Mama's Super Easy Lasagna
Super easy, because the additional water added to the sauce cooks the noodles while the lasagna is baking. You can also use full-fat cheeses & meats, but I prefer the lower-fat (sometimes fat free!) products...you can't tell the difference!
Super easy, because the additional water added to the sauce cooks the noodles while the lasagna is baking. You can also use full-fat cheeses & meats, but I prefer the lower-fat (sometimes fat free!) products...you can't tell the difference!
- 1 cup water
- 9 lasagna noodles uncooked
- 1 pound ground beef or turkey browned and drained of grease
- 4 cups reduced-fat mozzarella cheese divided
- 24 ounces reduced-fat or fat-free cottage cheese
- 1/3 cup reduced-fat grated parmesan cheese plus more for sprinkling
- 1/2 - 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 26.5 ounces hunt's traditional pasta sauce
- Carbohydrate 15.254189968254 g
- Cholesterol 51.7253066666667 mg
- Fat 9.93565073015873 g
- Fiber 1.07150015022039 g
- Protein 19.7748241269841 g
- Saturated Fat 4.8075416 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (175g)
- Sodium 556.398066666667 mg
- Sugar 14.1826898180336 g
- Trans Fat 1.35739606349207 g
- Calories 231 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350. Spray 13x9 Pyrex dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Brown meat, drain grease, and set aside.
- Warm entire can of spaghetti sauce and one cup of water on the stove in a saucepan. While sauce warms, stir 2 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese, entire container of cottage/ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and parsley together in a large bowl.
- After sauce has warmed, pour enough sauce in the bottom of the cooking dish to thinly coat (about 1/3 cup). Place three lasagna noodles on top of thin layer of sauce, then spoon half of the cheese mixture on top of each noodle. Sprinkle 1/3 of the browned meat on top of the cheese, then pour about 1/2 - 2/3 of a cup of sauce on top of the layers. Add three more lasagna noodles and repeat steps above for a second layer.
- Place the last three noodles on top of the layers and slightly press down to "adhere" the layers together. Pour remaining sauce on top of the lasagna, sprinkle with the rest of the meat, then sprinkle with additional parmesan cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake for 45-50 minutes. Remove from oven, carefully take off the foil, and sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese on top. Return to oven and bake uncovered until cheese has melted. Allow to cool for approximately 10 minutes before eating because (1) it's too damn hot and (2) it allows the layers to set up a bit so the lasagna isn't running everywhere.
Uncooked pasta absorbs moisture at a predictable rate, yet commercial jarred sauces vary wildly in their initial water content and thickness. Combining exactly one cup of water with twenty-six point five ounces of pasta sauce provides the precise hydration needed to soften hard noodles during baking without turning the interior into a soup. Without that exact liquid balance, dry starches remain brittle or pull too much moisture from the dairy layers.
Freezing this unbaked assembly works well if wrapped tightly in heavy-duty aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn, holding safely for up to two months at zero degrees Fahrenheit or below. Thaw the frozen casserole completely in the refrigerator for twenty-four hours before baking, because placing a frozen dish directly into a 350-degree oven causes uneven internal heating and shatters standard glass baking dishes. Add fifteen to twenty minutes to the initial covered baking time if the pan goes in cold from the refrigerator.
Allowing the baked lasagna to rest for ten minutes is non-negotiable for structural integrity. Cutting into molten cheese causes the melted fats and internal liquids to separate and bleed across the plate before the starches cool enough to trap them. Slicing with a sharp chef knife after the resting period yields clean squares instead of collapsed piles.
