Lasagna With Cottage Cheese

This lasagna with cottage cheese is a lighter twist on the classic recipe without sacrificing any flavor! Hearty, creamy, and cheesy, this comes together in no time! 

We come from a family of lasagna eaters.

It’s pretty much a weekly staple in our household and we don’t discriminate- we like all forms of it. Whether that be a low carb version, one made with seafood or zucchini, or one made with eggplant. When we want to lighten things up, we love to make a cottage cheese lasagna. 

Why you’ll love this recipe

• A lighter lasagna. Ricotta is higher in calories than cottage cheese. Using cottage cheese instead of ricotta makes lasagna lighter without sacrificing its flavor. 
• A perfect make-ahead meal. You can make cottage cheese lasagna up to 5 days in advance. Lasagna also freezes well. A frozen lasagna comes in handy whenever you don’t have time to make dinner or have unexpected guests. 
• A crowd-pleaser. Lasagna is a comfort food everyone loves and this cottage cheese version won’t be an exception. 
• Easily made gluten-free. Use gluten-free noodles to make this dish suitable for celiacs. 

What I love about this recipe is just how similar it tastes to a classic Italian lasagna. Ricotta and cottage cheese are so similar, no one will be able to tell the difference! 

Ingredients needed

This recipe calls for very simple ingredients that you’ll likely already have on hand. While you can use a store-bought or pre-made meat sauce, making your own is so much more delicious. Here is what you’ll need: 

For the sauce:

• Ground beef. I prefer to use only ground beef for this recipe. You can replace some of the ground beef with ground pork. 
• Tomato sauce. Use a can of good-quality tomato sauce. As tomato sauce is often flavored with onion, garlic, celery, and various herbs and seasonings, it provides a rich tomato base for the lasagna sauce. 
• Crushed tomatoes. Crushed tomatoes are quite watery. You won’t need to add more water to the sauce when boiling it. 
• Tomato paste. A small amount of tomato paste added to the sauce enriches the tomato flavors in it. 
• Bell pepper. Chopped. 
• Onion and garlic. To provide a rich flavor base for the sauce. 
• Vinegar. Use red or white wine vinegar to balance out the acidity and tartness of the tomatoes. 
• Italian seasoning. This is a combination of aromatic herbs and garlic powder. It gives earthy notes to the sauce. 
• Herbs. I use dried oregano and chopped fresh parsley for this recipe. 
• Sugar. You may need to add a small amount of sugar to the sauce to cut the acidity of the tomatoes. 
• Salt. To taste. 

To assemble the lasagna:

• Lasagna noodles. You will need 9 no-bake lasagna noodles to assemble this lasagna in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. 
• Cottage cheese. Use whole milk cottage cheese for the best flavor and texture. 
• Mozzarella cheese. Grated mozzarella cheese melts perfectly layered between the sauce and the lasagna noodles. 
• Parmesan cheese. To finish off the lasagna with a bold cheesy flavor. 
• Basil and parsley. To sprinkle on the lasagna before serving. 

How to make lasagna with cottage cheese

Lasagna always looks as if it takes a lot of effort to make. In reality, you only need to make the beef sauce and take a few minutes to assemble the lasagna. Here’s how you make this dish: 

Step 1- Cook the sauce

Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add chopped onion, bell peppers, and minced garlic to the pan and cook until fragrant. Add the ground beef. Use a wooden spoon to break apart the meat and cook it until it’s no longer pink. 

Add the tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, and tomato paste. Add in the vinegar, Italian seasoning, dried oregano, and chopped fresh parsley. Season with salt and sugar to taste and allow the sauce to come to a boil. 

Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes or until it thickens. 

Step 2- Assemble the lasagna

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F degrees. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. 

Start assembling the lasagna by adding a thin layer of sauce to the bottom of the dish.

Next, add a layer of lasagna noodles followed by 1/3 of the cottage cheese, and 1/3 of the grated mozzarella cheese, followed by more meat sauce.

Repeat the process until the lasagna noodles and the sauce are used up. Top with the remaining cheese along with grated parmesan cheese.

Step 3- Bake 

Cover the baking dish with foil and bake the lasagna for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped basil and parsley and serve. 

Which cottage cheese is best? 

Not all cottage cheese is created equal. Besides the nutritional profile (fat-free, low cat, and whole milk), cottage cheese also comes in large curd, small curd, and smooth. 

To replicate the same texture and flavor of ricotta cheese, always choose whole milk cottage cheese and either small curd or smooth. If your cottage cheese is large curd, simply blend it until smooth before adding it to the lasagna. 

Tips to make the best recipe

• Use marinara sauce for the meat filling to save time. The flavor of marinara sauce is already well-developed and you won’t need to cook the beef sauce for long. 
• Don’t use pre-shredded cheese. Freshly grated cheese melts better and tastes better too. Pre-shredded cheese contains starch and other unwanted additives.
• Take your time to divide the beef sauce and the grated cheese into even portions. Spread the sauce and the cheese evenly on the lasagna noodles so that each bite is full of flavor. 
• While this recipe calls for only three layers of noodles, you can make 6 layers to make the lasagna more filling and feed more people. Simply double this recipe and you are good to go.

Flavor variations

The beauty of this lasagna is just how easy it is to customize to change up ingredients or the flavor profile. Here are some suggestions: 

• Use lean ground turkey. While traditional lasagna is made with ground beef, using ground turkey instead is a great way to make lasagna that is lower in saturated fat and higher in protein. 
• Add baby spinach to the sauce. Spinach pairs beautifully with all lasagna ingredients and add pops of green to the beef sauce. 
• Roast the bell peppers. Adding roasted peppers to the beef sauce will give it a hint of smokiness. 
• Spice up the beef sauce. Add red pepper flakes to the sauce to make it mildly spicy. You can also use a spicy pork sausage along with ground beef to make the sauce moderately hot. 

Storage instructions

To store: Whether you have cooked it or not, cottage cheese lasagna will last up to 5 days in the fridge. Cover the lasagna with tin foil or food wrap before refrigerating it. You can also refrigerate leftover lasagna in an airtight container. 

To reheat: The best way to reheat leftover lasagna is in the oven. Transfer the leftover lasagna to a baking dish, cover with foil, and bake at 350F degrees for around 10 minutes or until the lasagna is heated through and the cheese on top is bubbly. 

What to serve with cottage cheese lasagna

Because this is such a hearty and filling dish, we love to pair this lasagna with vegetables. Try some of these simple air fryer ones:

• Broccoli
• Green beans
• Asparagus
• Carrots
• Eggplant

Frequently asked questions