The Easiest Cottage Cheese Lasagna
This quick and easy cottage cheese lasagna is the definition of classic comfort food! It can be made up to 5 days in advance so you can prep it whenever you have time and enjoy a hearty, homecooked meal when it’s convenient for you!
You Will Love This
- This homemade easy lasagna recipe is filled with cheesy goodness and the entire family will love it! It has four layers of pasta, a simple meaty tomato sauce, and three cheeses. It’s the perfect make ahead meal and the leftovers are delicious!
- If you loved this cheesy lasagna, be sure to check out my One-Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta, my Bacon Pasta With Corn and Basil, or my 20-Minute Baked Ravioli Casserole!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Lasagna Noodles – Stick with regular lasagna noodles for this recipe. No boil noodles tend to get soggy and don’t hold up as well. You could also use whole wheat lasagna noodles if you prefer.
- Ground Beef – Try to find 80/20 or 85/15 ground beef. Fat equals flavor so super lean ground beef is not going to taste as good. For a little extra flavor, use ground Italian sausage in place of half the beef. Or feel free to skip the meat altogether or use mushrooms in its place if you want to keep it vegetarian, but I love to add a little protein where I can. You could also use ground turkey in place of the ground beef.
- Garlic – Freshly minced garlic will create a deeper aroma and give you a bit more flavor. If all you have is garlic powder feel free to use that in its place. I suggest adding ½-¾ of a teaspoon to the meat and then adding more to taste. Feel free to add diced onion as well if you like!
- Spaghetti Sauce – Use your favorite jar of spaghetti sauce or make homemade if you prefer.
- Baby Spinach – Fresh baby spinach will wilt beautifully as it bakes. If you don’t like spinach you can omit it.
- Parmesan – For the boldest and freshest taste, shred your Parmesan at home. The best Parmesan cheese substitute in lasagna is either shredded Asiago or Romano.
- Mozzarella – I like to use whole milk mozzarella in this homemade lasagna because of it’s rich flavor and perfect meltiness. If you don’t have any on hand you could try Monterey jack or provolone.
- Cottage Cheese – Use 4% milkfat or whole milk cottage cheese for the best flavor and texture. Using a lower fat cottage cheese could cause your filling to be watery. The closest 1:1 substitute is whole milk ricotta cheese which you can totally use in place of the cottage cheese in this lasagna! If you like the flavor of cottage cheese but prefer the texture of ricotta, try running your cottage cheese through a food processor until it’s smooth and creamy.
- Eggs – The eggs in this lasagna are going to help bind the filling together and give you more distinct layers. If you don’t have any eggs, you can skip it and the flavors will still be delicious!
How to Layer Lasagna
- Lightly grease a 9×13 inch pan with either cooking spray or a thin layer of olive oil. This ensures that the filling, cheese, and noodles don’t stick to the edge of the pan while baking. If you forget this step, it’s not the end of the world, but it helps!
- The best way to layer lasagna is to start with sauce, then add noodles, then add filling. Continue with remaining ingredients, layering them in that order, until they’re gone! They key is to make sure that you’re evenly dividing your ingredients throughout the lasagna so you get the flavor of each ingredient in every single bite!
- You’ll need at least 3 layers of noodles for a basic lasagna but you can go up to even 5-6 layers of noodles as long as your pan can handle it!
- For this cottage cheese lasagna, the sweet spot is 4 layers of noodles. This gives you enough layers for the traditional lasagna feel while still maintaining a nice stack when portioned out from the pan.
- Don’t forget once you add that last layer of noodles, you want to add a moderate layer of spaghetti sauce and a hearty layer of cheese so you can get that melty, cheesy flavor and texture on the top.
- Also, to prevent the cheese from sticking to the tin foil while it bakes, spray the foil with cooking spray or brush it with a thin layer of olive oil before baking. This will ensure that all that melty, ooey gooey cheese stays on the lasagna instead of stuck to the tin foil!
