Every family has their own idea of what “fast food” is for them. For some, it may be a stop at Burger King. For others, it may be a boxed meal from the store. My own standard for fast food would still be considered “from scratch” by most people. I consider fast food to be any meal where I am not making the individual ingredients. Basically, a meal that I can pull the ingredients from my pantry or freezer, combine them, and cook and serve it without any additional preparation. This easy Sausage Lasagna recipe uses no-boil noodles for an even quicker process (with less dishes too!). It is one of my favorite fast-food recipes. The ingredients are simple, fairly healthy for a quick meal, and make good leftovers to send with my husband for lunch the next day.
How to Make Sausage Lasagna with No-Boil Noodles:
- Cook 2 pounds of sausage in a skillet. When the meat is done, add one 25 ounce jar of red sauce. Combine the meat and red sauce.
2. Next, lightly grease the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish (I like the Pyrex 9×13 Pan). Place a layer of no-boil lasagna noodles in the dish.
3. Spoon half the meat mixture on top of the noodles and spread it out evenly.
4. Add a layer of provolone cheese slices. Try to do an even single layer.
5. Cover the provolone cheese with half a tub of cottage cheese.
6. Add a second layer of no-boil lasagna noodles.
7. Pour the remaining half of the meat mixture on the noodles and spread it evenly.
8. Place a third layer of no-boil lasagna noodles.
9. Then, cover with a layer of mozzarella cheese slices. Again, cover as evenly as possible with a single layer of cheese.
10. Top with the remaining half tub of cottage cheese.
11. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then use a metal spatula to cut it into squares and serve it.
Substitutions and Options
Before I became more comfortable with my own cooking skills, I was often deterred from trying new recipes simply because I was missing one of the ingredients. There are almost always alternatives for any ingredient in a recipe. I am going to list a few here that you can try if needed.
Sausage:
You can substitute almost any ground meat. Hamburger, plain ground Pork, ground Venison, or even ground Turkey would all work just fine. However, if you are using a plain ground meat, I would recommend seasoning it. You can add a tablespoon of Italian Seasoning and a teaspoon each of Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Salt, and Black Pepper.
Spaghetti Sauce:
Any red sauce will work just fine – even pizza sauce or regular tomato sauce that you add some seasonings to.
No-Boil Noodles:
Feel free to use Boil Noodles if that is all you have, or if you do not mind the extra dishes and time.
Cheeses:
I prefer to use the combination of Mozzarella and Provolone to add an extra depth of flavor. But, you could definitely substitute another white cheese, or even use all of one type. Havarti or Swiss would work well too.
Cottage Cheese:
This is probably my least favorite thing to substitute since the cottage cheese does give an amazing texture. But, you could substitute something like Greek Yogurt in a pinch.
Lunches, Leftovers, and Freezer Meals: Sausage Lasagna with No-Boil Noodles for the Win!
Lunches
This recipe makes great lunches to take to work. It is easy to make two of these at the same time. Use one of them for the meal that night. With the second pan of Lasagna:
- Divide it up into 12 equal pieces.
- Put each piece onto a square of aluminum foil.
- Wrap the foil tightly around the food.
- Use a sharpie marker to label it.
- Stack them in the freezer.
- Pull one out at a time to take with you to work for lunch.
- It should be defrosted by the time lunchtime rolls around.
- Take it out of the aluminum foil and microwave for approximately 1 minute.
- Check to make sure the center is warm.
- Enjoy!
Leftovers
To me, this recipe almost tastes better the second day after everything has marinated overnight. If you have leftovers from dinner, go ahead and refrigerate them. I usually use either an airtight glass storage container, or simply cover the baking dish with plastic wrap. You can eat the leftovers cold, throw a piece in the microwave for approximately 1 minute, or even put the pan back in the oven.
Freezer Meals
By now, it should not come as a surprise that this recipe makes an awesome freezer meal.
- Go ahead and fully bake it.
- Let it cool on the counter. If you place it in the freezer while still hot, your dish may crack or even shatter.
- Wrap it securely with plastic wrap. Make sure there are no gaps that could let it acquire that “freezer burn” taste. You can also use a freezer-safe lid that fits your dish.
- On the day you want to serve it for dinner, remove it from the freezer that morning. Let it warm up to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 350 and bake covered for 15 minutes and uncovered for an additional 7 minutes.
- Check the center to make sure it is warmed all the way through.
- Cut it up and serve it! I love serving this with a garden fresh salad in the summer, or home-canned green beans and dill pickles in the winter.
Easy Sausage Lasagna with No-Boil Noodles
This easy Sausage Lasagna recipe is prepared in simple layers. It uses no-boil noodles for an even quicker process (with less dishes too!). It is one of my favorite fast-food recipes. The ingredients are simple, fairly healthy for a quick meal, and make good leftovers.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of ground sausage
- 25 ounce jar of spaghetti sauce
- 16 ounce container of cottage cheese
- 1 box of no-boil lasagna noodles
- 1 package of provolone cheese slices
- 1 package of mozzarella cheese slices
Instructions
- Cook two pounds of ground sausage.
- Add one 25 ounce jar of spaghetti sauce to the sausage and stir well.
- Lightly grease the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan.
- Add one layer of no-boil lasagna noodles (usually takes 3 noodles laid the short way across the pan).
- Scoop half the meat mixture onto the noodles and spread evenly.
- Place an even single layer of provolone slices on top of the meat mixture.
- Scoop half of a 16 ounce tub of cottage cheese on top of the provolone and spread evenly.
- Place a second layer of no-boil lasagna noodles.
- Scoop in the remainder of the meat mixture and spread it out.
- Then, a third layer of the noodles.
- Followed by an even layer of mozzarella cheese slices.
- The last layer is the remainder of the cottage cheese. Again, spread it evenly.
- Bake uncovered at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 45 minutes.
- Let sit for 10 minutes.
- Use a metal spatula to cut it into 12 squares.
- Serve it up!
Notes
Check the blog post for additional options and substitution ideas.
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