Lazy Homemade Lasagna (With Ground beef or Turkey)

And overhead shot of homemade lasagna in a casserole dish cut into slices.

5 from 4 votes

Lazy Homemade Lasagna (With Ground beef or Turkey)

The best EVER Lazy Homemade Lasagna Recipe with a magically fast marinara meat sauce, a swoon-worthy ricotta layer, and a super simple layering process!

Prep Time35

Cook Time55

Total Time1 30

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian, Italian-American

Keyword: Homemade Lasagna, Lazy Lasagna, Turkey Lasagna

Servings:

Calories: 361kcal

Author: Kelly Anthony

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion finely diced
3 cloves garlic minced
1 pound low-fat ground beef or turkey
1 (24-ounce) bottle tomato puree
2 tbsp sugar
1 teaspoon Kosher, plus a pinch separated
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup chopped basil, plus 2 tablespoons separated
About a ½ package lasagna noodles
1 (16-ounce) container low-fat ricotta
16 ounces low-fat mozzarella cheese, grated and separated (you could also use fresh mozzarella, cut into ¼" slices, if you'd like -- see notes if using)
¼ cup grated parmesan separated
1 egg

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F and have ready a large, greased casserole dish or lasagna pan. Also, place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a rolling boil.
Add the oil to a large saucepan over medium-high heat and allow to come to temperature. Add the onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes stirring often.
Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Then, add the ground meat and break it apart. Cook through, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add in the pureed tomatoes, sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt, the pepper and stir. Add ¼ cup of chopped basil, stir, and remove from the heat.
As soon as your water has reached a rolling boil, add your lasagna noodles and cook for about 4-5 minutes. You want them to be just under al dente in texture. Drain and set aside.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, make the ricotta cheese mixture. Add the ricotta cheese, half of the grated mozzarella, 2 tablespoons parmesan, 2 tablespoons basil, egg, and a generous pinch of salt. Mix until evenly combined.
To assemble the lasagna, add a thin layer of meat sauce to the bottom of the casserole dish. Lay down a layer of noodles (about 3 to 4) across the sauce to cover, followed by about 2-3 ladlefuls of sauce. Spread the sauce to the edges and gently dollop all of the ricotta mixture across the top. Spread the ricotta to the edges, and top with another layer of noodles. Add a thin layer of meat sauce across the top of the noodles and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Lastly, sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese across.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake for about 15 minutes more.
Remove from the oven and allow to set up for at least 25 minutes before cutting and serving.

Notes

If using fresh mozzarella, lay the slices down on a double-layer of paper towels. Then, add another layer of paper towels on top and gently press to absorb any excess moisture from the cheese.

To add fresh mozzarella to the ricotta mixture, tear it into small pieces and add directly to the bowl.

As for the top layer of cheese on the lasagna, you can either lay your remaining fresh mozzarella down in slices or you can tear it into chunks.

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