This Lasagna for Two recipe makes two scaled down casseroles baked in loaf pans. Have one now and freeze the other for an easy meal on a busy day.
I know what you’re thinking. What is a woman with a house full of hungry men doing with a recipe called Lasagna For Two. Let me explain.
This scaled down lasagna baked in a loaf pan should also be known as “Date Night Lasagna” because it’s the perfect thing to have on hand to feed the kids when you head out for a dinner date. Or, for a nice meal for you and your significant other when the kids are out with their friends. There’s nothing like a quiet meal at home when everyone has left the house. Either way, it’s date night.
Baking the lasagna in a loaf pan yields just the right amount to serve two with leftovers (or two very hungry teenage boys). I like to put these together on the weekend and pop them in the freezer for a future meal.
Lets make some mini lasagna!
The grocery list – Olive oil, zucchini, yellow summer squash, yellow onion, minced garlic, cremini mushrooms, fresh basil, salt and pepper, marinara sauce, ground beef, thyme, oregano, ricotta cheese, eggs, parsley, no boil lasagna sheets, shredded mozzarella cheese, and shaved or grated Parmesan cheese.
I added some diced zucchini, summer squash, cremeni mushrooms, and onions to the layers to add even more flavor and texture to the dish. You can use any veggies you prefer or leave them out altogether for a more traditional style lasagna.
Generously coat a large saute pan with olive oil and place over medium heat. Add the veggies and cook and stir for a couple of minutes. Season with a little salt and pepper. Add the garlic and cook for another two minutes then add chopped basil and continue to cook and stir for another minute. Do not allow the veggies to become overcooked or mushy. Remove pan from heat.
Transfer cooked veggies to a dish and set aside.
Wipe the saute pan clean with a paper towel. Coat with a little more olive oil and cook ground beef, over medium heat. Break up meat with the back of your spoon while it cooks. Remove from heat when no pink remains and drain the grease from the pan. Return pan to heat and add thyme, oregano, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook and stir for a minute, then remove from heat and set aside.
In a medium bowl combine ricotta, eggs, and parsley. Mix well.
Gather all the ingredients for layering around you and grab 2 loaf pans that measure 8″ x 4″ or slightly larger. Basic metal loaf pans work great. Be sure to use something freezer safe if freezing. Pour about 1/4 cup of your favorite prepared marinara sauce in the bottom of each pan.
Place an uncooked lasagna sheet on top of the marinara in each pan. Spoon about 1/2 cup of the ricotta mixture on top of each lasagna sheet and smooth out with the back of the spoon.
Spoon about 1/4 cup of the ground beef mixture on top of the ricotta in each pan.
Next, the veggies. Spoon a scant 1/4 cup on top of ground beef layer.
Cheese time! Sprinkle about 1/4 cup mozzarella and 1/8 cup Parmesan on each lasagna.
The last layer is a little bit of sauce, about 1/4 cup.
Begin your next layer with a new lasagna sheet. Repeat these layers two more times, ending with the fourth lasagna sheet.
Divide the remaining marinara sauce between the two pans and spread it out over the top of the fourth uncooked lasagna sheet.
Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Spray some cooking spray on two sheets of foil and cover the lasagnas with the foil, oil side down. This will ensure that the cheese will not stick to the foil when you remove it. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes till hot and bubbly.
Dinner’s ready!
Come to mama.
I hope you try this and you love it and your family loves you for it.
Have a great weekend!
Lasagna For Two
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- ½ small zucchini diced (about ¾ cup)
- ½ small yellow summer squash diced (about ¾ cup)
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 cup diced cremini mushrooms (about 5 mushrooms)
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ cup fresh basil chopped
- 1 teaspoons salt divided
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper divided
- 1 pound 90% lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 15 ounces part skim ricotta cheese
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 26 ounces marinara sauce divided
- 8 no boil lasagna sheets (½ of a 9-ounce package), divided
- 2 cups shredded part-skim or whole mozzarella cheese divided
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a 12-inch skillet and place over MEDIUM heat. Add the diced onion, zucchini, and yellow squash. Cook and stir for about 3 minutes, until barely fork tender. Add the mushrooms and minced garlic and season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the basil and cook and stir for one minute. Vegetables should be slightly softened but not mushy. Transfer the vegetables to a plate and set aside.
- Wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and place over MEDIUM heat. Add the ground beef and cook, stirring, breaking the meat up with your spoon, until no pink remains. Drain the grease from the pan and return it to the heat. Add the thyme and oregano, remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook and stir for 1 minute then remove from heat and set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, eggs, and parsley and set aside.
Assemble the Lasagnas
- Add about ¼ cup of marinara sauce each to the bottom of two 8- x 4-inch loaf pans and spread it out. Place one no boil lasagna sheet over the sauce in each pan.
- Spoon about ⅓ cup of ricotta mixture over each lasagna sheet and spread it out with the back of your spoon.
- Layer about ½ cup of the meat mixture evenly over the ricotta in each pan (½ cup per pan).
- Spoon ¼ cup of the cooked vegetables over the meat in each pan (¼ cup per pan).
- Sprinkle each with ¼ cup mozzarella and about 2 tablespoons Parmesan.
- Pour ¼ cup of marinara sauce over the top of each lasagna and place another lasagna sheet on top of it all, pressing down lightly to compress it into the pan a bit.
- Repeat layers two more times, ending with the 4th and final lasagna sheet. Divide the remaining marinara sauce between the two pans, pouring it directly over top of 4th lasagna sheet. Sprinkle each lasagna evenly with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
- Spray 2 pieces of foil with cooking spray and place, oil side down, over the assembled lasagnas. Cover tightly and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10 to 15 minutes or until bubbly.
- Remove from the oven and allow to sit about 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
Love “Make one, Freeze one” recipes like this, so you have a ready-made dinner for when you don’t have time/don’t feel like cooking. However, a loaf pan full is more like Lasagna for 4! My husband and I only ate half of it initially, and I stuck the loaf pan in the fridge for another day. Guess what? It tasted MUCH BETTER for having sat for 2-3 days! The only drawback was it was a little dry, so next time I think I’ll add more Marinara sauce, as the noodles tend to absorb liquid when left for another meal. Also I think the veggies not only make this a full meal in itself, they add fabulous depth of flavor to the lasagna. Thank you, Valerie!
How about dinner for two with leftovers for lunch the next day? 🙂 Lasagna is always so good reheated that it makes a fabulous make-ahead meal. Thanks so much for your comment, Elizabeth.
Just stumbled across this recipe/method. Wow, its going to be perfect for when my son comes home for his (39th! ouch) birthday this weekend. Can I make this the day before, freeze one and keep the other one in the fridge overnight? Please????? Plan on buying some new dishes as well, yours are gorgeous!
Hi, Paula and welcome! Yes, lasagna freezes beautifully. I’ve done it both before and after cooking and it works well both ways. Enjoy your visit with your son 🙂
Valerie, you were SO right! It worked very well both ways, and my son was so happy with it, he couldn’t compliment me (you, actually) enough. Thanks. This is a keeper for sure. 🙂
great recipe, thanks for posting!
I have also used just regular noodles, the kind you boil, and it turned out just fine. And they’re also cheaper. Also I make my lasagna in the crockpot and you would never know it wasn’t baked. You layer the same things you use when baking and set the timer. I love coming home to the smell of something that’s ready to eat.
Valerie – I tried this for the first time tonight, and it was fabulous! Thanks so much for the recipe. Only problem I had was the consistency. It was a little soupy. Do you think it was the suave I used? New to your blog, and would appreciate any advice!
I’m glad to hear it worked out for you. As far as the consistency, you could try a different brand of sauce or just try using a bit less next time. Thanks so much for your feedback!
I made this as my husband and I are now “empty nesters.” It was wonderful! I would love to see any other recipes you have for two. I doubled the vegetables and used the other half of them as a side dish for another night. Perfect combination and seasoning, I will be making this again and again. Thank you!
A really nice presentation! I like the added veggies and simplicity of your recipe. I’m going to make this for my wife and she’ll be thrilled. Thanks so much for posting!
It makes my day to know that you are making this for your wife 🙂 I hope you both enjoy it as much as we do. Thanks so much for stopping by!
This looks fantastic!! Thanks for posting this! 🙂 🙂
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Lee Ann H.
My blog Crochet…Gotta Love It!
thanks for the ideal for 2 there is only two of us so this will work well for us also sometimes there is only 1 as hubby is a tour bus driver so is gone alot so that would work well for us i just need more meals for 2 …thank you so much for sharing