Love Me Lasagna

Move over Marry Me Chicken, There's a New Kid on the Block

Apr 07, 2024

I’ve been making the same lasagna recipe for over two decades. It’s a lazy recipe I can make with my eyes closed. Throw in some Rao’s in the base of a casserole dish, layer in no-boil lasagna noodles, a ricotta-egg-Parm mixture, more sauce, more noodles— you get the idea. But my kids are kind of tired of it. Lately, when I excitedly ask my family if they want lasagna for dinner (as if I’m offering them a precious gift), they’re more likely to give me a “nope.” While it was once our go-to celebratory meal for back-to-school or birthday dinners, it’s been set out to pasture (if that’s a thing for recipes). Well, not so fast, she says while patting herself on the back.

Cottage cheese, as I’m sure you’re not surprised to hear, is a popular ingredient in everything from high-protein pancakes to egg bites and pizza bread, and I use it in this updated lasagna recipe with high accolades from the fam. I first thought to sub cottage cheese for ricotta when I drooled over Grace Elkus's sheet pan lasagna. Then yesterday, I saw Caroline Chambers make lasagna for her young family with a cottage cheese filling instead of ricotta. I love how she uses one pan and spreads the cottage cheese filling directly on the noodles. My mouth was watering and I had to get to work.

Caroline’s version reminded me of when I’d make this Weeknight Bolognese when my kids were young to sneak in hidden veggies. And then I thought back to when I was young and my mom would make stuffed shells with cottage cheese and spinach baked in a meaty sauce. We just happened to had everything at home to make a cottage cheese lasagna 2.0 happen, so I followed my typical recipe but made a few tweaks.

First things first, some notes. I used a pound of 90% ground beef begging to be used up, like NOW, so it didn’t end up in the trash. I grabbed my favorite Staub frying pan and got started. Warm a tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat and sautè half a yellow onion, chopped fine. Sprinkle on a little kosher salt as the onions cook. After a few minutes, add the ground beef and break it up with a wooden spoon. Add another sprinkling of kosher salt to the meat as it cooks, it will draw out the moisture and help boost the flavor of the meat. Then add a cup of finely chopped mushrooms. No picky kiddo will find them hiding in there; they look just like ground beef. Next, add some ground pepper, a heaping handful of finely chopped kale, center stems removed, and a cup of riced cauliflower (fresh or frozen)—all of this gets cooked down to release the moisture from the veggies. It’s important to cook down the meat and veggie mixture on the stove for at least 15 minutes or until all the moisture from the vegetables has rendered and evaporated. Otherwise, your lasagna will end up a little watery as a result of all the veggies.

I followed the basic recipe from my cookbook to make the cottage cheese filling: In a medium-sized bowl, combine 16 ounces of cottage cheese with an egg and 1 cup of freshly grated parmesan. I like the consistency of Good Culture cottage cheese and I use the 2% low-fat version. In the lasagna recipe in my cookbook, I add a little milk to the ricotta to thin it out, but you don’t need that with the cottage cheese. If you want this to be smooth, blend the cottage cheese mixture in an individual blender or mini-prep food processor, but then you’ll have to clean one more thing. Just sayin’.

After the meat is cooked and the cottage cheese filling is assembled, it’s time to layer the ingredients. Sauce-noodles-meat-cheese-sauce-noodles-meat-cheese. You get the idea. I finish with some grated mozzarella and freshly grated Parmesan on top. Don’t stress, a little more or less of the meat or the sauce in one layer won’t mess up the outcome. Be sure to get sauce in the corners of the casserole dish since you’re using no-boil noodles.

At this point, you can cover the lasagna and freeze it to cook within 3 months (be sure to label and date), throw it in the fridge to cook within 3-4 days or bake it in a preheated 350°F oven. I cover the top with foil before baking, but I spray the inside of the foil with avocado or olive oil so it doesn’t stick to the cheese when removed.

When this came out of the oven, we happened to be sitting by the fire with our feet up, and my two teenagers living at home were actually home (miracle of miracles). We made plates of gooey lasagna and butter lettuce and ranch salad and sank into them in the family room, and there’s nothing more cozy or comforting than that. (Disclaimer: Yes, it was 70 degrees and we were sitting by a fire. Have you met my husband?)