This easy Pasta Lasagna Bake recipe has all the lasagna flavors that you love without dealing with prepping those long noodles and making so many layers.
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This will make 4-6 adult servings depending on your serving size. We have young kids and we were able to use this for 2 meals plus one extra lunch serving for an adult. So a total of 5 adult servings and 4 kid servings.
My kids gobbled this up so I’m going to say it’s a kid friendly dinner meal too!
Ingredients
- 8X8 inch baking dish
- Dry Pasta (8oz) – we used mini penne
- Jar of Spaghetti Sauce
- Ricotta Cheese (7-8oz)
- Mozzarella Cheese
- Chopped Spinach
- Optional: Protein of your choice
I love making these types of dishes in my Pyrex dishes that come with lids. That way I don’t have to move leftovers into a different container. I can just snap the lid on and it’s ready to be stored.
How to make Lazy Lasagna
Before you get started set your oven to 350 and set a pot of water to boil to cook your pasta.
1 – The first step is optional depending on which protein you choose to use. I used ground Italian sausage so I needed to brown the meat first. I used have a roll in this recipe.
You can speed up the making of this recipe by using leftover meat. You can use chopped or shredded chicken, ground beef, sliced sausage, or even pepperoni!
2 – Open your favorite jar of pasta sauce and mix it together with the meat. Set it to warm on low.
3 – Cook about half a box of pasta(8oz dry pasta). We used mini penne but you can use whatever you have on hand. Only cook the pasta to al dente, so slightly firm still, otherwise it might get mushy when you bake it.
4 – While all of that is warming grab your ricotta cheese and mix it with your chopped spinach. Not everyone puts spinach in their lasagna, but my mom always did. It’s a great way to add a veggie to the dish and it’s mostly hidden.
You can either chop fresh spinach or use the frozen chopped spinach. If you use the frozen kind you will want to squeeze the water out of the portion you’re using. I just add it a bit at a time until I feel I have good spinach to ricotta ratio.
5 – Once your pasta is ready is time to “layer”. Mix together your pasta and sauce and then pour half of the mixture into your baking dish. Spread it out into a somewhat even layer.
6 – Drop 4-5 spoonfuls of ricotta around the top of the pasta layer and gently spread it out. I used a spatula but you can use a fork as well. Optional: sprinkle some mozzarella cheese over top.
Then, create a second layer.
7 – Sprinkle a layer of mozzarella cheese over the top and then bake for 15-20 minutes, if you’ve followed these directions and most ingredients are already warm. You can also warm it up in your air fryer if you have a larger one.
Can I make it ahead of time?
You can definitely make it ahead of time. Just know that you will need to adjust the cook time if it’s frozen or refrigerated.
What to serve with it?
You don’t need a veggie side since there is spinach in the dish but you could have a side salad for even more greens.
We like to serve ours with fresh french bread I pick up at the store. Garlic bread is a great choice too.
Easy Lasagna Pasta Bake Recipe
Ingredients
- Dry Pasta 8oz
- Jar of spaghetti sauce
- Ricotta Cheese (8oz)
- Mozzarella cheese
- Chopped spinach
- 8oz ground Italian Sausage or other protein
Instructions
- Prepare your protein of choice.
- Mix together the protein and your jar of pasta sauce.
- Cook about 8oz of dry pasta to al dente.
- Combine the pasta and the sauce mixture.
- Mix together the ricotta cheese and the chopped spinach.
- Pour half the pasta/sauce mixture and spread across the bottom of your baking dish.
- Drop 4-5 dollops of the ricotta on top and spread around. Top with some mozzarella cheese if desired.
- Add a second layer on top. Sprinkle the top with a layer of mozzarella cheese.
- Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until everything is heated through.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 356Total Fat 16gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 39mgSodium 498mgCarbohydrates 34gFiber 2gSugar 3gProtein 18g
Nutrition is a rough estimate. Will vary based on exact products and quantities used.