Lazy Lasagna is a deconstructed lasagna bake, made with store-bought sauce, mozzarella and ricotta cheese, and whatever pasta you have on hand. It’s easy and comforting without a ton of ingredients, and only 15 minutes of prep. This is also a great lasagna without eggs and one of my most popular recipes!
This recipe for lazy lasagna is actually inspired by my grandma. It never failed that when we visited, this was on the menu one night, paired with a simple butter lettuce salad with her famous celery seed dressing.
My grandma was a great baker and always had a good nut roll or spritz cookies in the freezer, but she wasn’t big on cooking. Would she ever slave away over a pot of long-simmered tomato sauce that was passed down from ancestor to ancestor? NO! She didn’t have time for that! She had 6 kids! Her recipes had to be easy and quick.
This easy recipe has become a reader favorite like my Boursin pasta and mascarpone pasta. I promise you'll love it!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Some days you have more time and energy to make a homemade sauce, like this chicken Alfredo lasagna, and other days you just want simple. That's where this lazy lasagna recipe comes in. You'll love it because:
- Family favorite - Great for kids and adults. Who doesn't like lasagna?
- Easy - Using store-bought sauce and cooked ground beef makes this an easier and faster recipe.
- Great as a gift - I prepped this lazy lasagna for each of my pregnancies because it freezes great. I also love to give it to friends in need.
- Freezer-friendly - This recipe freezes and reheats well.
Since this is an egg-free lasagna and it doesn't have parmesan cheese, this recipe can easily fit a few different diets, like low sodium. It's gluten free friendly as well.
Ingredients
- Pasta - Any type of pasta will work except smaller ones like macaroni. I went with penne here but sometimes I mix and match whatever is leftover. Rigatoni, ziti, fusilli, farfalle would all be great.
- Ground Beef - I just use a 90/10 or 85/15 mixture, but you can also leave this out for a vegetarian lasagna.
- Marinara Sauce - Whatever your favorite is will work! If you're onion sensitive, I recommend Cucina Antica Garlic Marinara, Rao’s Sensitive Marinara, Fody Marinara, and Sprouts Sensitive Marinara.
- Ricotta - Choose a good quality brand. If you find ricotta to be gritty, it's because of the brand you're using. A good ricotta is luscious and super creamy. I used Liuzzi in this, but Calabro and BelGiosio are also great. One without gums will work best in this recipe (and ricottas without gums are best for baking overall).
- Mozzarella - Fresh is best. I buy a big ball of it and grate it at home using a cheese grater, or just pull it apart in big pieces.
Full ingredients are posted in the recipe card below.
A lasagna without eggs? I’ve made this by leaving the egg out and putting an egg in. The egg does help to bind the cheese mixture a little bit more and coat the pasta, but it’s truly not necessary. In this case, I think one less ingredient is nice and leaving it out doesn’t change the flavor.
Variations
- Vegetarian - Leave out the meat and just cook the pasta! Layer the marinara pasta and the ricotta mixture the same way.
- Add extra vegetables - Add about 1 cup of spinach to the beef mixture while cooking so it wilts down.
- Gluten free - Use your favorite gluten free pasta.
- Chicken sausage - Use ground fresh Italian chicken sausage instead of ground beef.
How to Make Lazy Lasagna
Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and greasing a 9x13 inch baking dish with olive oil.
- Step 1: Start by browning the ground beef and boiling the pasta (Picture 1). Add the marinara sauce to the ground beef. Then mix in the al dente pasta with the ground beef marinara mixture.
- Step 2: Use the package directions to cook the pasta "al dente", which means it's softened, but with a firmer bite to it. About 1-2 minutes less than the recommended time.
- Step 3: Mix together the ricotta cheese, garlic, basil, and oregano. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Step 4: In an oiled 9x13 inch pan, add ½ the pasta mixture. Then spread the ricotta mix over top. Add the rest of the pasta on top of the ricotta, and place torn mozzarella on top. Cover with foil. If freezing for later, stop here.
Step 5: Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes, then take the foil off and bake another 10 minutes till light brown on top.
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Serving Suggestions
I love to serve this lazy lasagna when I need a great, easy comfort food. Here are some ideas that will make this meal even more satisfying.
- Green salad - I recommend a simple salad with ranch dressing from scratch or a apple fennel salad, which can cut the richness of the cheese.
- Roasted vegetables - Honey roasted carrots and parsnips or bang bang brussels sprouts would be a great way to add additional vegetables.
- Serve with a great drink like this pomegranate mocktail.
If you have additional ricotta cheese leftover, don't miss this whipped ricotta dip, ricotta chicken, or butternut squash stuffed shells.
Storage Information
This easy recipe is ideal for meal prepping. All you have to do is pre-cook the pasta, meat (if using), and layer the dish. Here are a few of my freezer tips.
- Prepare the pan - Cover the bottom of your baking dish with tin foil so you can easily lift the casserole out of the pan, once frozen, and transfer it to a bag or different storage container if needed.
- Freezer instructions - If you'll consume fairly quickly, you can place saran wrap directly over the top of the casserole so it's touching the pasta. Then cover that with press and seal and freeze for up to 1 month.
- Baking from frozen - Use the same baking times and temperatures as a base. Then add an additional 10-15 minutes.
How to prep - The lasagna can be prepped ahead, unbaked, and placed in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking.
Lazy Lasagna FAQ
One thing that helps with the texture is to cook the pasta slightly al dente. And if you haven’t heard of this before, it’s really easy to do. Just pull out your pasta about 1-2 minutes before the “final time” posted on the package. The pasta should be a little firm, but still soft enough to chew.
Fresh herbs can help increase the flavor of your lasagna. Feel free to add more garlic if you're a garlic lover, play around with your store-bought marinara (this recipe works with so many different types) or add additional herbs.
