DinnerCountEasy Lasagna
A classic layered lasagna without boiling a single noodle. No-boil noodles go straight into the dish between layers of meat sauce and a ricotta-and-egg filling, with mozzarella on top. It bakes under foil, then uncovered until the cheese browns. Let it rest ten minutes before cutting so the layers hold. It feeds eight, and the leftovers reheat well.
1 hr 15 minServes 8 as writtenOvenItalianContains Milk, Eggs, Wheat
Ingredients — serves 8
- Lasagna noodles (no-boil)1 box (9 oz)
- Ground beef1 lb
- Marinara sauce (jar)2 jars (24 oz)
- Ricotta cheese15 oz
- Mozzarella shredded2 cups
- Parmesan cheese½ cup
- Egg1 each
- Italian seasoning1 tbsp
How much to make for 2, 4, 6 or 8
| Ingredient | For 2 | For 4 | For 6 | For 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lasagna noodles (no-boil) | ¼ box (9 oz) | ½ box (9 oz) | ¾ box (9 oz) | 1 box (9 oz) |
| Ground beef | ¼ lb | ½ lb | ¾ lb | 1 lb |
| Marinara sauce (jar) | ½ jar (24 oz) | 1 jar (24 oz) | 1½ jars (24 oz) | 2 jars (24 oz) |
| Ricotta cheese | 4 oz | 8 oz | 11 oz | 15 oz |
| Mozzarella shredded | ½ cup | 1 cup | 1½ cups | 2 cups |
| Parmesan cheese | 2 tbsp | ¼ cup | ½ cup | ½ cup |
| Egg | 1 each | 1 each | 1 each | 1 each |
| Italian seasoning | ¾ tsp | 1½ tsp | 2¼ tsp | 1 tbsp |
| The pan | Written for 8 adult-size portions; you are cooking for about 2 — roughly 0.3× the recipe. Less than the recipe assumes — the steps name the dish for this amount; start checking 5–10 minutes early. | Written for 8 adult-size portions; you are cooking for about 4 — roughly 0.5× the recipe. Less than the recipe assumes — the steps name the dish for this amount; start checking 5–10 minutes early. | — | — |
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Steps
- Heat the oven to 375°F. Put the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook, breaking it up, for 6 to 8 minutes. Check that no pink remains and it reads 160°F on a thermometer. Spoon off the fat, then stir in half the marinara and the Italian seasoning.
- In a bowl, stir the ricotta and the egg together until smooth.
- Choose the baking dish by the noodles on the list — a 9×5 loaf pan for a quarter box or less, an 8×8 for up to half a box, a 9×13 for up to about 1½ boxes, and two 9×13s for more. Spread a thin layer of the rest of the marinara over the bottom of the dish. Layer: noodles, a third of the meat sauce, a third of the ricotta, a third of the mozzarella. Repeat twice more, but on the last layer spoon the rest of the plain marinara over the noodles before the meat sauce, ricotta and mozzarella go on. Finish with the Parmesan.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes, then take the foil off and bake 10 minutes more. Check that the cheese is browned in spots, a knife slides through the noodles with no resistance and the center reads 165°F on a thermometer — the ricotta holds raw egg. If it doesn’t, cover with foil and bake 10 minutes more, then check again. Let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting so the layers hold.
Good to know
- Contains Milk, Eggs, Wheat — from the ingredient names, so not a complete list. It cannot see inside a jar, a mix or a sauce, and formulas change. For an allergy or intolerance, read the package every time — never decide from this line.
- 🌡 Lasagna — cook to 165°F at the thickest part , the USDA minimum for a casserole or reheated leftovers. A thermometer is the test; color is not.