An easy, make-ahead strategy for Lasagna Bolognese that freezes well for those busy times when you need a hands-off dinner.
THIS is the lasagna Bolognese that every Bolognese sauce wants to be when it grows up. For this recipe, I use a "cheat" Bolognese sauce (the one that we made here) that has all of the complex flavors of a simmered-all-day Bolognese sauce, but that's done in under an hour. Do you have the real stuff on hand? By all means, use that. Either way, this lasagna bolognese will be fantastic.
Did you know? LasagnE is the plural form of lasagnA. You're welcome.
This easy lasagna Bolognese recipe is very easy to prepare and assemble ahead of time. Then, you can either bake it the next day or freeze it and pull it out whenever you need a quick weeknight meal. You can also go vegetarian with the recipe by using marinara sauce rather than meaty Bolognese.
Want to pull a fast one on the fam and get them to unknowingly eat a big serving of veggies? Make some pureed cauliflower and mix it in with the ricotta cheese! (More about baked pasta casserole as the perfect veggie-delivery system here)
I've taken Lasagna Bolognese to potluck parties, in which case I bake it beforehand and reheat in the oven at the party (if necessary). Then I cut squares of lasagna and let guests serve themselves.
Side dishes for lasagna Bolognese
Here are a few of our favorite accompaniments for lasagna:
- Easy Dinner Rolls
- Easy Microwave Brussels Sprouts
- Meal-Prep House Salad & Homemade Thousand Island Dressing
- Arugula-Shaved-Fennel Salad
That's all there is to it! I hope you love this easy Lasagna Bolognese recipe. My kids come back for thirds!!
–xoxo Michelle
P.S. If you're looking for more easy, budget-friendly recipes, be sure to check out Easy Pantry Meals – Living Out of Your Pantry (and refrigerator and freezer) and Mastering Easy One-Pot Meal Recipes.
Lasagna Bolognese
Delicious baked pasta in a meaty Bolognese sauce. This lasagna can be assembled ahead of time and simply popped into the oven to bake. Or freeze it and take it out when busy times call for an easy dinner.
Ingredients
- 15 oz part-skim ricotta cheese
- 3 cups Bolognese sauce, (see note)
- 2 tbsp. Italian herbs
- 1 lb. lasagna noodles,, prepared according to package directions, rinsed with cold water
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese,, grated
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese,, grated
Instructions
- Mix the herbs with the ricotta cheese. Spread a small amount of the sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13” baking dish. Cover with a layer of noodles: usually 3-4 standard lasagna noodles are perfect for this size of baking dish, but you can easily tear the noodles to size. Spread a 1-cup layer of sauce over the noodles and dot generously with the ricotta-herb mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Add another layer of noodles at a right angle to the previous layer. Repeat the process until you’re almost out of layering material. Top the final layer of noodles with the meat sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese.
- Cover the dish with foil. At this point, you can freeze the lasagna (in this case, I recommend covering first with plastic wrap, making sure to press it over the surface of the lasagna—remove it before baking), or you can bake it in a 375° oven. After 40 minutes, remove the foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
- To reheat the frozen lasagna: preheat your oven to 400°. Remove foil and discard the inner plastic wrap; replace foil. Put the lasagna on the middle shelf of the oven. Check the internal temperature after 50 minutes: when the temperature reaches 160°, remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the temperature reaches 165°.
- Let the lasagna cool for at least 20 minutes before serving, or else you’ll be eating cheesy, delicious, molten lava. Enjoy!
Notes
NOTE: try out this super-easy recipe for Bolognese sauce!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: ⅛ of the lasagnaAmount Per Serving: Calories: 500Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 331mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 22g
Nutrition data provided here is only an estimate: if you are tracking this information for medical purposes, please consult a trusted external source. Thanks!
Related
This is a simple "cheat sauce" that builds flavor quickly with a couple of hacks for a sauce that tastes as though it's been simmered all day.
The Bolognese-Lasagna One-Two Punch
All about making a super-easy Bolognese Sauce to eat over pasta and then use in Lasagna Bolognese. The sauce also freezes really well: pull it out for those crazy-busy weeknights and you'll be eating in the time that it takes to boil the pasta!
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