Make-Ahead Lasagna (with no boil noodles)

This has been my go-to, easy Make-ahead Lasagna recipe for years. I make it for company, for potlucks, feeding a large group of people, or just for us. This easy homemade lasagna is made with meat (ground beef), fresh lasagna noodles, fresh spinach, mushrooms, and Parmesan cheese. It's an easy oven-ready, make ahead lasagna with no boil noodles, that freezes well and is perfect for feeding a crowd or taking along to a potluck.

I love that I can make this lasagna weeks or months ahead, freeze it and it still tastes amazing when I serve it! In fact, I have to force myself to make anything other than lasagna when I know I have people coming over- it's that easy. This lasagna with no boil noodles and a homemade meat sauce, is perfect for company! It was also the inspiration behind my Zucchini Ground Beef Lasagna.

🥘 Ingredient Notes

This easy homemade lasagna is made with :

• Fresh lasagna noodles (no-boil). It was when I was developing recipes for an Olivieri Lasagna contest (in which I won 1st place for my Greek Lasagna ) that I first discovered fresh lasagna noodles. Now I just can't go back to the hard boxed noodles. It really does make a huge difference! You can use another brand of lasagna sheet. *They are usually in the refrigerator deli meat section (not the deli) at the grocery store near the hot dogs etc..
• Fresh spinach. Fresh spinach also makes a big difference in the taste of your lasagna!
• Cottage cheese. I have always made lasagna with cottage cheese and had never considered using ricotta cheese because this is how my Mom, my Grandma, and my Great Grandma made it. I prefer the tangier cottage cheese flavor to the sweet ricotta in lasagna.

*See recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities

📖 Variations & Substitutions

• Lighten it up: If you want to lighten up this recipe, use light/reduced-fat cottage cheese, extra lean ground beef, and light or fat-free parmesan cheese!
• Spinach: You can use frozen spinach if you don't have fresh. Just make sure to completely defrost, drain, and really squeeze out any liquid.
• Mushrooms - You can use fresh instead. If you use fresh, you'll need to add ½ cup of water to the recipe (at the same time you add the mushrooms).
• Oregano- If you prefer to use fresh oregano, you'll need double the amount you'd use for dried, or you could use Italian seasoning. I use herbs I dehydrated in the air fryer in the fall. Learn how to dehydrate herbs in the air fryer here.
• Lasagna noodles - If you can't get fresh, you can substitute oven-ready lasagna sheets. *If you do this, you'll need to add about ½ - ¾ cup extra liquid in the form of tomato juice (I use V-8 for flavor!) You simply pour this all over the top of the lasagna before putting on the aluminum foil.
• Tomato sauce - you can substitute canned crushed tomatoes.

🔪How to Cook Make-Ahead Lasagna

PREP: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/176 degrees C. Spray a 9X13 lasagna baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Step 1: Brown ground beef and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain the meat if you are not using extra lean ground beef.

Step 2: Add oregano, mushrooms with liquid, tomato sauce and tomato paste, and garlic.

Step 3: Simmer on medium- low (covered ) for 15 minutes.

Step 4: Add ½ the meat sauce to the bottom of the lasagna pan.

Step 5: Cover with a layer of 2 sheets of the uncooked noodles. (it's okay if they curl a bit from the heat).

Step 6: In a separate medium bowl, mix washed and dried spinach with parmesan cheese and cottage cheese.

Step 7: Spread all the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles. 

Step 8: Then cover with the 2 more lasagna noodle sheets.

Step 9: Top with remaining meat sauce.

Step 10: Cover with aluminum foil creating a tight seal!*** This is important or the noodles with not cook properly otherwise!! Bake in prepared oven for 45 minutes. *If making ahead, see storage instructions.

Step 11: Remove aluminum foil and add grated cheese. *you can add more cheese if you wish (I put a little more cheese on the lasagna in the main photos). Return to oven (uncovered) for 15 minutes. (Optional): Then turn up oven to broil (500 degrees maximum) for 1-3 minutes until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned  (keeping a close eye so it does not burn) .

Step 12: Remove from oven and sprinkle on additional parmesan cheese, if desired. Allow it to stand for 10 minutes before cutting and serving (it will slice better).

👪 Serving

Cut lasagna into 12 servings. However, you can half, double, or triple the recipe by clicking on the serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. Ingredient quantities will automatically adjust. You'll just need additional lasagna pans. You can also cut the slices bigger if you wish.

Expert tip: When cutting lasagna, to get even pieces, start by dividing it into 3 lengthwise, then half widthwise. Then cut those 2 large pieces into half widthwise. This will give you 12 relatively even pieces.

What to do with leftover Lasagna Sheets?

This recipe is not the only thing I've made with these no-boil noodles (fresh lasagna noodles). If you love Mediterranean flavors, and have leftover lasagna noodles (you'll have 2 sheets left over after making his recipe) then check out my Greek Lasagna Cups  (I'm a little crazy about Greek food!

🥗 What to Serve with Make-Ahead Lasagna

If you're looking for a side dish to go with this classic lasagna recipe, salad is ideal. I often serve my Caesar salad (just leave out the chicken from this recipe), Strawberry Spinach and Pecan Salad, or Kale Salad with Cranberries and Feta.

Garlic bread baguette or Bread Machine breadsticks (shown below) are always great choices as well!

If you're looking for the perfect dessert for this meal, give my Old Fashioned Chocolate Pie a try!

🌡️Storage

Fridge: If you are making and baking this no-boil lasagna recipe in advance, you can store it for up to 2 days in the fridge. *I recommend covering it with Glad Press n' Seal or plastic wrap.

Alternatively, if you want to prep it and make it prior to guests arriving, you can prep it to Step 10 up to 2 days in advance. Then cover in plastic wrap or Glad press n' Seal (over foil). until ready to bake and bake as usual. Remove the plastic wrap before baking.

You can also store leftovers for up to 3 days in an airtight container.

Freezer: You can freeze this cooked lasagna for up to 3 months. If I'm freezing for less than a month, I simply cover it with Glad press n' seal (affiliate link). * I don't recommend freezing it prior to cooking.

*If I plan to reheat in the oven, I will cover with aluminum foil first (don't do this if you plan to reheat in microwave). If I'm freezing it for longer, I'll slide it, covered in the plastic wrap, into an extra large Ziplock freezer bag.

REHEATING:

Microwave: Be sure to use a glass lasagna pan if you plan to heat the whole lasagna in the microwave. It will take 10-15 minutes. You can also reheat individual pieces on a microwave-safe plate for 1-2 minutes, depending on the wattage of your microwave.

Oven: Remove frozen lasagna from the freezer and defrost completely. Preheat the oven to 350˚F/176 degrees F and cover the lasagna (in an oven-safe dish) with aluminum foil. Place the dish in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until the lasagna is hot all the way through and the sauce is bubbling at the edges.

❔ Recipe FAQ's