Easy Lasagna

In this Instructable, I will show you how to make lasagna. This easy homemade lasagna recipe is so awesome and only requires about 5 to 6 ingredients. If you are a fan of lasagna, give this simple recipe a try. This is my friend's mom's recipe and one of my favorites, and I have eaten a lot of lasagna over the years, haha. The recipe makes about 12 servings depending on the size of the serving. Making lasagna from scratch is so easy and so much better than those frozen ones from the supermarket. If I can do it, you can do it, let's get baking!

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Follow the easy steps below or watch the video tutorial or do both!

Ingredients:

• 12 lasagna pasta sheets
• 1lb (16oz) of Italian sausage, another sausage, or ground beef (453g)
• 24 to 48 oz of your favorite marinara sauce or use homemade. I like using Prego Italian meat sauce. (680 to 1360g)
• 1lb (16oz) of cottage cheese or ricotta cheese, or use a combination of the two (453g)
• 4 to 6 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese, or use more, totally up to you (330g to 500g)
• Water to boil the pasta
• 2 tsp. of salt for the water

Tools:

• Large pot to boil the pasta
• Spoon
• Skillet
• Spatula
• 13x9 inch baking pan
• Aluminum foil
• Cooking spray

Begin by heating up a large pot of water, about half full, and add the salt to it. Bring it to a boil and then put in the 12 lasagna pasta sheets. Only boil it for about 6 minutes. It will cook the rest of the way while baking in the lasagna. If you cook it all the way now, it will be much too soft and mushy after cooking in the lasagna.

Once, the 6 minutes are up, drain the pasta in a colander, and then rinse with cold water, this will help keep the pasta from sticking. Then place the pasta in a large pot or bowl with cold water, again this helps keep it from sticking. You can also lay the sheets out on a pan that has been lightly oiled or sprayed with cooking spray.

NOTE: I do this while simultaneously browning the meat/sausage.

While you are heating up the water and cooking the pasta, brown the sausage. Set the burner to medium heat and add the sausage to a skillet. You can use pretty much whatever sausage you like, this is a Johnsonville brand of Italian mild sausage, the Jimmy Dean brand is really good too, or use ground beef if you like.

Use the spatula to break up the sausage and move it occasionally so it gets evenly browned, it will take 6 to 8 minutes to brown the sausage.

Once done, tilt the pan and see how much grease/oil accumulates. If there is a lot you may want to scoop it out with a spoon.

Place the cooked sausage in a large bowl.

Now add in the sauce with the cooked sausage. I am using a Prego Meat Sauce, but you can use pretty much any marinara. If you would like to make a nice sauce from scratch try this pizza sauce recipe, which also acts as a yummy marinara.

Then add in the cottage cheese, or if you prefer, use Ricotta, or a combination of the two.

Traditionally, you would keep that cheese separate and mix it with some parmesan, mozzarella, and sometimes an egg as well, to create a separate distinct layer, but this easy recipe calls for mixing it in with the meat sauce.

Mix until well combined, which leaves you with a super easy lasagna meat sauce.

Preheat the oven to 350 F or 176 C.

Take a 13x9 inch pan and spray it with cooking spray. Then if you have a bit of sauce leftover in one of the sauce containers you can pour a bit on the bottom of the pan, about a cup or so, and spread it out. You can also just scoop some meat sauce from the bowl and add that to the bottom. This provides a nice bed for the first layer of pasta.

Then add 4 sheets of pasta. Next, add a whole bunch of shredded mozzarella, about 2 cups worth. Then add a layer of meat sauce on top of the cheese and spread it out evenly.

Follow that up with another layer of 4 sheets of pasta. Then cheese, then meat sauce, then the final 4 sheets of pasta. This time add the remaining sauce on top, and then top it with cheese, instead of doing the cheese first. I like to have it on the top.

And just like that, the lasagna is ready to be baked.

Spray a piece of aluminum foil with cooking spray and then place it over the top of the pan. Bake the lasagna in the oven for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil from the pan and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese is completely melted on the top.

Once out of the oven, allow the homemade lasagna to cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. If you try and serve it right away, it will be too hot, and kind of fall apart on you. Of course it will still taste the same, just won't present as well, haha.

After it has cooled a bit, cut into that lasagna, and serve it up. You should be able to get around 12 servings. Although I normally eat two servings, haha. If you are having a salad, and bread or something to go with it, you can easily get 12 servings. Enjoy!

You can print this recipe here if you like.

Now watch those steps in action with this video tutorial.