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Best Ever Lasagna Made With Cottage Cheese

This classic Italian Lasagna made with Cottage Cheese is as delicious as it is easy to make! Featuring three different kinds of cheese and a savory red meat sauce, this lasagna recipe is scrumptious.

Piece of cottage cheese lasagna on white plate in front of baking dish and additional piece of lasagna.

Every cook needs a good lasagna recipe.

And this one is as authentic as it comes!

My half-Italian mother has been making this lasagna for as long as I can remember. She got the recipe from her mom who got it from my Italian great-grandma.

One of the best parts is that it uses so few ingredients. No long grocery list is needed to prepare this lasagna made with cottage cheese!

Step-by-Step Instructions

Bowls and plates of lasagna ingredients on white table including cottage cheese and tomato paste.

BROWN 1 pound ground beef and 2 cloves of minced garlic.

Browned ground beef in large black skillet on white table.

Next, add 6 ounces of canned tomato paste, 42 ounces of canned tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt, ¾ teaspoon pepper, and ½ teaspoon oregano.

COVER and simmer for 20 minutes.

Tomato meat sauce in large black skillet on white table next to bowl of cheeses.

While the sauce is simmering, COOK 9 lasagna noodles as directed on package and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Several cooked lasagna noodles in collander on white table.

ASSEMBLE the lasagna by alternating layers of meat sauce, noodles, and cheeses (1½ cups mozzarella cheese and 12 ounces cottage cheese) in a baking dish, beginning and ending with meat sauce.

Spoonfuls of cottage cheese and shredded mozzarella on lasagna noodles in baking dish.

BAKE 20 to 30 minutes until bubbling and finish with grated parmesan cheese on top.

Recipe Tips and Substitutions

White baking dish of lasagna with cottage cheese and melted mozzarella cheese on table top.

If you’d like to save some calories and fat, you can substitute ground turkey for ground beef (that’s how I always make it!).

If you don’t like grated parmesan cheese, you can top the lasagna with more grated mozzarella.

The recipe says to simmer the sauce for 20 minutes. If I’m short on time, I’ll cook it long enough for the ingredients to combine and then call it good!

If you’re out of some ingredients you can use these:

Here are several tips on how to tell if your lasagna is done, if you’re not too sure after 20 minutes.

More Like This

Metal spatula rests on white baking dish with cut pieces of lasagna with melted mozzarella.

Want more pasta dishes? You’ll love these!

Side Dishes For Lasagna

Looking for some side dish ideas to round out your lasagna dinner? Try these!

  • Appetizers like bruschetta or mozzarella sticks
  • Salads like prosciutto melon salad or pesto caprese salad
  • Bread like sourdough focaccia or French bread
  • Vegetables like maple glazed carrots or zucchini with eggs

Get these recipes and see all 55 Ideas for what to serve with lasagna.

FAQs

Spatula lifts piece of lasagna with cottage cheese from pan.
Is lasagna better with ricotta or cottage cheese?


That depends on what you mean by better. Both Ricotta and cottage cheese have a similar flavor profile, but they differ in texture and fat content.

For a lighter lasagna, cottage cheese is the clear winner. Ricotta is creamier than cottage cheese, but also has a lot more calories.

If you want to use cottage cheese, but prefer the consistency of ricotta, try straining or blending it to transform the texture.

Does cottage cheese make lasagna watery?


Cottage cheese can make your lasagna watery, so here are a few extra steps you can take to prevent that.

Try draining the cheese in your sink for several minutes before making this dish or squeeze out any moisture in a towel.

You can also opt for full fat cottage cheese. Low-fat cheese tends to lose more whey as it cooks which can make the dish more watery.

What order do you layer a lasagna?


I always start and end my lasagna with the meat sauce.

Add cheese on top of the noodles so they bind together and always end with sauce on top so every layer has each component.

Plus, the dish would look a bit funny with nothing on top!

Why is my lasagna runny?


The sauce can be a little runny if you serve this lasagna right out of the oven. Cool before slicing for best results.

You can also drain off a little of the tomato juice before you add them to the sauce if you like a thicker sauce. If you’d like even more sauce, add another can of tomatoes for 42 oounces total.

Be sure to choose lean meat which produces less grease and drain well before adding it to your pasta.

I hope your family loves this delicious lasagna made with cottage cheese! If you make it, be sure to take a picture and tag me on Instagram with @ashcroftfamilytable and use the hashtag #ashcroftfamilytable!

 

And if you’d like to get a 4-week meal plan featuring my recipes, just enter your email in the form above and you’ll get it straight to your inbox!

Metal spatula rests on white baking dish with cut pieces of lasagna with melted mozzarella.

Best Ever Lasagna Made With Cottage Cheese

The Ashcroft Family Table
This delicious Italian lasagna made with cottage cheese features three different kinds of cheese and a savory red meat sauce.
4.25 from 29 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Dinner
Cuisine Italian
Servings 12 servings
Calories 268 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 6 ounces tomato paste
  • 42 ounces diced tomatoes, (3) 14 ounce cans
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¾ teaspoon pepper
  • ½ teaspoon oregano
  • 9 lasagna noodles
  • 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 12 ounces cottage cheese
  • Grated parmesan cheese

Instructions
 

  • Add ground beef and garlic to a large skillet or pan. Brown ground beef and garlic over medium-high heat.
  • Once the ground beef is cooked, drain off any excess oil and add tomato paste, tomatoes, salt, pepper, and oregano to the pan. Stir to combine.
  • Cover the pan and simmer for 20 minutes.
  • While the meat mixture is simmering, cook noodles as directed on package. Drain and set aside.
  • Once the noodles and meat mixture are done, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Add a small spoonful of meat sauce to the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Place 3 lasagna noodles on the meat sauce and then top the noodles with some mozzarella and cottage cheese. Repeat this order until all of the noodles are used (meat sauce, noodles, mozzarella, cottage cheese). Reserve some meat sauce to put on top of the lasagna.
  • Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until bubbly and finish with grated parmesan cheese, or additional mozzarella. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 268kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 530mg | Potassium: 462mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 430IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 134mg | Iron: 2mg
Keyword lasagna made with cottage cheese, lasagna using cottage cheese, lasagna with cottage cheese, lasagna with cottage cheese recipe
Love this recipe? Share it on Social!Mention @ashcroftfamilytable or tag #ashcroftfamilytable!
4.25 from 29 votes (28 ratings without comment)
Recipe Rating




MrsHuf

Saturday 29th of January 2022

Stumbled on this recipe trying to find one similar to one that I used to bake years ago. That recipe included cottage cheese and ricotta. But, cottage cheese isn't authentic but rather it was used as a necessary substitute for difficult to find (back then) ricotta cheese by early Italian-Americans.

Cottage cheese does tend to make for watery lasagna so the best noodles to use are the no-boil noodles. The noodles will absorb some of the excess liquid as they cook in the oven. Give them a try!

Sean

Saturday 9th of April 2022

@MrsHuf, Mix cottage cheese with some mozzarella cheese, an egg and parmesan cheese and it won't be watered down and will be creamy.

Jessica Ashcroft

Sunday 30th of January 2022

Thank you for the recommendation! I will definitely try that next time I make this :)