Lasagna with Cottage Cheese – With Video!

Name: Lasagna with Cottage Cheese
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 35 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 pound ground beef; 1/2 pound mild or spicy Italian sausage, casings removed if necessary; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 1/2 medium white onion, finely chopped; 1 can (29 ounces) tomato sauce; 1 can (12 ounces) tomato paste; 2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves; 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt; 2 eggs; 3 cups small curd cottage cheese; 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese; 2 tablespoons dried parsley leaves; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 box (16 ounces) lasagna noodles (traditional, NOT no-boil); Nonstick cooking spray; 1 pound mozzarella cheese slices; Additional grated Parmesan cheese; Chopped fresh basil leaves

Jump to Recipe

by Lori Yates November 27, 2017 19 comments

Jump to Recipe

Lasagna with Cottage Cheese is a classic Midwestern noodle casserole. Layers of rich meat sauce, pasta, creamy filling and cheese will have the whole family coming back for seconds!

Lasagna with Cottage Cheese - A classic Midwestern noodle casserole. Layers of rich meat sauce, pasta, creamy filling and cheese will have the whole family coming back for seconds! | foxeslovelemons.com

I’ve mentioned a few times that my mom doesn’t really love cooking. We ate home-cooked dinners most nights when I was growing up, but I think my mom would be the first to tell you that cooking doesn’t spark joy for her the way that other hobbies do.

But what’s funny is that on this blog, I feel like I’m always saying “Check out my mom’s Christmas cookies! And potato salad!.”

And what’s more is that her recipes have become some of the most popular recipes on this website.

Today, I’m sharing her Lasagna with Cottage Cheese. My mom often made this for Christmas day when I was a kid (and sometimes my birthday, too!). Hey, she has a few things that she enjoys cooking, and she does those things well.

About this cottage cheese lasagna:

First, let’s chat about that cottage cheese. YES, as the name makes crystal clear, this lasagna uses cottage cheese instead of ricotta cheese (which is more traditional in authentic Italian food).

Hey, this recipe is from the Midwest (welcome, have a brandy old fashioned!), where cottage cheese is readily available, affordable, and delicious, and I am here. for. it.

I enjoy cottage cheese at just about any time of day, including a savory cottage cheese breakfast bowl.

Is this recipe authentically Italian? No. Is it delicious? Absolutely.

Have questions? I’ve got answers:

What is the difference between cottage cheese and ricotta cheese?

Cottage cheese is unripened fresh cheese made from curds, which are created when milk is separated into curds and whey.

Cottage cheese has a very mild flavor and a lumpier texture. Ricotta is a traditional Italian cheese made from whey and has a smoother texture.

Can you use cottage cheese in place of ricotta cheese? Can you make lasagna with cottage cheese?

Yes! That’s what I’m doing in this recipe for cottage cheese lasagna, and the finished product is amazing.

I recommend using small curd cottage cheese (instead of large curd), so that the curds disappear into the cheese mixture more easily and mimic the smoothness of ricotta a little more closely.

Can you use mix ricotta and cottage cheese?

Absolutely. Especially if you’re new to making lasagna with cottage cheese, feel free to use half ricotta and half cottage cheese, if you prefer.

How many layers should lasagna have?

This comes down to preference, but personally, I think it needs to have at least 3 layers to really get that feel of digging in to a tall piece of pasta-y, cheesy goodness.

I generally do 4 layers, because that’s how it works out for 1 box of lasagna noodles to layer into my 10×16-inch pan.

What are the other ingredients in cottage cheese lasagna?:

Meat. You’ll need 1-1/2 pounds total meat for the sauce. My mom likes a combination of ground beef and mild Italian sausage. I like a combo of ground beef and spicy Italian sausage. You could also do all beef (or even keep it vegetarian by subbing in a batch of my lentil pasta sauce), no sausage, but I believe the sausage adds an essential depth of flavor to this dish.
Herbs. This recipe has always been made with dried oregano and parsley. If you wanted to use fresh herbs, you could, but the dried herbs are what we’ve always used.

Mozzarella. You can use shredded mozzarella, but we’ve found that this lasagna is easiest to assemble if you use mozzarella slices. Not the fresh, creamy mozzarella that is usually sold in a ball (even though I love that), but low-moisture, part-skim slices. Think cheese slices that you would put on a sandwich, probably found at or near the deli counter.
Noodles. We use traditional (you have to boil them first) lasagna noodles. I know that they make those no-boil noodles now, but we’ve never tried this recipe with those and we don’t have any advice for how to do that. Boiling the noodles really isn’t that hard, as it happens while you’re cooking the meat sauce, anyway.
Tomatoes. There is A LOT of intense tomato flavor going on in this lasagna, and I love it. You’ll need a combination of canned tomato sauce and tomato paste.

Can you layer lasagna the night before?

Yes! Just like with my Greek Lasagna, his lasagna can be assembled, covered and refrigerated up to 3 days before baking. Bring to room temperature on the counter 1 hour before baking.

Can you freeze lasagna?

Yes, this lasagna freezes well! What I usually do is prepare and bake the full lasagna as written below, and then refrigerate the whole thing (or the leftovers after I’ve served it for dinner once) in the pan overnight.

Trust me, it’s MUCH easier to portion and wrap the pieces when the lasagna is chilled than when it is warm.

The next day, I remove the chilled pieces of lasagna from the pan and wrap them individually in plastic wrap, then foil. I freeze the wrapped pieces in freezer bags.

To reheat, I unwrap as many pieces as I need and place them in a small casserole dish with a little bit of water in the bottom. I cover the dish with foil and bake at 350 degrees F until they are heated through.