What's your favorite thing about lasagna? Is it the cheese? Perhaps it's the delicious pasta sauce, or maybe it's the tender pasta? No matter how you answer this question, my Extra Easy Lasagna recipe covers all of the above & more!
Serve this hearty lasagna with my fattoush salad, because it really is ok to mix food from different regions when planning your menu!
If you follow my blog you'll know I always say there are no rules when it comes to cooking, and I really mean it!
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🧐 Why This Recipe Works
- Lasagna is easier to prepare than most people think, especially with these detailed instructions.
- This lasagna recipe is great for feeding a large crowd.
- Leftovers taste even better!
🍝 How to Make This Recipe
Step 1: Heat olive oil in a deep pan. Cook meat, sausage, peppers, onion, and garlic until the meat is no longer pink, and the vegetables are tender.
Step 2: Pour the spaghetti sauce over the mixture. Add 1-½ cups of water into the jar, swirl around to get any remaining sauce, and pour it into the pan.
Step 3: Add the remaining ingredients. Stir until incorporated, then simmer on low for 30 minutes.
How to Layer Lasagna
Step 4: Mix eggs, cottage cheese (or ricotta), parsley, and asiago cheese in a medium-sized bowl, set aside.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Step 5: Spray a 9"x13" lasagna pan with non-stick cooking spray. Add 1 cup of sauce.
Step 6: Add three pasta sheets, crosswise.
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Step 7: Top with the cottage cheese mixture, followed by 6 slices of provolone cheese, and sauce.
Step 8: Ladle some sauce over the cheese, and repeat layers.
The goal is to end with a layer of lasagna noodles, followed by the remaining sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese. Top with pepperoni.
Step 9: Bake for 35 minutes. Once 35 minutes are up, remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
🥗 Serving Suggestions
This easy lasagna recipe goes great with cream cheese garlic bread and salad. Choose from healthy broccoli salad, zesty quinoa salad, or pear and arugula goat cheese salad.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
You might have chosen this recipe because of the title, "Extra Easy Lasagna Recipe." However, if you want to take this lasagna to the next level, consider making your own fresh pasta.
My homemade pasta recipe is easy and delicious. In fact, once you've had lasagna made with home-made pasta, you'll never want to eat it any other way!
I recommend using a pasta maker if you don't already own one. But they're very affordable these days, and fun to use too.
I think there's a misconception with novice cooks that lasagna is difficult to prepare, so they don't bother.
Well, I'm here to tell you that it's simply not true. In fact, I hope to prove it to you with this Extra Easy Lasagna Recipe.
All it takes is some good sauce (which you can actually prepare in an Instant Pot) and some layering of ingredients. So roll up your sleeves and let's get going!
Lasagna noodles can either be cooked prior to layering in the lasagna or not. It also depends on the type of noodles used.
For example, this recipe calls for Barilla oven-ready lasagna sheets that don't require boiling beforehand.
If you plan on making your own fresh pasta, you also don't need to cook the pasta beforehand. Fresh pasta cooks much faster than dry pasta.
However, if you use regular pasta noodles, you can either boil them beforehand or use them dry. So in most cases, you do not have to boil the pasta before layering it.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Spray a sheet of foil with non-stick cooking spray and place carefully over the lasagna pan. Make sure the foil does not touch the cheese so that the cheese does not stick to the foil.
- Cutting lasagna before it sets will cause the lasagna to fall apart. Be sure to allow approximately 15 minutes for the lasagna to set before slicing.
- Grate a small amount of nutmeg either in the sauce or over one of the layers to enhance the flavor further.
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📖 Recipe
Extra Easy Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients
Pasta Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 Italian sausages
- 1 medium red or green bell pepper diced
- 1 medium onion minced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper optional
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 2 medium tomatoes chopped
- 24 ounces jarred spaghetti sauce
- 3 ounces tomato paste
- ½ cup red wine
Ricotta/Cottage Cheese:
- 2 eggs
- 16 oz. cottage or ricotta cheese
- 1 T. dried parsley
- ½ cup asiago cheese shredded
Remaining Ingredients:
- cooking spray
- 9 ounces Barilla oven-ready lasagna sheets (or make your own)
- 12 slices provolone cheese
- 16 ounces shredded mozzarella
- 12 slices pepperoni
Instructions
Pasta Sauce
- Heat olive oil in a deep pan. Cook meat, sausage, peppers, onion, and garlic until the meat is no longer pink, and the vegetables are tender.
- Add salt, pepper, crushed pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, oregano, basil and tomatoes.
- Pour the spaghetti sauce over the mixture. Add 1½ cups water into the jar, swirl around to get the remaining sauce, and pour in the pan, along with the tomato paste and wine. Stir all the ingredients and simmer on low for 30 minutes.
Ricotta/Cottage Cheese Mixture
- Mix eggs, cottage cheese (or ricotta), parsley, and asiago cheese in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Lasagna Assembly Instructions
- Spray a 9"x13" casserole dish with vegetable spray and add 1 cup sauce. Add 3 pasta sheets, crosswise.
- Top with the cottage cheese mixture, followed by 6 slices of provolone cheese and sauce.
- Ladle some sauce over the cheese, and repeat layers.
- End with a layer of lasagna sheets, followed by the remaining sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese. Top with pepperoni.
- Spray a sheet of foil with non-stick cooking spray and place carefully over the lasagna pan. Make sure the foil does not touch the cheese, so that the cheese does not stick to the foil. Bake for 35 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Allow to rest for approximately 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with a salad and garlic bread.
Notes
- Spray a sheet of foil with non-stick cooking spray and place carefully over the lasagna pan. Make sure the foil does not touch the cheese so that the cheese does not stick to the foil.
- Cutting lasagna before it sets will cause the lasagna to fall apart. Be sure to allow approximately 15 minutes for the lasagna to set before slicing.
- Grate a small amount of nutmeg either in the sauce or over one of the layers to enhance the flavor further.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on 8/14/18 and updated on 11/9/19 with detailed photos, cook’s tips, and FAQ’s.
Kathy Fisher says
We had this last night for our anniversary. Beyond delishous. YUM. Best lasagna I've ever had.
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you, Kathy! I'm so happy you enjoyed it!