The Easiest Cheese Lasagna Recipe

Jump to Recipe

This cheese lasagna is one of my favorite dishes to make. It's so versatile and you can put whatever you want in it. Plus, it's always a hit with family and friends. If you're in the mood for a cheesy, delicious lasagna, look no further! This recipe is easy to follow and will leave you with a mouth-watering result. Plus, it's perfect for feeding a crowd. You'll love this cheese lasagna!

Jump to:

Cheese Lasagna
What Should I Serve with Homemade Lasagna?
Ingredients
Handy Kitchen Tools
How to Make Homemade Cheese Lasagna
Frequently Asked Questions
More Easy Pasta Recipes
📖 Recipe

Cheese Lasagna

Do you love lasagna? This is the best cheese lasagna in town! It’s a hearty, cheesy dish that will leave your stomach full and happy. With layers of pasta, creamy ricotta cheese, and savory marinara sauce topped with mozzarella cheese, this lasagna is sure to be your new favorite dish.

It’s so good that it might even become one of your go-to meals when you want something quick and easy to make after a long day at work. Plus, one of the best parts of this recipe is how easy you can make it in big batches and freeze for later!

While we have a simple sauce recipe below for this, you can also check out our all-purpose pasta sauce or this easy homemade pasta sauce recipe for something to make and keep available for any pasta dish you make.

And if you like layered dishes like this, but want something non-traditional, make sure you check out our cabbage lasagna recipe which is a unique version of classic cabbage rolls!

lasagna slices on teal plate with pasta sauce

What Should I Serve with Homemade Lasagna?

Homemade cheese lasagna can be a complete meal on its own since it has vegetables, protein from the cheese, and starch, but there are a lot of things that you can serve with it too.

A side of garlic bread, focaccia bread, mozzarella thyme pull-apart bread, or any crusty bread will taste great with the lasagna.

You can also serve it with a side salad. Roasted vegetables, like this Parmesan garlic roasted broccoli, creamed spinach, carrots, or asparagus can also be served.

If you want to add something to bulk up the cheese lasagna, you can also make a version of roasted chicken or even chicken parmesan to serve too.

three slices cheese lasagna on cream plate with herbs and tomato in center

Ingredients

12 to 16 lasagna noodles (use oven ready to save a step)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic
1 white onion
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
½ tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon aleppo pepper powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
16 oz ricotta cheese (450 g)
⅓ cup fresh parsley
2 large eggs
1 ¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese (300 g)
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (50 g)

Handy Kitchen Tools

blue casserole dish of cheese lasagna on wire rack

How to Make Homemade Cheese Lasagna

Begin by cooking the pasta if necessary. I skip this step by using oven-ready lasagna noodles when possible. Once the pasta is done, drain and set it aside.

In a skillet, you will heat the oil over medium heat and add in the garlic and onions. Cook this while stirring regularly because you do not want the garlic to burn.

After about 5 minutes, add in the tomatoes along with the juice in the can. Stir to combine.

Next, add your herbs and spices. If you want more flavor, you can increase the number of herbs or even use an Italian seasoning blend here.

teal spoon stirring tomato sauce in skillet

Bring the sauce mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Let it cook for another 10 minutes, stirring it regularly until the flavors have combined and it has thickened some.

Preheat the oven and prepare your baking dish with a bit of non-stick spray.

Then, mix together the cheese mixture. Ricotta cheese, fresh parsley, eggs, and part of the mozzarella go together until combined. Add additional Italian seasoning if you wish at this point.

bowl of cheese and herbs with egg being added

Begin assembling the lasagna by placing a spoon of sauce into the pan and topping with the first layer of noodles.

hands putting lasagna noodle into baking dish

Add a layer of cheese then top it with more sauce.

spatula spreading cheese over lasagna noodle

Repeat this process with noodles, cheese, then sauce until you have used all of the ingredients. Depending upon your preferences, this is usually 2 to 3 more layers.

casserole filled with lasagna topped with tomato sauce

Top the lasagna with the rest of the shredded mozzarella and the grated parmesan.

hand sprinkling cheese on top of lasagna

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the cheese is melted and it is bubbling. You can add additional cheese and broil for 2 to 3 minutes to brown the top if desired.

hands holding baked lasagna on table with oven mitts

Let it stand for 15 minutes before slicing to serve.

fork and knife holding bite of lasagna above stacks of lasagna pieces

Frequently Asked Questions

What Kind of Cheese is Lasagna Typically Made Of?

This recipe for cheese lasagna is made using a traditional combination of ricotta and mozzarella. Some people choose to use cottage cheese in place of ricotta or they use a combination of the two. I personally prefer to use just the ricotta as it gives a more traditional Italian flavor.

Do You Add an Egg to The Cheese In Lasagna?

You do add eggs to the cheese mixture when making lasagna. The egg helps to bind the cheese mixture and this keeps it from melting away and falling off the noodles. This is not a step that you want to skip when making the cheese filling.

Can You Add Meat to the Sauce in This Lasagna?

This recipe for lasagna does not have meat in the sauce, but you can easily add it. You can use whatever type of ground meat that you like.

My favorite is to add ground beef or a combination of ground beef and ground pork. You can also use ground sausage. Make sure to cook the ground meat well so that there is no pink left in the meat and then add the meat to the sauce.

If you want to give the meat sauce a bit of a twist, you can also use sliced Italian sausage or shredded chicken to the sauce. Any of these meat additions will taste fantastic in this homemade lasagna.

slices of lasagna stacked on teal plate with black background

More Easy Pasta Recipes

If you are looking to add more tasty meals to your menu, look no further. We have amazing Italian and Italian-inspired dishes for you to try. From classics to fun twists, below are a few of our family favorites. Make sure that you bookmark the recipes, print them out, or pin them to a favorite Pinterest board so they are handy when ready to prepare.

📖 Recipe

Yield: 8

The Easiest Cheese Lasagna Recipe

A delicious combination of flavors, this easy cheese lasagna recipe is a perfect weeknight comfort food meal.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Additional Time 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

16 lasagna noodles
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 white onion, chopped
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
½ tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon aleppo pepper powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
16 oz ricotta cheese (450 g)
⅓ cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 large eggs
1 ¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese (300 g)
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (50 g)

Instructions

Cook the lasagna if needed then drain and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
Add in the garlic and onions, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
Then, add in the tomatoes (and juice in can) and stir to combine.
Add in the dried oregano, aleppo pepper powder, salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine, then bring to a simmer.
Once simmering, reduce the heat to low and let cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C and then lightly spray the bottom of a 9"x13" baking dish with non-stick spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, parsley, eggs, and ¾ cup of mozzarella cheese. Stir to combine and add additional seasonings if desired.
Once the sauce is ready, begin assembling the lasagna.
Spoon ¼ cup of the sauce into the pan and spread thinly over the bottom, then top with cooked lasagna noodles.
Next, spread ⅓ of the cheese mixture over the noodles.
Top the cheese with ⅓ of the sauce.
Repeat with noodles, cheese, then sauce for 3 to 4 layers.
Sprinkle the top with the remaining ½ cup of mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan cheese.
Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until bubbling and the cheese is melted.