How to Make No-Boil Lasagna (using Regular Noodles)
No-Boil Lasagna Using Regular Noodles
Maybe everyone already knows this trick, but it seriously revolutionized my lasagna making once I learned about it. Did you know that you can make lasagna using regular noodles without boiling them first?? No joke. It’s pretty amazing.
I’ve only made traditional lasagna one other time and I decided right then and there that it was too fiddly for me to do again. Messing with boiling a huge pot of water and burning my fingers on hot lasagna noodles was just not worth it to me.
Then I learned that you can make delicious lasagna without boiling the noodles and my world was changed. This method makes cooking lasagna a snap. Try it. I know you’ll feel the same.
One thing that I would note is that I’ve only used homemade tomato sauce for this recipe which tends to be a little runnier than store-bought. I don’t think it makes much of a difference, but adding 1/4 cup water to your sauce will give the noodles a little extra liquid to absorb during cooking if you think it might need it.
How to Make No-Boil Lasagna:
Preheat oven to 375. Brown ground beef.
Ladle small amount of tomato sauce on bottom of 9″x13″ greased baking pan.
Add a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles to pan.
Add 1/2 of the cottage cheese, 1/2 of the Parmesan cheese and 1/3 of the shredded mozzarella cheese to the pan.
Add 1/2 of the ground beef and 1/3 of the tomato sauce to the pan.
Repeat steps 3-5.
Add final layers of noodles, remaining tomato sauce and remaining shredded mozzarella cheese.
Cover lasagna with foil and place dish on baking tray.
Bake for 1 hour.
Want more quick and easy dinner recipes? Here are a few of my favorites:
Easy 5-Ingredient Sloppy Joes
Instant Pot Beef Stew
Quick and Easy Freezer Meatloaf
Slow Cooker Sausage and Potato Casserole
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How to Make No-Boil Lasagna (using Regular Noodles)
Ingredients
- 1 quart or 32 oz tomato sauce
- 24 oz cottage cheese
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 12 regular lasagna noodles or enough for 3 layers
- 1 lb ground beef
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375. Brown ground beef.
- Ladle small amount of tomato sauce on bottom of 9"x13" greased baking pan.
- Add a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles to pan.
- Add 1/2 of the cottage cheese, 1/2 of the Parmesan cheese and 1/3 of the shredded mozzarella cheese to the pan.
- Add 1/2 of the ground beef and 1/3 of the tomato sauce to the pan.
- Repeat steps 3-5.
- Add final layers of noodles, remaining tomato sauce and remaining shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Cover lasagna with foil and place dish on baking tray.
- Bake for 1 hour.
This trick works great with gluten-free rice lasagna noodles as well. I agree, totally revolutionary! I have made lasagna much more frequently after discovering how well this works. ?
I’ve been making lasagna for over 35 years using regular lasagna noodles and never precooked them. I also get my cheese at the deli and have it sliced which makes the cheese layer a snap to put down. I always put sauce first in the bottom of the pan and make it the last layer on top too. This way the cheese melts and bubbles up, but doesn’t burn. If your sauce isn’t thin, add a bit if water and make sure there is sauce in the corners and on the ends. The liquid will be absorbed and help the noodles set.
When using the reg noodles that say to boil like the old way in your receipt will the noodles get cooked like they need to be??
Yes
It’s been in oven for 1.5 hrs still not done. 😒😳🙄
You know what my son, who is a chef, says when I ask him for cooking times says?
Cook it till its done!
I always think about that when things go slower than anticipated.
Hope this made you smile😊
I didn’t believe it being a always boil but used regular noodles, put foil on tight. Bit more sauce to make up for uncooked noodles then I would have added. Delicious best lasagna ever!
No spices?
Feel free to add any spices that you desire. Italian Seasoning, garlic powder and onion powder would be good choices.
Can you use ground turkey instead of beef ?
Sure!
Great tasting, easy to make!
Can I make this a day in advance? Or, do you think I could make it and freeze it for a couple of days? I want to deliver it to my kids on Christmas Eve so they can have it with Christmas dinner.
I would make it the day before and then have them reheat it for Christmas. If you wanted to freeze it, make sure to cook it first.
Thank you! Now a favorite family meal! Appreciate the simplicity of the no-boil ahead — why make thing more complicated than they need to be! Worked great, completely cooked at one hour. Did mix little bit of water to each helping of tomato sauce as suggested. Thank you, delicious!
the meat needs to cook IN the sauce. The traditional method says we should mix 1 egg in the ricotta (cottage cheese if you don’t have ricotta) with salt, pepper, parmesan, and italian herbs. I also require Monterey Jack, provolone, and Muenster. In my opinion, it’s not lasagna without Muenster cheese. Most often, I use 7 cheeses: Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, Provolone, Muenster, Parmesan, Ricotta, Romano. The meat and onions really need to simmer in the sauce for a while to have a true meat sauce (not tomato sauce).
I mixed the sauce and meat/veggies and it worked just the same. Came out delicious, and it was the first lasagna I’ve made! Can’t wait to make more now that I know how easy it is.
Will let6 you know later on how it turns out.
Always appreciate your tasty recipes. While many recipes can be come more expensive by adding more things than many of us have on hand or can afford, yours provide a means for us to provide great meals within our budget. Thank you.
Fantastic! I broiled it for a couple minutes at the end to get a nice brown on the cheese 🙂
So glad I found your site! Thank you for the recipes!
Great recipe, I substituted chicken breast and broccoli for the ground beef and it was delicioso!!
The cottage cheese hurt my feelings. *Italian hand gesture for emphasis* say it with me… RICOTTA, Mozzarella, Parmesan, parsley, basil, garlic… presto! 😉
I’m sorry, but it does taste mostly the same… 🙂
I used ground turkey instead. I hope it turns out good. I am making it. I will let you know how it turns out.
Wonderful post