- The hardest part of making lasagna is letting is rest after it’s been baked. It will smell amazing and look even tastier than it smells, but that 10-20 minutes of rest will allow the lasagna to absorb all the juices from the sauce, meat, and filling and stick together MUCH better. Because the lasagna is so warm it will retain it’s heat and still be piping hot even if you serve it 20 minutes after it’s come out of the oven!
Instructions
Saute ground beef in a large skillet with garlic and herbs.
Combine with spaghetti sauce and simmer.
Add fresh spinach, 1/2 the mozzarella cheese, 1/2 the Parmesan cheese, cottage cheese, eggs, and a couple large pinches of salt and pepper to a large bowl.
Mix until well combined.
Spread 1 cup of sauce in the bottom of a lightly greased 9×13 baking dish. Layer three noodles on the bottom of the dish, overlapping them slightly.
Divide the spinach filling into 1/3’s. Spread 1/3 of the filling on top of the noodles. Drizzle a heaping 1/2 cup of meat sauce over the spinach filling.
Layer another 3 noodles.
Spread another 1/3 of the creamy spinach filling on top of the noodles and drizzle a heaping 1/2 cup of the meat sauce over the spinach filling.
Layer another 3 noodles.
Spread remaining spinach filling over the noodles. Drizzle with a heaping 1/2 cup of the meat sauce.
Top with the remaining 3 noodles. Spread remaining meat sauce over the noodles in an even layer.
Sprinkle lasagna with remaining shredded mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 5 minutes.
Let sit at least 10 minutes, then slice. Garnish with Parmesan and parsley, and enjoy!
Tips
- For the best texture, don’t follow the instructions on the box of lasagna. Cook the noodles for about 3 minutes less than the box suggests. This ensures that the noodles are flexible enough to work with, but don’t fall apart. They will come out perfectly al dente after they’re baked!
- Don’t forget to salt your pasta water! Pasta water should be as salty as the sea. I like to add at least 1-2 tablespoons and sometimes more. This is your only chance to season the pasta itself. And don’t worry about the pasta being salty, much of that salt actually washes away when you drain the noodles.
- Make your sauce a little spicy with a couple pinches of red pepper flakes. It’s an easy way to give this homemade lasagna recipe a delightful kick!
FAQ
This is a matter of personal preference but honestly, homemade lasagna tastes just as good with either ricotta cheese or cottage cheese. Cottage cheese will give you a slightly lighter lasagna while ricotta will give you a bit thicker, more rich texture.
The egg binds all the ingredients in the cottage cheese mixture together. This helps the lasagna stick together better when you’re slicing and serving it. It also gives the cheese filling a bit more creamy texture. Without the egg, the filling will be a bit looser and won’t hold together quite as well.
You can replace ricotta with equal parts cottage cheese in any lasagna recipe. In this recipe, we swap out the classic ricotta filling for a lighter cottage cheese base. To get the best of both worlds, try mixing half cottage cheese and half ricotta for a light, creamy texture!
Make-Ahead, Storage, Freezing, and Reheating
- Make-Ahead: This lasagna with cheese can be made up to 5 days in advance which makes it a favorite for an easy weeknight dinner!
- Storage: You can store cooked or uncooked lasagna in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: Lasagna is the absolute best thing to make as a freezer meal for your family. It will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months if you keep it sealed tightly in a freezer-safe airtight oven-safe container. I like to make it in an oven safe 9×13 inch pan, covered in aluminum foil, and sealed inside a large Ziploc bag.
- Reheating: The easiest way to thaw frozen lasagna with cottage cheese is to place it in the refrigerator overnight. Then all you have to do is reheat it in the oven at 375°F for about 30-45 minutes or until warmed through and bubbling.
