lasagna noodles (you can break one if needed to make it fit), then half of the cottage cheese mixture (375g). Sprinkle with 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese (84g).
Repeat the layers: Add half of the remaining meat mixture (520g), 4 lasagna noodles, the remaining half of the cottage cheese (375g), 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese (84g). Then add the remaining meat mixture (520g), 4 lasagna noodles, 1.5 cups mozzarella cheese (168g)
Sprinkle the grated parmesan over top.
Bake for 40-50 min. Cover with aluminum foil for the first 25 minutes and then remove to brown the top some. Broil for a few minutes at the end if desired.

Notes

The best way to freeze lasagna is to freeze after preparing but BEFORE cooking. This is ideal if you want to prep a few lasagnas ahead of time to store for meal prep (see my postpartum meal prep guide for more great prep recipes for any season) or if you want to prepare them to bring to friends or family.

To freeze before cooking: prepare the dish as instructed. I recommend using a disposable pan for easy storing and clean up. Once assembled, wrap tightly with plastic wrap then add a layer of aluminum foil. Label lasagna with name, date and reheating instructions (trust me you'll thank yourself later for this extra step or especially if you're taking to someone else). Place in freezer and freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat: thaw the frozen lasagna in the refrigerator overnight. Let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes while you preheat the oven. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until fully cooked through. If lasagna is still cold when putting in the oven, you might need to extend the cooking time a little bit.
You can bake this lasagna from frozen but you will need to double the baking time. If you have time to thaw lasagna, I highly recommend as that much cooking time can sometimes mess with the noodles but it will still work if you forget to pull lasagna out in time.

Nutrition