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Lazy Lasagna: The Ultimate Weeknight Hero

For When You Want Comfort Food Without Wrestling Noodles
This crowd-pleasing classic uses shortcut ingredients for maximum flavor and minimal effort. Customize it with hidden veggies, double it for a potluck, or freeze half for your future self.
Bonus: heats like a dream in the microwave when you need dinner now.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword easy, kid friendly, potluck
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 6
Author Kelly Brakenhoff

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces egg noodles cooked (1 package). I use whatever pasta is in the pantry.
  • 1 cup cottage cheese
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 16 ounces spaghetti sauce marinara is yummy
  • 1 pound lean ground beef or turkey. Around here we use deer burger.

Instructions

  • Cook noodles.
  • Mix cooled noodles with cheese.
  • If using meat, add the sauce to the meat.
  • You can layer this, but truly you could just throw it all together in a casserole.
  • Layer 1: sauce
  • Layer 2: 1/2 noodle mixture
  • Layer 3: sauce
  • Layer 4: rest of noodles
  • Layer 5: sauce
  • Lightly sprinkle extra cheese on top. If you have fresh tomatoes on hand, slice them and lay them on top too.
  • Bake at 350 for 15 to 30 minutes. Or Microwave with a vented cover for 10 minutes until heated throughout.

Notes

This is a prime veggie-sneaking opportunity. Saute onions, mushrooms, zucchini, or pureed carrots with the meat. Once you add sauce, nobody will notice. You're a dinner ninja now.
Perfect for potlucks. I double the recipe and serve it in a large crockpot to keep it warm—and yes, people ask for seconds and the recipe.
Freezer-friendly. Make one for now and one for Future You. Or better yet, give the extra to someone you love. And by that, I mean me.
Reheats like a champ in the microwave or oven. Bonus points if you eat it directly out of the container in front of the fridge. (No judgment.)
 
You’re always alone in the kitchen...
...so go ahead and lick the spoon, bend the rules, and turn mistakes into magic. I won’t tell if you don’t.
 
Cassandra Sato Mysteries. Small College, Big Secrets. Background is a college building with a clocktower. Foreground is a young Asian woman wearing a suit and standing with her arms crossed.Whip up this delicious treat, pour yourself a cozy cup of tea, and settle in with one of my Cassandra Sato Mysteries! Nothing pairs better with a fresh-from-the-oven snack than a twisty mystery to keep you on the edge of your seat. 🍵🔍 Happy reading and happy baking!