Lasagna with cottage cheese is the kind of hearty comfort-food meal my family devours. It's just as cheesy and satisfying as the classic version, packs in more protein, and you don't even have to boil the noodles.
Lasagna with Cottage Cheese
While I typically use ricotta to make lasagna, cottage cheese has more protein, and since I almost always have a tub sitting in the fridge, it was only a matter of time before I used it to make a lasagna with cottage cheese. The result is a cheesy, high-protein one-pan dinner that my family devours, and I know yours will love it too.
Ingredients
You’ll make this recipe with regular or oven-ready lasagna noodles. For the cheese layer, you’ll need cottage cheese, mozzarella, Parmesan (grated or shredded), eggs, and simple seasonings. The meat sauce is made with cooked ground meat (beef, turkey, or chicken) and marinara sauce.
How to Make Cottage Cheese Lasagna
If it’s your first time making it, you’ll find the quick video in the recipe card to be a great visual overview of making this recipe.
- Blend and make the cheesy filling.
Blending the cottage cheese keeps it from separating in the lasagna, yielding a creamy texture. Then, mix it with the eggs, seasonings, and cheese.
- Make the meaty sauce.
Cook the ground meat, then mix it with the tomato sauce, and simmer it. - Assemble the lasagna layers.
First, pour some sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Then, add the lasagna noodles, cheese mixture, and meat sauce; repeat for the middle layer. Finally, add lasagna noodles and meat sauce, and sprinkle extra cheese on top.
- Bake
Assemble the lasagna layers, cover with foil, and bake for 55 minutes at 350F. Ten minutes before finishing cooking, remove the foil to brown the top.
Layer Order for Lasagna
The layering order of a lasagna can feel intimidating but it’s all about making sure the pasta is always sandwiched between tomato sauce and some of the cheese mixture, so the moisture cooks the pasta in the oven. Top the last lasagna noodles with the remaining meat sauce and reserved shredded cheese.
More Cottage Cheese Recipes
I add cottage cheese to make some of our favorite recipes higher in protein. My kids love my cottage cheese mac and cheese, this cottage cheese Alfredo, a creamy sauce for chicken, and this cottage cheese baked ziti.
Cottage Cheese Lasagna (Easy Steps)
Watch how it’s made:
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground meat, you choose
- 2 jars (24 oz each) marinara sauce, your favorite
- 32 ounces of cottage cheese
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan, divided
- 9 lasagna noodles, regular or oven ready
Instructions
Prep:
- Preheat the oven to 350F (175C) with the oven rack in the middle position.
- Add the cottage cheese to a blender and blend until smooth. It will be thick. This eliminates the cheese curds from separating in the lasagna.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt. Add the blended cottage cheese, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, and ½ cup of Parmesan cheese to the bowl. Mix thoroughly with a fork to combine. Set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the meat, breaking it up with a spatula, until it's fully browned and cooked through, for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain excess grease. Add the marinara sauce to the cooked meat and simmer for a couple of minutes to heat it up.
Assemble:
- Spread a thin layer of the sauce at the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Top with a single layer of uncooked lasagna noodles and then distribute half of the cottage cheese mixture on top of the noodles, spreading it out from end to end. Top it with a little meat sauce, then add another layer of lasagna noodles on top.
- Repeat this by topping the noodles with the rest of the cheese mixture, some of the sauce (about half of what's left), and then a final top layer of noodles. Spread the remaining meat sauce over the noodles, then top with the remaining cup of mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup Parmesan cheese.
Bake:
- Cover the lasagna tightly with foil and bake in the preheated oven for a total of 55 minutes. In the final 10 minutes, remove the foil and finish cooking, uncovered, to brown the cheesy top.
- Remove from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.
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Tammy says
Something about the cold weather makes me crave lasagna. I was so impressed when I read about the cottage cheese. It was delicious and the family loved it too!
Lilly says
Mmmmhhhh lasagna! And packed with protein! I love this healthyfied version. So good. No one even noticed it’s made with cottage cheese!
Tori says
I just made these and they turned out way better than expected! I loved how the cottage cheese gave the layers this creamy, silky texture that was enjoyed by my family.
Ben says
This is a fantastic recipe. What I loved most (other than the flavor) was not having to boil any noodles. I always hate that part of lasagna.
Kristin says
We loved this so much!