There are many different recipes for lasagna, some more complicated than others. This recipe was inspired by the fact that we were snowed in one day and I had to come up with something for dinner. With the use of some pantry items and some fresh ingredients, the Easy Peasy Lasagna was born and has become a family favorite. While you can use fresh grated cheeses, and make your own sauce, the purpose of this recipe is to make it simple, faster, and easier to prepare especially for those who may be making lasagna for the first time.
Even though this recipe is very simple it is in my opinion, one of the best tasting lasagnas, and my family actually prefers it. The no boil pasta keeps the dish from becoming soggy and adds a homemade pasta taste. Here’s how to make it.
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x7x2.5 inch deep baking dish with cooking spray. You can use a different sized pan but I like this one because it produces a higher lasagna. After spraying the pan, add 1/4 cup of pasta sauce to bottom of baking dish and set aside. I like to use the Casa Visco brand of pasta sauce because it does not contain sugar and is lower in sodium.
Next, sauté one medium chopped onion in a large nonstick pan until tender and then add 1 large clove of minced garlic and cook until just fragrant. Now add the ground beef and cook until well browned. Once beef is browned, add the rest of the pasta sauce and 1 tablespoon of oregano and cook and stir until heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Once the meat sauce is heated through, take the no boil pasta, and line the baking dish with a single layer of pasta over the sauce. It’s ok if it breaks, overlaps, or is a little short because the pasta expands as it bakes.
Cover the pasta with some meat sauce, grated parmesan cheese, and mozzarella,
Repeat the layers ending with a layer of pasta almost to the top of the pan. Cover the top layer of pasta with meat sauce and grated parmesan cheese only, the last layer of mozzarella will be added later.
Cover with foil and place on a
Top the lasagna with more mozzarella and sprinkle evenly with 2 tablespoons of dried parsley flakes. Return to the oven and bake uncovered for another 10 minutes.
Allow lasagna to cool for at least 15 minutes for easier slicing. Garlic bread and a salad make nice accompaniments to this meal. Enjoy and happy cooking!
Prep Time: 25 min Cooking Time: 1 hr.
Difficulty: Easy Servings: 4-6
Ingredients:
Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9x7x 2.5 inch deep pan with cooking spray.
1 32 oz. jar pasta sauce ( I use Casa Visco, it does not contain sugar)
1 pound ground beef
1 box Barilla oven ready no boil lasagna
1 medium onion chopped
1 large clove garlic minced
1 tablespoon oregano
Salt & pepper
16 oz. grated mozzarella cheese
2 cups grated parmesan cheese plus more for serving
2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
Cooking spray