Working Mom Lasagna was created with busy moms in mind. This recipe goes together in less than thirty minutes and then hangs out in the oven. A healthy, homemade dinner can be on the table in an hour…perfect for weeknight suppers with your family!
Working Mom Lasagna Recipe…
Working moms have my utmost respect! Balancing a career, a spouse, kids, kids’ schedules, etc. is exhausting! At the end of a busy day, who wants to spend forever in the kitchen? With just a little hands-on time, Working Mom Lasagna can be prepped and refrigerated for the next day, or baked right away, giving Mom time to help with homework, do laundry, or just sit and read. 🙂 (I know, like that ever happens!)
I modified this recipe from a freezer meal for Cheesy Baked Ziti. If you’d like to look at that recipe, just click the link.
Please know, this sauce could be prepped the day before to save time, too. Heck, if you doubled the recipe, you’d have enough for spaghetti one night and the leftovers for this lasagna the next night. I LOVE reusing leftovers!!! And if you have extra sauce from doubling the recipe? Freeze it and use it on a super-busy night. This is how I survive during the school year.
The easiest, and fastest, way to fix this lasagna is to brown the meat first. While that’s cooking on the stove, mix together the rest of the ingredients and set up an assembly line. When the meat sauce is done, you’re ready to rock. Putting the lasagna together is the easy part. 🙂 If you’re feeling patient, have your kids help. Being in the kitchen is good for them!
Working Mom Lasagna: The Real-Deal for Weekdays
Notes
Preparation usually takes me 30 minutes because I forget to thaw the ground beef. 🙂 Start browning the meat first and continue prep work as it cooks.
Ingredients
- Ricotta Mixture and Cheeses
- 1 (15 oz) part-skim ricotta cheese
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- Noodles and Meat Sauce
- 12 uncooked, no-boil, lasagna noodles
- 3 cups homemade spaghetti sauce (or 24 oz. purchased)
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 (28 oz.) canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 Tablespoon dried basil
- 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 lb. lean ground beef, browned
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- If baking after making lasagna, preheat oven to 375 ℉. Grease 9×13 pan and set aside.
- For Ricotta Mixture: In a small bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- For Cheese Mixture: In another small bowl, combine the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Set aside.
- For Meat Sauce: In a large Dutch oven, brown ground beef. Drain. Add spaghetti sauce, red pepper flakes, crushed tomatoes, basil, and oregano to the meat. Mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- To Assemble: Spread one cup of meat sauce in bottom of greased 9×13 pan. Layer four uncooked lasagna noodles over sauce. Dot 1/3 of ricotta mixture over noodles, spreading to mostly cover noodles. Top with two cups meat sauce. Sprinkle 1/3 of mozzarella/parmesan mixture on sauce. Cover with four more noodles, 1/3 ricotta, 2 cups sauce, and 1/3 mozzarella. Repeat once more, sprinkling remaining mozzarella/parmesan on top. Cover tightly with foil.
- If baking immediately, place covered dish in oven for 25-30 minutes, or until bubbly. Remove foil and bake for a few more minutes to achieve desired cheese color.
- If storing, refrigerate covered lasagna overnight. While oven preheats, remove pan from refrigerator. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until bubbly. Remove foil and continue to bake until cheese is melted on top. Serve.
If you’d like to see what products I use for Working Mom Lasagna, please see below. Please know, these contain affiliate links. This means I earn a small commission on any sales, at no extra cost to you. The income I earn helps to pay for maintaining my blog. Thank you so much for your support!
If you’d like to try other weeknight-friendly dinners, you might enjoy my Five Minute Roast Beef, Instant Pot Morrocan Spiced Chicken, our favorite Cheesy Potato and Kielbasa Bake, or my Easy and Fast Macaroni and Cheese. All are homemade and family-friendly!