A few tips can help make your lasagna bake less watery. 1. Drain the meat well, and you can even blot with a paper towel. 2. Use GOOD ricotta cheese, like the brands mentioned above. This will help a ton. 3. Fully drain the pasta before adding to the sauce.
That's what makes this recipe lazy! It works with several different kinds of pasta, making it perfect to make with whatever you have on hand. While traditional lasagna uses lasagna noodles, this lazy lasagna is great with penne, rigatoni, and fusilli. I just don't recommend smaller noodles or thin noodles, like macaroni or spaghetti.
If you make this, tag me #thedizzycook or @thedizzycook on Facebook and Instagram. And if you love the recipe, please leave a review below! Follow along on my Pinterest for more great recipes.
Lazy Lasagna
Ingredients
- 12 oz dried pasta (I used penne)
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 25 oz marinara sauce
- ¼ cup fresh basil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella, torn or shredded
- parsley for garnish
- olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉ (190℃) and prep a 9x13 inch pan, rubbing with a little bit of olive oil to coat it. Meanwhile boil water and cook pasta just 1-2 minutes short of package directions until al dente (firm, but cooked through). At the same time, brown ground beef in a large saute pan until cooked through, about 5-6 minutes, and drain if there is a lot of excess moisture. Add marinara sauce.
- In a separate bowl, combine the basil, garlic, oregano with ricotta cheese until well mixed.
- Drain pasta and toss with the marinara/beef mixture till coated. Layer ½ the pasta in the bottom of the pan. Then top with all of the ricotta/garlic/basil mixture. Spread the rest of the pasta over the top of the ricotta mixture, then dot with mozzarella tears all over the top (save 2 or 3 slices for a snack!!).
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375℉ for 20-25 minutes until warmed through and bubbling. Remove foil and bake uncovered for another 10 minutes until lightly browned on top. (If you want yours a little more brown like mine, you may have to broil for 1-2 minutes on high)
- Remove from the oven and serve warm with a side salad!
Video
Notes
- Pastas that would work well here -Rigatoni, Penne. Fusilli, Cavatappi, Ziti. Gluten free pasta also works.
- Use a high quality ricotta for best results. This won't be grainy. BelGiosio, Calabro, or Liuzzi are my recommendations.
- Marinara sauce - I like to use Rao's or Carbone's, but feel free to sub any one that works for your needs. This recipe works with all types!
- To prep ahead - Make the lazy lasagna up to baking, then cover and place in the fridge for up to 2 days. Or you can freeze like this for up to 1 month.
Easy yet so cozy, delicious and filling! I sometimes make it without the ground beef and pair it with meatballs or sausage. Makes plenty of leftovers too. I use and love Rao’s jarred sauce (the sensitive without onions type) for this.
So so good and easy. Our Sunday go to.
This recipe was a huge hit at our house! I scaled it up to use 1lb of pasta and 15oz ricotta (thank you for that feature, by the way). Subbed frozen, drained spinach for the ground beef and added the optional egg to the filling. Thank you for another 'make-again' recipe!
Thank you, Shayna.
In italy, we call this kind of dish “baked pasta” (pasta al forno) and we make it to “clean” the fridge 😂 we literally add everything (like meatball, eggplant etc!!
By dried pasta, do you mean uncooked pasta, ending up with about 24 ounces of cooked pasta in this recipe??
This recipe is just what I needed! My family has various dietary restrictions and this made cooking vegetarian, vegan and meat lasagna easier than a traditional recipe. Yes, I made 3 different versions of this in one night and often cook this way for the fam! Thanks for putting the thought into these recipes as I am not often able to use my brain to its full potential with chronic migraine.
I love everything about this lasagna, especially its toothsome sauce-to-noodle ratio. I also subbed cottage cheese for the ricotta and added some zucchini into the meat and marinara mixture so we can call this our healthy pasta fave for Sunday nights and special days, too. Pasta’s done! Off to layer the deliciousness- thanks, Alicia!
Thank you so much, Sharon! This is a really helpful review!
Love these ideas! Thank you!
For those who do not like ricotta-(Pick me!) I used small curd cottage cheese. Worked just the same and not gritty. ( K - I know-get the better Ricotta-Nope) But I would say that I really enjoyed the dish-would add a bit more ( Maybe 1 1/2 the middle stuff) next time. Easy and quick winter meal!
Do you know of this would freeze well? I used to make large batches of lasagna and freeze several meals for later. My family has been asking for lasagna but my usual recipe includes breakfast sausage which is a trigger, and it takes so long to make. I can’t wait to try this one! Every recipe of yours has been fantastic. Thank you for doing what you do!!
Yes! I freeze it all the time. I believe there are instructions in the post under the storage highlight.
Question - Has anyone substituted dairy free cheese in this recipe? Suggestions on brands and other adjustments? Thanks!
Give it a try and see!! 🙂
This is so delicious and great two double or triple recipe for party.
Thank you, Elaine! I do the same thing when meal prepping and give one to a friend.
Lazy lasagna will be on the regular meal routine in the Arvieux house! My oldest son is the pickiest water and hates sauce including sauce on pizza. He refuses to eat it, but after much convincing we got him to try it. Two thumbs up from my pickiest eater! He said this was the best lasagna and he hate lasagna. Win! Thank you Alicia!
I put this in my meal rotation regularly. So delicious. It’s just me and my husband so we always have leftovers for the next day! It’s nice when you’re on a budget to have a meal feed you twice!
So delicious and easy! I used the full container of ricotta but other than that no changes. Came out perfect.
I've never used jarred sauce so I was a bit reluctant, but my concerns were totally unfounded! This was easy as pie to make and tasted really good! I used Sprout's sensitive marinara sauce. And we have leftovers for a couple of nights!