This Lazy Lasagna Casserole is a no-fuss way to satisfy your craving for lasagna. Pasta and a delicious meat sauce are layered with a creamy mixture of ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan and baked until bubbly. Bake it after assembling or freeze it for an easy meal on a busy day.
When I say no-fuss I really mean it. This tasty pasta casserole makes use of pantry staples and unlike traditional lasagna, it’s really quick to put together.
This loose-form lasagna is an awesome quick and easy recipe for a busy day but it’s also an excellent recipe to prep on the weekend and pop in the freezer for one of those days when you really need it.
Freezer meals make my heart sing! They are there for us during those times when we just don’t have the inspiration or are just too overwhelmed with the daily grind to plan a meal.
Cheesy pasta dishes like this one and my Creamy Beef and Shells, Skillet Sausage Pasta, and Chicken and Spinach Skillet Pasta make a regular appearance on my menus. They are super low-stress for me and guaranteed to make everyone in the house happy.
How to Make Lazy Lasagna Casserole
The ingredients are all cooked in advance of the easy layering process and this casserole cooks up in about half the time of a traditional lasagna.
- Cook a pound of lean ground beef with onion and garlic until no pink remains and then drain off the excess grease. Season the mixture with some Italian Seasoning, salt and freshly ground black pepper and then add a jar of your favorite marinara and a little water.
- Stir 10 ounces of cooked pasta into the beefy sauce mixture.
- For the creamy layer combine part-skim ricotta cheese with an egg.
- Stir in some shredded mozzarella cheese, Parmesan, garlic, parsley and freshly ground black pepper.
- Now it’s just a matter of layering it up. First add half of the beef and pasta mixture to a 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
- The creamy ricotta mixture is layered right over the top. You can spread it out neatly like shown here or be even lazier and just drop dollops over the top like I did in the video at the end of this post. The casserole is topped with the remaining beef and pasta mixture and a generous amount of shredded mozzarella and a little shredded Parmesan.
After baking for about 30 minutes I like to garnish the Lasagna Casserole with some fresh basil to brighten it up.
What Kind of Pasta is Best for Lasagna Casserole?
I love to use campanelle pasta for this casserole. The fluted edges resemble curly-edged lasagna sheets making it a natural fit. I’ve been able to find this variety of pasta at many grocery stores but when all else fails, you should be able to find it at Trader Joe’s. As in the case of TJ’s, you may see this variety of pasta labeled as gigli pasta but it is one and the same.
If you can’t locate campanelle or if you want to use up pasta you have in your pantry, there are several other great choices. Any dry short pasta will do the trick but go with one with a hollow center or cup that will hold on to that sauce. Penne, ziti, or medium shells will all work well.
How to Lighten it Up
- Substitute lean ground turkey for the ground beef. For a little flavor boost, give lean ground turkey sausage a try.
- Use a whole grain or a whole grain blend pasta. True whole grain pasta can have a somewhat chewy texture but the new wheat/white pasta blends from Barilla and Ronzoni are closer to the taste and feel of traditional pasta with some added nutrition. Look for them at the store and read the ingredient labels.
- Use part-skim ricotta and mozzarella. You can also reduce the amount of cheese and still have a very tasty result.
Make it a Freezer Meal
This dish fares very well when frozen. Follow the directions as written but after adding the final beef and pasta layer, cover the baking dish tightly with heavy duty foil, crimping the edges tightly, and transfer the unbaked casserole to the freezer.
To serve, thaw the casserole in the refrigerator overnight and remove it from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking to take the chill off. Top it with the final layer of shredded cheeses and bake the casserole as directed, increasing the time as necessary to heat it through if it is still chilly when going in the oven.
More Lasagna Recipes
Lazy Lasagna Casserole
Video
Ingredients
- 10 ounces campanelle, (or another short pasta like penne, ziti, or medium shells)
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ cup diced onion
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic, divided
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper, divided
- 25 ounces marinara sauce, (I like Mezzetta's Marinara)
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- 3 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes, or 1 tablespoon fresh
- fresh basil, optional for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the pasta one minute shy of the package directions. Drain well and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven, cook beef, onion, and ½ teaspoon garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Drain the grease and return the pan to the heat. Sprinkle with Italian Seasoning, salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring, for a minute or two. Add the marinara and water and let it simmer for a couple of minutes until warmed through. Stir in the cooked pasta, remove from the heat and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 13- x 9-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Add ricotta and egg to a large mixing bowl and stir until smooth. Add half of the shredded mozzarella, remaining garlic, half of the Parmesan cheese, parsley and remaining pepper.
- Add half of the beef/pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish. Spoon dollops of the ricotta mixture evenly over the top. Top with remaining beef/pasta mixture, spreading it out with the back of a spoon to cover the creamy layer.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, 5 to 10 minutes longer or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Garnish with fresh basil and let stand for 5 minutes before 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.
Easy Casserole Recipes
Made for the first time last night and it was delicious! (Better than traditional lasagna!) I used cottage cheese instead of ricotta and omitted the egg. Just curious if others still mixed in the egg when using cottage cheese (does it make a difference with or without?)
I forgot to mention I did add chopped up radish greens into the sauce. If you have a garden grab some greens, Carrot Tops radish greens beet greens whatever you have makes a great healthy tasty addition
I made this recipe pretty much exactly as offered. I went a little bit heavy on the garlic and Italian seasoning but that’s just me. I used tricolor rotini pasta since that’s what I had. It turned out really really good. It made plenty so I’ll be freezing individual portions for the future. Thanks for the recipe
Can pasta sauce be substituted for marinara sauce in the in the lasagna recipe?
Any pasta sauce you like will work!
I don’t know why it never occurred to me to make lasagna a casserole, it this was delicious and relatively easy to make. I added diced bell peppers to the meat & onions, and subbed ground Italian sausage for ground beef because that’s what I had in hand and needed to use before it went bad. 10/10 recommend.
Love this recipe! Though I remember a similar one that broken up lasagna noodles were used?
The noodles are broken up for my Skillet Lasagna. Hope you try it!
I used broken lasagna noodles and they were nice and toothsome! Only suggestion is to mix in the marinara sauce quickly or else the noodles stick together. But excellent recipe overall!
Question: My box of Campanelle Pasta comes in 16 oz boxes. How many cups = 10 ounces as stated in the recipe? I tried googling and nothing helped.
Hi Linda. Campanelle is bulky and a little awkward to measure with a measuring cup but I just weighed out 10 ounces with my kitchen scale and it was a tad shy of 5 cups. So, I’d say about 4-3/4 cups dry campanelle should be the correct amount.
I would suggest doubling the sauce. The noodles sucked it all up and it was very dry.
Can I make this in a crockpot? If so, do you have any special instructions?
Changing the method would require further testing. Especially with a pasta dish.
I already made it in a crockpot and it was great, everyone loved it!
I really like the sound of this recipe. Is there any way , I can get a metric version , please .
There are many ways to convert it to metric using the internet.
This was delicious! So much easier than tradional lasagna and just as good!
Second time I’m making this and hopefully there will be some left for the granddaughter to take back to school. I decided to double the recipe so she’ll have some to take back with her.