Easiest Lasagna with Cottage Cheese and Spinach (No Chopping!)
This is the easiest lasagna for those nights when you want a cozy dinner without launching into a big cooking project. There’s no chopping, no boiling noodles, and no homemade sauce to simmer. Great for meal prep too!
Equipment
- Baking dish 9 x 12
- Parchment paper
- Tinfoil
- mixing bowl to mix the cottage cheese and spinach
- spoons and spatulas for scooping and spreading
Ingredients
- 9 oven-ready lasagna sheets enough for 3 layers, depending on the size of the sheets
- 750 g cottage cheese 1% or 2%
- 500 g frozen chopped spinach thawed and lightly squeezed to remove excess water (weight before thawing)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Black pepper to taste
- Ground nutmeg to taste
- 320 g grated mozzarella or mozzarella-cheddar blend divided
- 6 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese divided
- 650 g marinara sauce 1 large jar, divided
- ½ teaspoon olive oil or a little oil spray for the parchment paper
Instructions
Setup
- Before you start cooking, make sure your spinach is fully thawed. I tend to leave it in the fridge overnight, but you can also immerse the bag into room temperature water to thaw it faster.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Have a 9 × 12-inch baking dish ready.
- Lightly squeeze out the excess water from the defrosted spinach. In a large bowl, mix the spinach, cottage cheese, eggs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg until evenly combined.
It's layering time!
- Spread one-third of the marinara sauce over the bottom of the dish. Add a single layer of lasagna sheets, using 2–3 sheets as needed to fit. Break the sheets to fit if necessary, and avoid overlapping them too much. Spread half the spinach filling over the pasta, then sprinkle with 60 g of the grated cheese and 2 tablespoon Parmesan.
- Add another single layer of lasagna sheets. Spread with half the remaining marinara sauce, then the rest of the spinach filling. Sprinkle with another 60 g of grated cheese and 2 tablespoon Parmesan.
- Add the final layer of lasagna sheets. Spread the remaining marinara sauce over the pasta, covering the sheets right to the edges. Top with the remaining 100 g grated cheese and 2 tablespoon Parmesan.
Cover and Bake
- Cut a piece of parchment paper large enough to cover the lasagna. Lightly brush or spray one side with oil, then place it oil-side down over the cheese. Cover the top of the baking dish with foil, crimping it tightly around the edges to trap the steam.
- Bake, covered, for 45 minutes.
- After 45 minutes, remove the lasagna from the oven, take off the foil and parchment and bake for another 25 minutes, until the cheese is golden, the sauce is bubbling, and the pasta is tender all the way through. If it's not as brown as you like, move it up to the top rack and broil the top for a few minutes. (Be careful with the broiler. It's easy to burn the top if you're not paying attention!
- Let the lasagna rest for 10–15 minutes before cutting it into 6 portions.
Notes
- Keep the dish tightly covered during the first stage of baking so the pasta can fully cook.
- Be careful if you decide to broil the top. Keep your eye on it so it doesn't burn!
- If you want to add meat, you can add 1lb of seasoned, cooked ground beef, pork, or turkey to the marinara sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 441.9kcalCarbohydrates: 34.8gProtein: 38.4gFat: 17.6gSaturated Fat: 9.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 118.2mgSodium: 1919.8mgPotassium: 852.9mgFiber: 5gSugar: 8.9gVitamin A: 10775.6IUVitamin C: 12.2mgCalcium: 521.5mgIron: 3.3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!