Serve Lasagna With
- Simple Garlic Bread
- Caprese Flatbread
- Arugula Salad With Dried Cherries and Goat Cheese
- White Bean Kale Salad
Easy Family Dinner Recipes
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Meaty Lasagna with Cottage Cheese
This quick and easy cottage cheese lasagna is the definition of classic comfort food! It can be made up to 5 days in advance so you can prep it whenever you have time and enjoy a hearty, homecooked meal when it’s convenient for you!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stove Top + Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 5–6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 32 oz. spaghetti sauce
- 5 oz. fresh baby spinach, chopped
- 5 oz. grated Parmesan, divided
- 8 oz. shredded whole milk mozzarella, divided
- 24 oz. 4% milkfat cottage cheese
- 2 large eggs
- Kosher salt
- fresh cracked pepper
Garnish
- fresh chopped parsley
- grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375 degrees.
- Cook lasagna noodles about 3 minutes less than their recommended cooking time. Toss in olive oil so they don’t stick together.
- Cook ground beef in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Crumbling with a spatula as it cooks. Add garlic, oregano, and a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Cook for about a minute, stirring occasionally.
- Pour spaghetti sauce into the pan and stir to combine.
- In a large bowl combine fresh spinach, 1/2 the mozzarella cheese, 1/2 the Parmesan cheese, cottage cheese, eggs, and a couple large pinches of salt and pepper.
- Spread 1 cup of sauce in the bottom of a lightly greased 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Layer three noodles on the bottom of the dish, overlapping them slightly.
- Divide the spinach filling into 1/3’s. Spread 1/3 of the filling on top of the noodles.
- Drizzle a heaping 1/2 cup of meat sauce over the spinach filling and layer another 3 noodles.
- Spread another 1/3 of the creamy spinach filling on top of the noodles.
- Drizzle a heaping 1/2 cup of the meat sauce over the spinach filling and layer another 3 noodles.
- Spread remaining spinach filling over the noodles. Drizzle with a heaping 1/2 cup of the meat sauce and top with the remaining 3 noodles.
- Spread remaining meat sauce over the noodles in an even layer.
- Top lasagna with remaining shredded mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake for another 5 minutes.
- Let sit at least 10 minutes, then slice. Garnish with Parmesan and parsley, and enjoy!
Notes
- For the best texture, don’t follow the instructions on the box of lasagna. Cook the noodles for about 3 minutes less than the box suggests. This ensures that the noodles are flexible enough to work with, but don’t fall apart. They will come out perfectly al dente after they’re baked!
- Don’t forget to salt your pasta water! Pasta water should be as salty as the sea. I like to add at least 1-2 tablespoons and sometimes more. This is your only chance to season the pasta itself. And don’t worry about the pasta being salty, much of that salt actually washes away when you drain the noodles.
- Make your sauce a little spicy with a couple pinches of red pepper flakes. It’s an easy way to give this homemade lasagna recipe a delightful kick!
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 337
- Sugar: 8.6 g
- Sodium: 811.9 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 33.4 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 30.3 g
- Cholesterol: 72.3 mg
This was delicious. I generally make lasagna with ricotta, but decided to try the cottage cheese (like my mom did 🙂 . It seems more moist this way… I used mild sausage, since that’s what I had, but didn’t have spinach. Still so good without it, but I can’t wait to make the next pan with it!
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed this cottage cheese lasagna Barbara! I agree that it’s more moist than ricotta. Mild sausage sounds delicious – great idea!!
I made this lasagna recipe tonight and it was delish! I doubled the meat and spinach, but followed the recipe otherwise. My whole family loved it. 🥰 This recipe is a keeper!
Yum, yum, yum! This took a while to make, but it was totally worth it. Never seem to have all the ingredients on hand that I need, but the stars aligned for dinner:) I used no boil lasagna noodles, 24 ounce jar of marinara sauce with pureed fresh grape tomatoes, mushrooms, and onion. (Could not make Italian without onion). Grating the parmesan took awhile, but so added to the cheese flavor. Other than substitutions for what I had on hand, I followed the recipe, and it was so good. using cottage cheese rather than ricotta worked out beautifully, Looking forward to leftovers, and not needing to cook for awhile:) Thanks for sharing this recipe.
