Lasagna Casserole

This lasagna casserole has all the deliciousness and cheesiness of traditional lasagna with a fraction of the work! The perfect weeknight dinner.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword ground beef casseroles, lasagna recipes, pasta casserole recipes, pasta casseroles

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings servings

Calories 648kcal

Author Kathleen

Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Spray a 9X13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
Cook pasta (12 ounces) in well-salted water per package instructions until just al dente. Save 1/2 cup of the cooking water before draining. Drain well. Return drained pasta to the cooking pot.
In a large skillet, add olive oil (1 tablespoon) and sauté onion (½ cup) and garlic (4 cloves) over medium heat until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add (4 cloves) garlic and continue sauté until it's fragrant about 1 minute.
Add ground beef (1 pound), salt (1 teaspoon), and pepper to onions and garlic and continue to cook over medium heat until there is no longer any pink in the beef. Drain and discard excess fat.
Add the marinara sauce (2 jars), Italian seasoning (2 teaspoons), and reserved pasta water (1/2 cup) and cook until heated through. Pour sauce over drained pasta (in the pot pasta was cooked in) and toss to coat.
In a mixing bowl, stir together the remaining (2 cloves garlic), ricotta cheese (15 ounces), egg (1), nutmeg (1/8 teaspoon), fresh basil (1/4 cup), remaining Italian seasoning (2 teaspoons) until evenly combined. Add 2 cups of mozzarella and 1 cup Parmesan and stir until combined.

Pour half the pasta in prepared baking dish, spread the cheese mixture over the pasta layer, then pour the remaining pasta over cheese layer. Use a spatula to press down the casserole.
Spray one side of a large sheet of aluminum foil with nonstick cooking spray. Cover casserole with foil, sprayed side touching casserole. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.
Remove foil, top with remaining Mozzarella (1 cup) and remaining Parmesan (1/2 cup), return to the oven and bake uncovered, for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. If you'd like the top more browned, place under the broiler until browned to your liking.

What does Al Dente Pasta mean? The term “al dente” is Italian for, “To the tooth”. It’s considered to be the ideal texture to which pasta should be cooked. When pasta is cooked and then baked in a casserole, this texture is extra important so that it doesn’t get mushy after it’s baked.
Pasta Sauce: If you’re planning on using commercial marinara, Rao’s Homemade Marina is expensive, but considered the best tasting. Whole Foods’ 365 pasta sauce marinara, according to Bon Appetit, “is a mellower, milder-flavored sauce. It’s not too sweet, salty, with an “oregano-forward” flavor! If you have a bit of extra time homemade marinara is always a winner! I love to make a big batch of homemade and freeze it for situations just like.
We Love It Saucey! If you follow our site, you know my family loves their casseroles, saucey. I’ve made this with just 24 ounces of sauce and all my family taste testers, including my chef SIL, felt it needed more sauce. Now, after making this a dozen or so times, the whole fam has decided 48 ounces of sauce is perfect.
Lighten This Up! If you’d like this casserole to be lighter and a bit healthier, feel free to switch the 80/20 ground beef with ground turkey and use low-fat ricotta. You can also cut back on the amount of mozzarella and parm.
Even More Flavor! Switch out the meat for Italian sausage. Use either mild or spicy per your family preferences.