As a child, a homemade lasagna felt like a LUXURY, but it doesn’t have to be! This easy weeknight lasagna takes 30 minutes of prep and you can have a 5-star dinner. And for an extra bonus, you get lots of leftovers.
A classic meat sauce is the star element of this lasagna. However, the beef is optional if you would like to just have a tomato sauce base. Ground beef, onion, an array of spices, and crushed tomato simmers together to form a flavorful and hearty sauce.
Your cheese layer cannot be overlooked, and ricotta is essential. As a cottage cheese lover myself, I know that many people make their lasagna with that instead of ricotta. I am obsessed with how creamy and rich ricotta is, and personally feel that it can’t be left out. The cheese layer will consist of ricotta mixed with mozzarella and parsley.
For noodles, you can absolutely use boxed lasagna noodles. These should be cooked al dente, meaning they are still somewhat hard to bite into, instead of cooked fully through. As the lasagna bakes, they will soften, but baking fully cooked noodles will cause them to be soggy.
I am a huge fan of making my own pasta, which I understand is not always feasible. My mom and I took a cooking class at Dierburgs and learned to make it, and ever since I’ve been hooked. But boxed noodles work just as well, and make this a super simple dish.
The final touch to this lasagna is a layer of provolone cheese. The salty cheese on top of the thick layers of noodles, creamy cheese, and hearty sauce ties the whole dish together. It gets browned and bubbly and is SO good.
Serve this easy weeknight lasagna hot out of the oven with my hearty sweet kale salad on the side.
Save the leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze them for up to 2 months.
Easy Weeknight Lasagna
Equipment
- 9x12 baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tsp fennel
- 1 tbsp basil
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 15 oz ricotta cheese
- 1 C mozzarella
- 6 slices provolone cheese
- 1 tsp parsley
- 16 oz lasagna noodles
Instructions
- Boil your lasagna noodles until they are al dente- they should be a little bit firm still. Drain and set aside
- In a large pot, cook your ground beef and chopped onion in 1 tbsp of olive oil. Before the meat is fully browned, season it with fennel, basil, oregano, salt, and garlic. Add both cans of crushed tomatoes and bring to a simmer
- In a small bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, mozzarella, and parsley
- Grease a 9x13 baking dish and ladle about a cup of meat sauce onto the bottom of the dish, or enough for it to be lightly covered. Layer noodles evenly across the top of the sauce and spread a layer of the ricotta cheese mixture. Repeat this process until there is no more meat sauce. Cover the top of the lasagna with provolone slices
- Bake at 400 for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden and bubbly
