Everyone loves lasagna. It’s perfect for feeding a big crowd and a hit at potlucks. But most people reserve it for a weekend cooking project since it can be time-consuming to construct. When the craving hits midweek, we’ve got you covered. This easy lasagna recipe has everything we love– tender pasta, creamy ricotta and a rich tomato sauce–but it comes together in under an hour thanks to no-boil lasagna noodles and store-bought marinara. We zhuzh up the sauce with a glug of balsamic vinegar and a good swirl of butter, then a simple mix of ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan brings it all together. Bake it for a half hour and voila! Lasagna that’s welcome any night of the week.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 55 min |
| Active: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 6 to 8 servings |
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 55 min |
| Active: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 6 to 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound 80/20 ground beef
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- One 24-ounce jar marinara sauce
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- One 16-ounce tub whole-milk ricotta (about 2 cups)
- 1 cup grated Parmesan (about 4 ounces)
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella (about 8 ounces)
- 12 no-boil lasagna noodles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, 2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon and stirring occasionally, until the beef is browned and no longer pink in the middle, 5 to 6 minutes. Pour in the marinara sauce and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat to medium and continue to simmer until slightly reduced, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and butter and stir until the butter is melted.
- Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, egg, 1 cup of the mozzarella, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a medium bowl.
- Spoon 1/2 cup of the sauce onto the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Lay 3 of the lasagna noodles over the sauce. Spread a third of the cheese mixture over the noodles, then spread a third of the remaining sauce over top. Repeat 2 more times, then lay the last 3 noodles on top. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella.
- Bake until the noodles are softened, the cheese on top is melted and turning brown in some spots and the sauce is bubbling around the edges, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 601 |
| Total Fat | 33 g |
| Saturated Fat | 16 g |
| Carbohydrates | 41 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 6 g |
| Protein | 33 g |
| Cholesterol | 131 mg |
| Sodium | 795 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 601 |
| Total Fat | 33 g |
| Saturated Fat | 16 g |
| Carbohydrates | 41 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 6 g |
| Protein | 33 g |
| Cholesterol | 131 mg |
| Sodium | 795 mg |
Reviews
Jbowers333, I’m annoyed at your lack of knowing that dry ingredients are measured by weight and liquid ingredients are by volume. 8 ounces of mozzarella is two cups.
This is close to a 5 for how easy and tasty it is. My 2 suggestions – a bit too salty and I love salt. I would cut down for sure from the 3 total teaspoons, prob around 2 total. I did a light 3 teaspoons of kosher salt, but I was still drinking lots of water all night. I also baked covered for the first 20 min and uncovered for about 15min. Then let it rest for at least 5 min before slicing. Otherwise very tasty and I loved the crispy edges!
I made this lasagna and my husband loved it–as well as myself! I used RAO Homemade Marinara, the whole 32 oz jar. I also used Barilla’s Oven-Ready Lasagna; the package recommended covering the dish with aluminum foil for all but the last 5 minutes. I didn’t have mozzarella cheese on hand; so, I used fontina cheese which is considered as a good substitute. I also had part skim milk ricotta cheese on hand, not whole milk. All in all, the lasagna was delicious and the recipe a keeper.
It turns out that the sauce I chose didn’t need the simmering. When I assembled the lasagna the sauce was very thick. The cheese mixture was also very thick and there wasn’t enough moisture to hydrate the noodles. It was a total failure. I’m sure I can fix this recipe and have success next time. I wish I could attach a picture to show what I ended up with.
Make sure you cover with aluminum foil!! The whole top burnt. Also, I’d probably lower the temp a little and cook longer.
I am in the process of making this recipe and am annoyed by the lack of a proof reader. The recipe calls for a cup of this and a cup of that but then says 4 ounces, a cup is 8 ounces.
This is a good recipe, though I don’t use the vinegar, I add Italian sausage to ground beef, and Italian seasoning to cheese mixture with a tsp garlic and cover with foil and bake. Though remove cover last 10 min!. Been making it this way for over 40 yrs! Always a hit
FYI you do not have to use the no boil pasta. The good ol’ regular lasagna noodles work just fine uncooked. You just add a little more sauce than you would if they were precooked and voila! they are perfect. No change in cooking time. And you should always cover with foil. Uncover last 10 minutes or so to brown the cheese. Been doing this for almost 30 years and haven’t looked back!
Definitely need to cover with aluminum foil or the top will burn, along with the top layer of noodles. Some of the noodles were still chewy. I think this would be a good recipe if using noodles that are boiled.
This is, will be , and most of all Great because…I’ve already made it! Mike Stice.