Keep dinner super simple with this Easy Lasagna recipe. Forget about the homemade sauces and frying the ground beef. This comforting meal is layered with simple storebought vegetarian ingredients to save you time and go big on flavor!
Easy homemade lasagna
There’s SO much to love about lasagna. Who can resist the layers of tender noodles, stretchy melted cheese, and tangy tomato sauce? It’s one of those perfect meals that’s always delicious and can still be layered with almost anything, like Italian meatballs, black beans, and of course, plenty of cheese.
Lasagna’s only downfall? It can take a lot of time to prepare and cook!
This Easy Lasagna recipe is simple, basic, and a weekly staple in my house. Made with easy out-of-the-box ingredients like ricotta cheese, jarred pasta sauce, mushrooms, mozzarella cheese, and oregano, this is the ultimate time-saving dinner that never skips out on flavor.
If you have the time or want to play in the kitchen, you can make this simple lasagna recipe with Roma Tomato Sauce, Oven Roasted Mushrooms, sauteed spinach, and ground beef. There’s plenty of room for substitutions, add-ins, and new flavor!
Easy lasagna ingredients
This lasagna is made with super simple ingredients – nothing fancy needed! All of these can be taken right out of the package, layered, and baked:
- Lasagna noodles – I recommend regular lasagna noodles, but if oven ready noodles are your thing, that’s ok. If you use oven ready noodles, add a little bit of water to the sauce as the noodles need more liquid to cook.
- Pasta sauce – Pick a jar of pasta sauce that has fresh, tangy flavors. My go-to is usually made with cheese, mushrooms, or garlic.
- Mushrooms – Sliced and ready to layer on the noodles. Feel free to skip the mushrooms if you’re not a fan!
- Ricotta and mozzarella cheese – Because is it even lasagna without stretchy, melted cheese?
- Dried oregano – For Italian flavors.
How to make an easy weeknight lasagna
There isn’t much prep involved when making an easy homemade lasagna. The noodles are the only element to cook beforehand but you can always skip this part by using oven ready noodles.
This is all you need to do:
Cook the noodles according to the package instructions.
Drain and rinse the noodles under cold water.
Add a few tablespoons of pasta sauce to the bottom of a baking dish and spread it out.
How to layer lasagna
Now that everything’s ready, it’s time to layer the lasagna. I like to add 3 lasagna noodles to each layer but you can use more or less depending on the size of your pan (I use a 9×13 pan).
Follow this pattern until you reach the 5th and final layer:
- Noodles, sauce, cheese, mushrooms, oregano.
- Noodles, sauce, cheese, mushrooms, oregano.
- Noodles, sauce, cheese, mushrooms, oregano.
- Noodles, sauce, cheese, mushrooms, oregano.
- Finish the lasagna with noodles, tomato sauce, and cheese.
Cover the dish with foil and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove the foil in the last 15 minutes of baking. Let it cool for 5 minutes when it’s done, then slice, serve, and enjoy!
Do you have to cook noodles for lasagna?
Not always! I used uncooked lasagna noodles for this recipe, which need to be boiled before assembling (just like regular pasta noodles). If you want to save even more time, use oven ready noodles instead and cover them in plenty of tomato sauce so they can easily soften in the oven.
Variations
You’re more than welcome to keep this recipe as easy as possible or add a lot more flavor with extra ingredients. All of these variations will give you the lasagna of your dreams:
- Sauce: Italian crushed tomato sauce, meat sauce, Roma tomato sauce, cherry tomato sauce, or white sauce.
- Cheese: Cottage cheese, shredded mozzarella, or grated parmesan cheese.
- Vegetables: Carrot ribbons, sliced zucchini, sliced eggplant, bell peppers, and sauteed spinach or kale.
- Add-ins: Lean ground beef, meatballs, fresh basil leaves, or Italian seasoning.
Can you make lasagna ahead of time?
Personally, I think this baked lasagna tastes its best when made in advance! To prepare it ahead of time, assemble and bake the lasagna, then let it cool completely. Wrap it well and store it in the fridge for 1 or 2 days. Reheat it in the oven (instructions below) or microwave and enjoy!
Storing, freezing, and reheating lasagna
To store, keep the leftover lasagna covered in the fridge for 3 or 4 days.
To freeze, wrap up the baked lasagna and keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat, place the frozen or chilled lasagna in a 350ºF oven. Heat until it’s warmed through (about 30 minutes).
Looking for more comforting Italian recipes?
- Pizza Dough & Homemade Pizza Sauce
- Tomato Macaroni and Cheese
- Italian Sausage Soup
- Rigatoni with Sweet Italian Sausage
- Oven Baked Chicken Meatballs
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Easy Lasagna
PrintIngredients
- 15 lasagna noodles
- 1 24 ounce jar pasta sauce
- 1 16 ounce container ricotta cheese
- 1 16 ounce brick mozzarella cheese sliced
- 8 ounces fresh mushrooms sliced
- dried oregano to season
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add lasagna noodles. Cook noodles according to box’s instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- In a 13×9 baking dish, put 2 tablespoons of pasta sauce on the bottom and spread out to cover.
- Place 3 lasagna noodles down, spread 1/5 of the pasta sauce on top of the noodles, put 1/5 of the ricotta cheese down (in dollops), add 1/5 of sliced mozzarella cheese, add 1/5 of the mushrooms. Add a sprinkle of dried oregano to season the entire layer.
- Repeat noodles, pasta sauce, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, mushrooms and oregano 4 more times, so you'll have a total of 5 layers.
- Cover lasagna with aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake for 15 more minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before cutting into slices.
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