How to Make No-Cook Noodle Italian Lasagna

Because your sauce is your base for your lasagna, it holds the magic flavor that permeates throughout the dish, and melds all the flavors of the cheeses together. Use the sauce generously, but not over-generously, as you need to layer the lasagna, and make sure you have enough sauce to make it to the top.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Easy almost-Homemade Spaghetti Sauce (1 day cooked is best if you are having lasagna that night; if you are freezing the lasagna, you can use same-day sauce)
• 1 Large tub of Ricotta cheese (for low-fat recipe, use cottage cheese, however, real Italians do not use cottage cheese, they use fresh ricotta)
• 1 Large ball of fresh Mozzarella cheese shredded or a large package of shredded mozzarella
• 1 Large package of Lasagna noodles, or Fresh-made Lasagna Noodles (uncooked)
• Large Deep Cooking Pan (Glass or Metal)
• Cooking Spray

1. Spray your pan with cooking spray to help with clean up.
2. Place a few big spoonfuls of sauce on the bottom of your pan and spread an even, thin layer.
3. Next, make 1 layer of lasagna noodles on top of the sauce, then spoon ricotta cheese across the noodles. The spoonfuls can be about an inch apart, because when the lasagna bakes, the cheese will melt down across the noodles.
4. After the ricotta cheese, sprinkle a thin layer of mozzarella cheese on top, and start back at Step Number 3 and layer until the pan is almost full, and the last 2 layers are sauce and then cheese.
5. Bake at 350 degrees with aluminum foil on top for 45 minutes.
6. Uncover the lasagna and bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until cheese on top is golden brown.
7. Let cool for 10-20 minutes before serving.

Tips & Warnings

• Serve with a salad and garlic bread for a complete dinner.
• If you want your lasagna a little juicy, add a little water to your sauce when cooking. The noodles will soak up most of the water, so you’ll want your sauce a little thinner than for spaghetti.