rich, cheesy lasagna-style pasta bake (similar to lasagna roll-ups or a baked ruffled pasta casserole). Here’s a full, easy-to-follow recipe:
🧀 Cheesy Baked Lasagna Pasta
🕒 Time
- Prep: 20 minutes
- Cook: 35–40 minutes
- Total: ~1 hour
🧾 Ingredients
For the meat sauce:
- 1 lb ground beef (or Italian sausage)
- 1 small onion (diced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 jar (24 oz) marinara sauce
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- Salt & pepper to taste
For the pasta:
- 12 lasagna noodles (or any wide pasta like mafaldine/rigatoni)
- Water + salt for boiling
For the cheese mixture:
- 1 ½ cups ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley (optional)
For topping:
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- Extra Parmesan (optional)
👩🍳 Instructions
1. Cook the pasta
- Bring salted water to a boil.
- Cook pasta until al dente.
- Drain and set aside.
2. Make the meat sauce
- In a skillet, cook ground beef over medium heat until browned.
- Add onion and cook until soft.
- Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Add marinara, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Simmer for 10–15 minutes.
3. Mix the cheese filling
- In a bowl, combine ricotta, egg, Parmesan, garlic powder, and parsley.
- Mix until smooth.
4. Assemble
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Spread a layer of meat sauce on the bottom of a baking dish.
- Add a layer of pasta.
- Spread cheese mixture over pasta.
- Add more meat sauce.
- Repeat layers (pasta → cheese → sauce).
- Finish with mozzarella and Parmesan on top.
5. Bake
- Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake another 10–15 minutes until bubbly and golden.
✨ Tips
- Let it rest 10 minutes before serving (helps it set).
- Add spinach or mushrooms for extra flavor.
- Use a mix of mozzarella + provolone for extra stretchiness