How to Make Homemade Lasagna

Homemade lasagna is rich and filling, but with the freshness of spring and summer veggie flavors. Use up your fresh parsley, zucchini, lasagna noodles, farm fresh meat, and cheese in this delicious lasagna recipe the whole family will love.

Homemade lasagna is rich and filling, but with the freshness of spring and summer veggie flavors. Use up your fresh parsley, zucchini, lasagna noodles, farm fresh meat, and cheese in this delicious lasagna recipe the whole family will love.

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Why we Love Homemade Lasagna

You may already know that I love cooking balanced meals, like this creamy chicken and veggie pasta. And it’s a bonus when all of the ingredients fit into one pot or pan!

I love this homemade lasagna because it has protein, fiber, and grain all in one. So, it’s a complete meal on it’s own. I still serve this with a full bowl of kale salad which we do most nights, though.

Like most of you I’m sure, we are big eaters! We eat a lot of food. So the other reason I love this recipe is that it makes great leftovers, or you can even freeze it for another time.

Tips for Making Homemade Lasagna

First, I do recommend boiling your own lasagna noodles. You can buy noodles that are ready for baking and skip the boiling step, but I like boiling the noodles because you can control the el-dente texture which is preserved when baking.

Next, trust the cottage cheese! When I first started making this recipe, my Italian husband said, no way are we putting cottage cheese in that. Of course, that was before he ate the meal. Now, he says, that is the best key ingredient. So if you are like us and are very picky about your pastas, you might want to just give this a try. We love it!

Third, and most importantly, don’t omit the olive oil from the boiling water! The secret to perfect lasagna noodles is olive oil in the boiling water and cooking el dente. Also, make sure you are gentle when you drain the noodles after boiling. This is not a step to do in a rush. Be careful with the noodles so they stay flexible and strong and not falling apart. If you omit the oil, the noodles might stick together, and you don’t want that!

Lastly, I suggest freshly grating your cheese. If you did not know, pre-shredded or grated cheese at the grocery store contains chemicals which prevent it from sticking together and preserve it longer. Therefore, we always buy whole cheese blocks and freshly grate it when we can. Plus, have you have freshly grated parmesan cheese? It is ten times tastier than store-bought, pre-grated cheese.

You will need:

9 x 13 inch glass baking pan

one large mixing bowl

Dutch oven or similar stovetop pot

large pasta boiling pot

cutting board and chopping knife

Homemade Lasagna Ingredients

olive oil for drizzling in the boiling water

1 package lasagna noodles. I recommend getting the raw noodles that require boiling.

For the Meat Mixture:

• Meat: roughly 1/2 pound each of grass-fed organic ground beef & pork
• 1 organic zucchini, cut into fourths
• Roughly 1/2 of a white onion, chopped or minced
• 1 large garlic or 2 medium garlics, chopped
• 1 can (8 oz) of tomato sauce and 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes. We like the organic fire-roasted kind!
• Fresh Italian parsley chopped – about 1 tablespoon
• Dried herbs: 1/2 tsp of dried oregano & onion powder, and 1 1/2 tsp of dried basil. I also included some real herbs that I had frozen since summer. You’ll also need 1 1/2 tsp of salt and several grinds of pepper.
• 1/8 tsp white sugar

For the Cottage Cheese Mixture:

• 1 pound (16 oz) of cottage cheese. We like the Nancy’s brand because it contains probiotics.
• 3 eggs (farm fresh if possible)
• about a cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese.
• One teaspoon chopped parsley
• 2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper

Other:

• One pound (16 oz) freshly grated mozzarella cheese
• Coconut oil for spreading on baking dish

How to Make Homemade Lasagna

Step 1: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Do not omit the olive oil!

Step 2: Add your pork and beef to a medium-sized pot on the stove. I like to use a Dutch oven. Sauté the meat until brown on all sides.

Step 3: Chop up the zucchini into fourths and add to the meat pot. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

Step 4: In a large bowl, combine your cottage cheese, eggs, parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper.

Step 5: Add your lasagna noodles to the boiling water. Cook according to package instructions, but air on the side of el dente because the noodles will continue to cook later on in the oven. When finished, drain the noodles and carefully lay them flat on a plate.

Step 6: To the meat mixture, add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, parsley, onion, garlic, oregano, onion powder, sugar, basil, and salt. Stir and reduce heat to a simmer (about a level 4 on my electric stove) and let sit for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

Step 7: Shred your mozzarella cheese and set aside.

Step 8: Lightly spread coconut oil on a 9X13 glass baking pan. Add two layers of 3 lasagna noodles to the bottom of the pan (6 noodles total). Then, add half of your cottage cheese mixture, followed by half of your mozzarella cheese, and then half of your meat mixture. Repeat, starting with another set of two layers of 3 lasagna noodles, cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, and meat.

Step 9: Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Then, remove the foil and cook for another 10 minutes.

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