Who doesn’t love lasagna? And who doesn’t love shortcuts to happy family dinners? The meaty homemade sauce and cheesy layers of this version eliminate the need for awkward boiling of long pasta and slippery noodle layering.
Long before you could buy “no boil” noodles, my mom had been using the technique found in this recipe. She would layer the uncooked lasagna noodles and then pour a cup of water around the edges of the pan before covering and baking! If you’ve ever tried to work with cooked noodles, you know that sloppy, wet noodles slip and break and are no fun to work with! A no boil option definitely makes life easier!
When mom used to make lasagna, she would use jarred sauce. And when my husband bakes this, he prefers to use the jarred sauce as well. But my friend’s homemade spaghetti sauce is so much more flavorful and makes just the right quantity for my lasagna recipe! Win, win!
Lasagna is a crowd pleasing meal that is easily rounded out with salad and garlic bread. You can easily assemble this up to day before, adding the water right before you bake it. Cooked lasagna is also easy to keep in the refrigerator for a few days or even frozen for up to four or five months.
Classic Lasagna Without Pre-Boiled Noodles
Our favorite Italian meal just got one step simpler!
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
- 3/4 lb ground beef, pork or sausage
- 28oz crushed tomatoes
- 8oz tomato sauce
- 6oz tomato paste
- 2 tsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
Lasagna
- 1 lb uncooked lasagna noodles
- 8oz ricotta cheese
- 16oz shredded mozzerella
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 cup water
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
Sauce
In a large saucepan, prepare meat sauce. Cook onions, garlic and meat together until meat browns and onions begin to soften. Drain off excess fat and return to saucepan. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Lasagna
Spread 1 cup of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13” pan. Layer 1/3 each noodles, ricotta, mozzarella, spaghetti sauce, and Parmesan. (I use 3¾ noodles, and 1½ cups of spaghetti sauce per layer.) Repeat twice. Pour water in around the sides of the pan. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake for 15 minutes longer. Let stand 15-20 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 564Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 111mgSodium: 1102mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 5gSugar: 10gProtein: 40g
