Description
A simple recipe for a rich, layered pasta casserole featuring ground beef meat sauce, creamy ricotta, and melted mozzarella cheese. This is a perfect comfort food for family dinners.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 (24 ounce) jar of marinara sauce
- 1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 12 lasagna noodles, cooked according to package directions
- 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Drain off any excess fat.
- Stir the marinara sauce into the browned beef. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, egg, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper until combined.
- Spread a thin layer of the meat sauce on the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Arrange four cooked lasagna noodles over the sauce, slightly overlapping if necessary.
- Spread half of the ricotta mixture evenly over the noodles.
- Sprinkle one-third of the mozzarella cheese over the ricotta layer.
- Spoon half of the remaining meat sauce over the mozzarella.
- Repeat the layers: four noodles, the remaining ricotta mixture, one-third of the mozzarella, and the rest of the meat sauce.
- Top with the final four noodles and the remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.
- Let the lasagna rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- You can prepare this lasagna completely ahead of time. Cover it tightly and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking. Add 10 to 15 minutes to the covered baking time if baking directly from the refrigerator.
- For a freezer-friendly meal, assemble the lasagna in a foil pan, cover tightly with two layers of foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking, or bake from frozen by adding about 30 minutes to the covered baking time.
- If you prefer cottage cheese over ricotta, you can substitute it cup for cup in the cheese mixture.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 45 min
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 10
- Sodium: 750
- Fat: 25
- Saturated Fat: 12
- Unsaturated Fat: 13
- Trans Fat: 0.5
- Carbohydrates: 38
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 28
- Cholesterol: 85