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Easy Lasagna

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ 16 oz. box of lasagna noodles
  • 2 Tbs Olive oil
  • 1 Ib of ground Beef 96% lean
  • ½ yellow onion diced
  • 4 cloves garlic smashed, divided
  • crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 12 oz package cremini mushrooms, stems removed, sliced
  • 2 zucchini cut in ½ lengthwise
  • 1 cup baby spinach
  • 2 cups part-skim ricotta
  • 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano divided
  • 2 eggs
  • 6-7 basil leaves cut into chiffonade *
  • 1 24 oz jar of your favorite marinara sauce
  • 1 pound grated mozzarella
  • Salt to taste
  • * In my opinion these basil leaves were the star of this dish!

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the lasagna noodles until they are soft and pliable, 6-7 minutes. Work in batches. Remove pasta from the boiling water and lay flat on a sheet tray to cool.
  • Coat a large saute pan with 1 Tbs olive oil and bring to med-high heat. Add the beef, onions and cook until browned. Remove from pan and set aside.
  • Coat the pan again with 1 Tbs olive oil and add 2 cloves of garlic and a pinch of crushed red pepper. When the garlic becomes golden and aromatic, remove it from the heat and discard. Toss in the mushrooms and season with salt. Cook the mushrooms until they are soft and dark brown, 4-5 min. Remove from pan and reserve. Repeat this process with the remaining garlic and the zucchini. *
  • In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, ½ the Parmigiano, eggs, and the basil. Mix to combine well and season with salt.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 F.
  • To assemble: In the bottom of a 9 by 13 baking dish, add a couple of ladlefuls of sauce and spread out in an even layer. Arrange a layer of noodles to completely cover the sauce. Spread ⅓ of the ricotta mixture over the pasta. Place another layer of pasta. Spread a layer of sauce on the pasta and sprinkle ⅓ of the beef mixture over the sauce, add ⅓ of mushrooms, zucchini, spinach. Sprinkle a layer of mozzarella and Parmigiano over the veggies. Repeat the layers until all the ingredients have been used up. Top with remaining noodles and sauce. Sprinkle with Mozzarella and Parmigiano. Cover with foil.
  • Place the lasagna on a baking sheet and bake in the oven until hot and bubbly, about 1 hour. Remove foil and bake additional 15 min. Let cool for 20 min before slicing. **
  • * Although this step seems tedious, it's SO worth it! The garlic infused veggies make them that much more special!
  • ** Yes, it's so tempting to dig in right away, but if you want to get a nice slice that retains its shape instead of collapsing, WAIT! The original recipe instructs to make and bake the lasagna the day before for optimal slicing. Just heat it up again before slicing.