This simple lasagna recipe features a quick homemade sauce, plenty of cheese, and no-boil noodles, making it a cozy and weeknight-friendly meal.
It’s no secret that we love lasagna around here. We’ve already shared our meat lasagna, vegetable lasagna, and cheese lasagna. So why share another one? Because even though we adore those recipes, we realized the blog was missing a no-fuss lasagna that anyone can make, and this one’s it.
Just like our other lasagna recipes, this simple version is made mostly from scratch. It’s quick, flavorful, and perfect for busier days!
Key Ingredients
- Sausage: I love Italian sausage for extra flavor and spice. Pork sausage is excellent, and turkey or chicken sausage works for a lighter option.
- 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: These are 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.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Weeknight-Friendly Lasagna
Tip 1: Plan for about 1 hour from start to finish. Lasagna isn’t difficult, but it does take time. That includes making the sauce, assembling, and baking. Note that 25 minutes of that is hands-off since it will be baking in the oven. If you’re short on time, make the meat sauce ahead. It keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days and even longer in the freezer.
Tip 2: Make the sauce first. This sauce is very similar to our homemade spaghetti sauce, which I use for this weeknight spaghetti recipe.
Start by browning the sausage to render some of its fat. Remove it from the pan, then cook the vegetables in that flavorful fat until they’re soft and sweet. Stir in the tomatoes and let the sauce simmer until slightly reduced. It’s simple, but the flavor is incredible.
Tip 3: Season the cheese mixture. For the cheese layer, mix ricotta, eggs, and seasoning. Some ricotta brands can be a bit bland, so taste before mixing. You may need an extra pinch or two of salt.
Tip 4: Layering lasagna. Even I have to remind myself sometimes! Start with a thin layer of sauce, then add the noodles, half of the ricotta mixture, a third of the shredded cheese, and a third of the meat sauce. Repeat once more, then finish with noodles, sauce, and the remaining cheese on top.
Tip 5: Bake until golden and bubbly. Bake the lasagna, covered, for 20 minutes. Then, uncover it and continue baking for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until the top is lightly golden and bubbling around the edges.
Easy Lasagna
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
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.
You Will Need
For the Sauce1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound bulk Italian sausage (450g)
1 medium onion, finely chopped, 1 ½ cups
2 medium carrots, finely chopped, ¾ cup
1 tablespoon minced garlic, about 3 cloves
⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
1 (12 ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and cut into ½-inch pieces, 1 heaping cup
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
Generous handful fresh basil leaves, chopped
For the Lasagna14 lasagna noodles
One (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
2 large eggs
2 ounces parmesan cheese, grated, 1 cup (55g)
8 ounces low-moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded, 2 cups (230g)
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Directions
- Prepare Sauce
1Cook the sausage: If the sausage is in link form, remove the casings by cutting a slit down each sausage, pulling the casing away from the meat. Heat the olive oil in a wide skillet with tall sides (or Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Add the sausage meat 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.
2Cook veggies: Reduce 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.
3Make the sauce: Add 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 ½ to 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt).
4Make ahead: Proceed with making the lasagna or transfer the sauce to a glass container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Make Lasagna
1Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly oil a 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2Prepare noodles: If 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 a boil, then cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. (We add a couple of teaspoons of olive oil to the water so the noodles do not stick together.) Drain, then lay flat on a sheet of aluminum foil.
3Make cheese mixture: Add the ricotta cheese to a medium bowl, and then taste it for seasoning. If it seems underseasoned, add a pinch of salt. Stir in the eggs and a pinch of fresh ground black pepper.
4Assemble lasagna: Spoon just enough meat sauce into the baking dish to lightly cover the bottom (about 1 cup). Arrange three to four noodles lengthwise, side by side, to cover the bottom of the dish. If the noodles don’t reach the edge, cut an extra noodle to fill any gaps.
5Spread about half of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, then sprinkle with one-third of the Parmesan and one-third of the mozzarella. Top with one-third of the meat sauce.
6Add another layer of noodles and repeat with the remaining ricotta mixture, cheese, and sauce. Finish with a final layer of noodles, then top with the remaining sauce, Parmesan, and mozzarella.
7Bake: Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover, then bake for an additional 15 minutes, until the cheese is crusty around the edges. For a golden brown top, broil for 1 to 2 minutes. Let 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.
This was best most Flavorful recipe I have prepared for lasagna. The ingredients were so rich not heavy it was such a tasty dish. Our family loves it. And will be referring to this recipe as a family go to for gatherings. Thank you!!
What size and type of pan?. Is it a 13’x 9′ glass pan?
Yes, the pan we used was 13×9 inches.