No Fuss Easy Lasagna
Amazing lasagna doesn’t need to be complicated. This easy lasagna recipe is pure comfort food with a simple homemade meat sauce, cheeses, noodles, and fresh basil. It’s no secret that we love lasagna around here. I mean we’ve already shared this sausage and beef lasagna, our easy vegetable lasagna, and the ultimate cheese lasagna (made with five cheeses). So why are we sharing another lasagna recipe with you? Well, even though we love all those recipes, we felt the blog was missing a no-fuss, easy lasagna that anyone can make. It’s so easy! Just like the other lasagna recipes you’ll find on the blog, this simple lasagna is made entirely from scratch. The sauce is very similar to this easy spaghetti sauce, which we use to make our easy weeknight spaghetti. Key Ingredients Sausage: Classic lasagna usually calls for ground meat (like beef), but sausage is packed with extra flavor and spice. We’ve used pork sausage (delicious) and even turkey sausage (a little lighter) for this easier lasagna in the past. You can always swap the sausage out for ground meat (beef, lamb, turkey or chicken), if you prefer. Aromatics: Onion, carrot, garlic, and red pepper flakes help to make our lasagna sauce rich and flavorful. We also add lots of basil to the sauce just as it finishes cooking. Roasted Red Peppers: When we were working on our recipe for vegetable lasagna we stumbled on the idea of adding roasted red peppers to our sauce. They add a richness, some sweetness, and just make the sauce taste amazing. I like using jarred red peppers since they are inexpensive and readily available. Canned Tomatoes: As you might expect, canned tomatoes make up the base of our sauce. We don’t add anything like wine, broth or water, a simple can of crushed tomatoes does the trick and keeps the sauce light on its feet. Cheese: We use three cheeses in this lasagna. Ricotta cheese makes up our creamy layers (you can sub that for cottage cheese if you prefer it), and then we follow up with lots of mozzarella and parmesan. Noodles: Use traditional lasagna noodles and cook them according to the package directions, or save a little time and use no-boil noodles. Sausage: Classic lasagna usually calls for ground meat (like beef), but sausage is packed with extra flavor and spice. We’ve used pork sausage (delicious) and even turkey sausage (a little lighter) for this easier lasagna in the past. You can always swap the sausage out for ground meat (beef, lamb, turkey or chicken), if you prefer. Aromatics: Onion, carrot, garlic, and red pepper flakes help to make our lasagna sauce rich and flavorful. We also add lots of basil to the sauce just as it finishes cooking. Roasted Red Peppers: When we were working on our recipe for vegetable lasagna we stumbled on the idea of adding roasted red peppers to our sauce. They add a richness, some sweetness, and just make the sauce taste amazing. I like using jarred red peppers since they are inexpensive and readily available. Canned Tomatoes: As you might expect, canned tomatoes make up the base of our sauce. We don’t add anything like wine, broth or water, a simple can of crushed tomatoes does the trick and keeps the sauce light on its feet. Cheese: We use three cheeses in this lasagna. Ricotta cheese makes up our creamy layers (you can sub that for cottage cheese if you prefer it), and then we follow up with lots of mozzarella and parmesan. Noodles: Use traditional lasagna noodles and cook them according to the package directions, or save a little time and use no-boil noodles. How to Make Easy Lasagna From start to finish, lasagna takes around 1 ½ hours. That includes making the sauce from scratch, assembly, and baking of the lasagna. If you don’t have the time, you can always make the sauce in advance. It keeps in the fridge up to three days! I make my meat sauce first. It’s pretty straightforward, and you can make it in advance. Brown the sausage to render some of the fat. Remove the cooked sausage, and then cook the veggies in the rendered fat (it adds so much flavor). When the veggies are soft and sweet, pour in your tomatoes and simmer until reduced slightly. For the cheese layer, you’ll mix ricotta with eggs and seasoning. Depending on the brand of ricotta you buy, you might find that it needs a little help in the seasoning department. I always taste my ricotta first before mixing with eggs to see if it needs an extra pinch or two of salt (it usually does). I always need to remind myself of the proper order of lasagna layers, do you? I start with a little sauce on the bottom and follow with a layer of noodles. From there, we add half of the ricotta, a third of the mozzarella and parmesan, and then finish with a third of the meat sauce. This is repeated one more time and then we finish with a layer of noodles, sauce and mozzarella and parmesan on top. Last, but not least, you will bake the lasagna. I like to bake the lasagna uncovered for 20 minutes, and then uncovered for another 10 to 15 minutes. No Fuss Easy Lasagna PREP 30 mins COOK 1 hr TOTAL 1 hr 30 mins PREP 30 mins COOK 1 hr TOTAL 1 hr 30 mins You don’t need hours to make amazing lasagna. This simplified lasagna recipe calls on flavorful sausage, a light homemade tomato sauce, and fresh basil. The sausage is pre-seasoned and spiced, which adds lots of extra favor to the sauce. Use pork, chicken or turkey sausage to make this. For a vegetarian version, take a look at our easy vegetable lasagna or swap the sausage in this recipe for 3 to 4 cups of your favorite vegetables. Makes 12 Servings You Will Need For the Sauce 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 pound (450g) bulk Italian sausage 1 medium onion, finely chopped, 1 ½ cups 2 medium carrots, finely chopped, 3/4 cup 1 tablespoon minced garlic, about 3 cloves 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste 1 (12oz) jar roasted red peppers, drained and cut into 1/2-inch pieces, 1 heaping cup 1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes Generous handful fresh basil leaves, chopped 14 lasagna noodles One (15oz) container ricotta cheese or cottage cheese 2 large eggs 2 ounces (60g) parmesan cheese, grated, 1 cup 8 ounces (230g) low-moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded, 2 cups Salt and fresh ground black pepper Directions Prepare Sauce 1Heat the olive oil in a wide skillet with tall sides (or Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. 2If the sausage is in link form, remove the casings by cutting a slit down each sausage and pull the casing away from the meat. 3Add the sausage meat (without casings) to the pan, and then use a wooden spoon to break the meat apart. Cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked sausage to a plate. 4If, after removing the sausage, more than 2 tablespoons of rendered fat is at the bottom of the pan, remove it so only about 2 tablespoons remains. 5Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion and carrot. Cook, stirring occasionally until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt then cook for one minute more. 6Add the roasted red peppers, crushed tomatoes, and cooked sausage. Bring to a low simmer and cook until the liquid has thickened and reduced by one third, about 10 minutes. Add the basil and season to taste with additional salt and pepper. (We end up adding 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt.) 7Move onto making the lasagna or transfer the sauce to a glass container and refrigerate up to 3 days. Prepare Sauce 1Heat the olive oil in a wide skillet with tall sides (or Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. 2If the sausage is in link form, remove the casings by cutting a slit down each sausage and pull the casing away from the meat. 3Add the sausage meat (without casings) to the pan, and then use a wooden spoon to break the meat apart. Cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked sausage to a plate. 4If, after removing the sausage, more than 2 tablespoons of rendered fat is at the bottom of the pan, remove it so only about 2 tablespoons remains. 5Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion and carrot. Cook, stirring occasionally until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt then cook for one minute more. 6Add the roasted red peppers, crushed tomatoes, and cooked sausage. Bring to a low simmer and cook until the liquid has thickened and reduced by one third, about 10 minutes. Add the basil and season to taste with additional salt and pepper. (We end up adding 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt.) 7Move onto making the lasagna or transfer the sauce to a glass container and refrigerate up to 3 days. Make Lasagna 1Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly oil a 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish or spray with non-stick cooking spray. 2If using no-boil or fresh noodles, there is no need to cook them. For regular/classic noodles, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil then cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. (We add a couple teaspoons of olive oil to the water so the noodles do not stick together). Drain then lay flat on a sheet of aluminum foil. 3Add the ricotta cheese to a medium bowl, and then taste it for seasoning. If it seems under seasoned, add a pinch of salt. Stir in the eggs and a pinch of fresh ground black pepper. 4Spoon just enough meat sauce into the baking dish to lightly cover the bottom (about 1 cup). Arrange three to four noodles lengthwise and side by side to cover the bottom. (If the noodles are short on one end, you may need to cut an extra noodle and place into the dish to cover where the other noodles have not). 5Spread about half of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle with a third of the parmesan cheese and a third of the mozzarella cheese. Top with a third of the meat sauce. Add another layer of noodles then repeat with remaining cheese and sauce. Finish with a final layer of noodles, sauce, parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese. 6Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake 20 minutes, uncover then bake 15 minutes until the cheese is crusty around the edges. For a golden brown top, slide the lasagna under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes. 7Let rest 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Make Lasagna 1Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly oil a 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish or spray with non-stick cooking spray. 2If using no-boil or fresh noodles, there is no need to cook them. For regular/classic noodles, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil then cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. (We add a couple teaspoons of olive oil to the water so the noodles do not stick together). Drain then lay flat on a sheet of aluminum foil. 3Add the ricotta cheese to a medium bowl, and then taste it for seasoning. If it seems under seasoned, add a pinch of salt. Stir in the eggs and a pinch of fresh ground black pepper. 4Spoon just enough meat sauce into the baking dish to lightly cover the bottom (about 1 cup). Arrange three to four noodles lengthwise and side by side to cover the bottom. (If the noodles are short on one end, you may need to cut an extra noodle and place into the dish to cover where the other noodles have not). 5Spread about half of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle with a third of the parmesan cheese and a third of the mozzarella cheese. Top with a third of the meat sauce. Add another layer of noodles then repeat with remaining cheese and sauce. Finish with a final layer of noodles, sauce, parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese. 6Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake 20 minutes, uncover then bake 15 minutes until the cheese is crusty around the edges. For a golden brown top, slide the lasagna under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes. 7Let rest 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Adam and Joanne's Tips Make-ahead: The sauce can be made up to three days in advance, you can refrigerate assembled and unbaked lasagna up to 2 days, and the baked lasagna can be frozen. For a gluten-free lasagna, use gluten-free noodles or use vegetables (like zucchini or eggplant) to make the noodle layer. For a dairy-free and egg-free lasagna, swap the ricotta cheese and egg for almond ricotta. You can make it yourself or buy it (Kite Hill is a popular brand). I also like swapping the cheese called for in the recipe for a generous sprinkling of nutritional yeast. The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. Make-ahead: The sauce can be made up to three days in advance, you can refrigerate assembled and unbaked lasagna up to 2 days, and the baked lasagna can be frozen. For a gluten-free lasagna, use gluten-free noodles or use vegetables (like zucchini or eggplant) to make the noodle layer. For a dairy-free and egg-free lasagna, swap the ricotta cheese and egg for almond ricotta. You can make it yourself or buy it (Kite Hill is a popular brand). I also like swapping the cheese called for in the recipe for a generous sprinkling of nutritional yeast. The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. Nutrition Per Serving Serving Size 1 slice (12 slices total) / Calories 348 / Total Fat 17g / Saturated Fat 7.1g / Cholesterol 85.3mg / Sodium 770.5mg / Carbohydrate 28.9g / Dietary Fiber 3.8g / Total Sugars 5g / Protein 19.4g AUTHOR: Joanne Gallagher We’re Adam and Joanne, a couple passionate about cooking and sharing delicious, reliable recipes since 2009. Our goal? To inspire you to get in the kitchen and confidently cook fresh and flavorful meals.More About Us