Easy Ricotta Cheese Lasagna

4.47 from 112 votes

Easy Ricotta Cheese Lasagna

This make ahead overnight lasagna with ricotta cheese is made easy with a few shortcuts, like (gasp!) not cooking the noodles ahead of time.

Prep Time25

Cook Time1

Total Time1 25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: homemade lasagna, ricotta lasagna

Servings: servings

Calories: 862kcal

Ingredients

2 pounds ground chuck browned and drained
2 jars prepared pasta sauce or 6 cups homemade sauce 24 ounces each
1 cup water
15 oz ricotta cheese
1 egg slightly beaten
½ teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning or an equal blend of dried basil, dried oregano, and thyme leaves
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
16 oz uncooked lasagna noodles
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large skillet, combine pasta sauce and browned ground chuck. Bring to a simmer and heat through.
In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, egg, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and parmesan cheese. Stir together well.
Pour approximately 1 cup of meat sauce into baking dish. Add water and combine with a spoon or fork.
Add a layer of lasagna noodles. Do not overlap as the noodles will expand overnight.
Add rounded spoonfuls of the ricotta mixture over the noodles and spread evenly.
Sprinkle about ¾ cup of mozzarella cheese over the ricotta layer. Top with about 1 cup of meat sauce. Begin a new layer of noodles and repeat as above, ending with remaining meat sauce. Save any remaining mozzarella cheese in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.
Place the covered casserole in a cold oven. Set oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and top with remaining cheese. Return to oven and bake uncovered for an additional 15 to 25 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the edges are bubbly.
Allow the lasagna to rest for 10-15 minutes prior to cutting and serving.

Notes

This recipe uses uncooked, dry lasagna noodles but requires refrigeration overnight. If baking immediately, lasagna noodles should be cooked according to package directions prior to assembling the lasagna.

If you use fresh lasagna sheets, you can skip the overnight refrigeration.

Reheating leftover lasagna: Place cold lasagna in a clean baking dish. (If you use the dish it was originally cooked in, you'll have a baked on mess to clean!) Add a couple tablespoons of water, cover, and bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 or until lasagna is heated through.

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