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Lasagna Recipe with Cottage Cheese

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4.88 from 8 votes
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Resting Time 45 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Yield 12 servings (6 ½ cups tomato sauce)
Category Main Course
Cuisine American/Italian

Description

The ultimate lasagna recipe with cottage cheese. Loaded with veggies and spicy sausage, it's satisfying comfort food at its finest.

Ingredients

Tomato Sauce

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • ½ white onion, diced (¾ cup)
  • 3 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
  • 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

Cheese Mixture

  • 1 (16 ounce) container whole-milk cottage cheese (2 cups)
  • 1 (15 ounce) container part skim ricotta cheese (1¾ cups)
  • ¾ cup shredded Mozzarella cheese (3 ounces)
  • ½ cup freshly grated or shredded Parmesan cheese (2 ounces)
  • ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Filling & Assembly

  • 1 pound bulk spicy Italian sausage
  • 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 (9-ounce) box oven-ready lasagna sheets (such as Barilla)
  • 1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
  • 2 cups loosely packed chopped fresh spinach
  • 1 ½ cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • Cracked black pepper

Instructions

Tomato Sauce

  • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Add onion and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook until starting to soften, about 3 minutes.
    large dutch oven with onions cooking it in
  • Stir in garlic and tomato paste; cook one minute. Stir in bay leaves, basil, oregano, thyme and pepper flakes; cook 30 seconds.
    large dutch oven with onions, spices, and tomato paste cooking
  • Add crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce; bring to a simmer then reduce heat to medium-low and cook until flavors have melted and slightly thickened, 30 minutes.
    large pot of tomato sauce with a wooden spoon set in it
  • Remove from heat and let cool.

Cheese Mixture

  • In a large bowl, combine cottage cheese, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, parsley, egg, dried basil, oregano, thyme, pepper flakes and ½ teaspoon kosher salt.
    seasoned cottage cheese mixture in a large glass bowl with a wooden spoon set in it

Fillings

  • Cook sausage in a skillet over medium heat, beaking up with wooden spoon into large crumbles, until cooked through.
    ground sausage cooking in a cast-iron skillet
  • Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a bowl, reserve drippings in skillet.
  • Add mushrooms; increase heat to med-high; season lightly with salt, and cook over medium until browned, about 5 minutes.
    sliced mushrooms cooking in a cast-iron skillet
  • Transfer mushrooms to a small bowl to cool.

Assembly

  • Heat oven to 350ºF with rack set in middle position.
  • Spread 1 ½ cups tomato sauce in bottom of a 9✕13-inch baking dish.
    tomato sauce spread into the bottom of a baking dish
  • Arrange 4 lasagna sheets in an even layer over sauce (overlapping as needed).
    lasagna sheets layered in a large white baking dish
  • Spread 1 ½ cups cottage cheese mixture over lasagna sheets.
    ricotta and cottage cheese mixture spread into a large white baking dish
  • Sprinkle sausage in an even layer over top.
    cheese and sausage layered in a large white baking dish
  • Spread 1 ½ cups tomato sauce over meat.
    tomato sauce layered in a large white baking dish
  • Layer another 4 lasagna sheets over top.
    lasagna sheets layered in a large white baking dish
  • Spread 1 cup cheese mixture over lasagna sheets.
    ricotta and cottage cheese mixture spread into a large white baking dish
  • Top zucchini slices, arranging in an even layer.
    zucchini slices layered in a large white baking dish
  • Spread 1 ½ cups tomato sauce over zucchini. Layer another 4 lasagna sheets over top.
    lasagna sheets layered in a large white baking dish
  • Spread 1 cup cheese mix over lasagna sheets. Sprinkle spinach in an even layer over cheese mixture followed by cooked mushrooms.
    spinach and mushrooms layered in a large white baking dish
  • Layer another 4 lasagna sheets over top. Spoon 1 ½ cups tomato sauce over top lasagna sheets. Spread remaining cheese mixture over top.
  • Sprinkle 1 ½ cups mozzarella and ½ cup grated Parmesan over top. Season with cracked black pepper.
    unbaked lasagna in a large white baking dish
  • Spray a large sheet of foil with nonstick spray (or coat in olive oil). Cover lasagna tightly with foil, oil-side down.

Bake

  • Bake until bubbly, 1 hour.
  • Remove foil and continue baking until browned and bubbly, 45–60 minutes.
    deeply browned lasagna in a large white baking dish
  • Let cool at least 30 minutes before serving.

Equipment

9X13-inch baking dish
large skillet

Notes

Reheating: If you’re reheating just a slice or two you can pop it in the microwave for a couple of minutes until heated through. If you’re reheating half a pan of lasagna, we recommend popping it in a 300ºF oven and warming until heated through.
Save some time and use jarred marinara instead of making the tomato sauce. You'll need two large jars. 
Tomato sauce can be made up to 4 days ahead of time. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Cheese mixture can be made and refrigerated up to 1 day ahead of time.
Sausage and mushrooms can be cooked up to 2 days ahead of time.
If you don't have all the individual dried herbs, use the equivalent amount of dried Italian seasoning.
If you want some additional veggies, or would prefer to skip the sausage, add 1 small diced bell pepper to the spinach layer. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1/2Calories: 520kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 30gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 927mgFiber: 7gSugar: 11g
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