I am SO glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, Lynn! Thanks for leaving a review – I really appreciate you taking the time to do that. Cheers to leftovers!!
I love this recipe! I didn’t have any spinach so I used kale instead. Also used 1% milkfat cottage cheese because that’s what I had on hand. I used about 1 1/2 lbs Italian sausage only. So happy I’ve got plenty of leftovers!
That sounds delicious, Kathy! Thanks so much for leaving a review – I really appreciate it 🙂
I bought a super deep lasagna pan and made this recipe for the first time in it. I got 5 layers. It was so amazing. I made a few modifications….
1.) Jazzed up a couple of jars of Rao’s
2.) Used all Italian sausage (2 lbs)
3.) I used a 10 oz bag of frozen spinach with water squeezed out
4.) added the chopped parsley and some chopped basil (about 1/3 cup each) to the cheese/spinach mix
5.) Because of the number of layers, I used 2, 16 oz containers of cottage cheese
I have been trying to replicate my sister-in-law’s lasagna, which is my absolute favorite. This did it. And it’s 9:00 a.m. and I just tasted the leftovers (who can resist?!?) and they are even better the next day! Even cold!
Ahhh you are so right – there is nothing better than leftover lasagna! I’m so glad that you enjoyed this recipe. And deep lasagna pans for the win! Love your modifications. Thank you so much for sharing them and thank you for leaving a review! I really appreciate it 🙂
Sounds delicious. Will try it!
I generally use ricotta when I make lasagna. However, I needed to use a container of cottage cheese so I searched and found this recipe. I followed the it closely, and it looked beautiful when I removed it from the oven. The only reason I didn’t give 5 stars is because the flavor was a little bland–there weren’t many spices. Still, the texture was fluffy and the flavor was good.
This is the best Recipe my family loved it.
I’m so glad to hear that, Olga! This is one of our family’s favorites too 🙂
I made this tonight, I did add about 4 oz of sour cream and 4 oz of cream cheese to the cheese mixture. I also added some fresh veggies to the meat (zucchini, squash, spinach, and mushrooms), (gotta be a little sneaky here with the kids). It is phenomenal! I also only used one jar 24 oz of sauce just so it wasn’t over powering. Thanks for the recipe!
Leftover homemade sauce I had made this easy and duper yummy!
YUM! Homemade tomato sauce would be DELICIOUS in this cottage cheese lasagna. Thanks for leaving a review, Sylvia. I really appreciate it 🙂
Wonderful & so easy!
I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed this lasagna with cottage cheese! It’s one of our family’s favorites. Thanks for leaving a review – I really appreciate it 🙂
Step 4 says to pour spaghetti sauce but it is not included in the list of ingredients. Is it one jar of sauce?
This recipe uses 32 oz. of spaghetti sauce (or about 4 cups). A typical jar is about 24 oz. so I usually buy the 45 oz. jar and then keep the leftover for serving with the lasagna or making another dish. Spaghetti sauce is listed 5th on the list of ingredients. Hope that helps!
Can this be made with no bake lasagna noodles? We love this recipe (just skip the spinach since my husband hates it!)
I think you could definitely give this a try with no boil lasagna noodles!
Hello, what would you recommend on cooking time after this bake is frozen?
Great question Kattie! If you check the Make-Ahead, Storage, Freezing, and Reheating section, I recommend thawing frozen lasagna overnight in the fridge and then baking it for 30-45 minutes or until heated through. I don’t typically bake the lasagna from frozen. Hope that helps! 🙂
Great recipe. My sons loved it
I’m so glad that you enjoyed this lasagna, Cris! Thanks for leaving a review 🙂
This turned out wonderful!
Can you use frozen spinach?
You can if you like, but I would recommend removing as much water as possible before adding the frozen spinach to the lasagna. I also prefer the flavor of fresh spinach as opposed to frozen but it’s totally up to you!