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Learn how to make the best lasagna with cottage cheese! This easy, creamy, and delicious family recipe features sausage, melty mozzarella, and tender pasta layers.
Table of Contents
- A Cozy, Cheesy Lasagna That’ll Have Everyone Asking for Seconds
- Why Use Cottage Cheese in Lasagna?
- Ingredients You’ll Need for Cottage Cheese Lasagna
- What Kind of Cheese to Use in Lasagna?
- How to Make the Best Cottage Cheese Lasagna
- Storing and Freezing Tips
- More Favorite Italian Recipes
- Questions About Lasagna With Cottage Cheese
- How to Make Lasagna with Cottage Cheese
- Lasagna with Cottage Cheese Recipe
A Cozy, Cheesy Lasagna That’ll Have Everyone Asking for Seconds
I’m so excited to share one of my all-time favorite recipes with you—lasagna made with cottage cheese! This dish is everything you want in comfort food: layers of tender pasta, rich tomato sauce, flavorful sausage, Italian spices, and lots of gooey, melty mozzarella cheese. Trust me, it’s a crowd-pleaser that will have your family coming back for seconds (and thirds)!
This recipe comes straight from Aunt Lana, who, in my opinion, makes the best lasagna in the world. Every visit to her house meant we’d gather around the table for her signature dish, and it never disappointed. Lucky for us, she was kind enough to share her recipe, and I’ve been making it ever since. The secret? She swaps out the traditional ricotta cheese for creamy, mild cottage cheese. It’s a game-changer! Serve it with a big green salad and some of our Pizza Factory Bread Sticks and you’ll have a warm comfort meal your family will request again and again.
Why Use Cottage Cheese in Lasagna?
If you’ve never tried cottage cheese in lasagna, you’re in for a treat. It’s lighter and less dense than ricotta, making it a perfect option if you want a creamy texture without feeling too heavy. Plus, it’s budget-friendly and easy to find at almost any grocery store. For the best results, go with full-fat cottage cheese—it helps the layers hold together better and keeps the lasagna from getting too watery. Of course, if Ricotta is what you have on hand, you can always use that instead. It will still taste great!
Ingredients You’ll Need for Cottage Cheese Lasagna
This recipe is simple, but the flavors come together so perfectly! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Ground beef
- Italian sausage
- Onion
- Garlic
- Basil
- Diced tomatoes
- Tomato paste
- Lasagna noodles
- Tomato sauce
- Eggs
- Whole milk cottage cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Parsley
- Salt and black pepper
- Mozzarella cheese
What Kind of Cheese to Use in Lasagna?
There are so many types of cheese in this rich, delicious dish! For the “binding” cheese layer we use cottage cheese and parmesan. For the melty cheese, I like to slice fresh mozzarella into thin strips (it seems to melt easier that way) and several handfuls of fresh Parmesan cheese (or better yet, Parmigiano Reggiano).
How to Make the Best Cottage Cheese Lasagna
Making lasagna from scratch might sound intimidating, but I promise it’s easier than it looks. Here’s a quick rundown:
- Cook the meat sauce. Brown the ground beef and Italian sausage with onions and garlic, then stir in the tomatoes, paste, and seasonings. Let it simmer until thick and flavorful.
- Prepare the cheese layer. Mix cottage cheese with eggs, Parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper. This will bind everything together.
- Layer it up. Start with a thin layer of sauce at the bottom of your pan, then alternate layers of noodles, cheese mixture, sauce, and mozzarella. Repeat until your pan is full!
- Bake to perfection. Pop it in the oven and bake until bubbly and golden on top. Your kitchen will smell amazing!
Storing and Freezing Tips
Got leftovers? Lucky you! This lasagna stores wonderfully:
Freezer: Freeze individual portions in Ziplock bags or freeze the whole pan for a future meal. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge or bake directly from frozen (just add extra time).
Refrigerator: Cover your baking dish tightly or transfer leftovers to an airtight container. It’ll stay fresh for up to 5 days.
Read Next: 33+ Easy Dinner Ideas
More Favorite Italian Recipes
If you love this lasagna with cottage cheese, here are a few more Italian-inspired dishes to try:
Authentic Italian Spaghetti
Authentic Fettuccine Alfredo
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Authentic Neapolitan Pizza
Creamy Carbonara
Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana
Questions About Lasagna With Cottage Cheese
It really depends on your taste! Cottage cheese is milder and lighter, while ricotta has a richer, thicker texture. Both are delicious, so feel free to experiment.
Yes! Full-fat cottage cheese is a great substitute for ricotta in lasagna. Simply substitute straight across at a 1:1 ratio.
In Southern Italy, many lasagna recipes use ricotta or béchamel, but every family has their own twist!
How to Make Lasagna with Cottage Cheese
Lasagna with Cottage Cheese
Equipment
- Conventional Oven
- 9 X 13 inch Pan
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound Italian sausage (if you like it a little spicier, you can use hot Italian sausage)
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 2 cans (14.5 ounce) diced tomatoes
- 12 ounces tomato paste
- 10 ounces lasagna noodles
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 eggs
- 3 cups cottage cheese
- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoon parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 pound mozzarella cheese SLICED thin (it always comes out better when I use the sliced rather than the shredded cheese) Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Brown beef and sausage in a large skillet. Slowly, spoon off excess fat. Add onion and garlic. When onions are clear, add basil, salt, tomato paste, and tomatoes. Simmer, uncovered, 20-30 minutes stirring occasionally. For the best flavor, allow to simmer up to an hour. If the sauce gets too thick you can add a little pasta water to thin again.
- Meanwhile, boil noodles in large amount of boiling, salted water until tender approximately 10-12 minutes. Lightly drain and set aside. Beat eggs; add remaining ingredients, except mozzarella.
- Open the 8 ounce can of tomato sauce and pour it on the bottom of a 9×13 pan. This keeps the noodles from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Layer ⅓ of the noodles over the sauce. Overlap lasagna noodles, using 4 noodles per layer. Spread with ⅓ of the cottage cheese mixture. Add ⅓ of the mozzarella cheese and ⅓ of the meat sauce.
- Repeat two more times (noodles, cottage cheese, mozzarella, meat sauce). Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 35 min. Uncover and bake another 5-10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow lasagna to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.
I made this recipe, probably about 15 years ago and it was delicious! However, I remember it a little differently. I thought that it was only sausage, you didn’t cook the noodles before layering them, there was spinach, and the cottage cheese mixture was different. Am I just remembering incorrectly or did the recipe change? Thank you!
We haven’t updated this recipe in a while, so I don’t think it has had any significant changes.
I absolutely loved this lasagna! I’m a college student, so I wanted to bake something that would leave me with leftovers so I didn’t have to cook throughout the week. I didn’t get tired of it after having it for four days (I freezed the leftovers). Personally, I don’t care for cottage cheese so I used ricotta instead and it tasted AMAZING! Thanks 🙂
Hi Erica
What brand of HOT Breakfast sausage did you use in this recipe. Also, for the basil and parsley is that fresh or dried.
I think I used Jimmy Dean but any hot sausage works. The spices were both dried. Hope this helps!
My husband HATES lasagna. I made your recipe anyway. He ate it and hasn't stopped raving about it. He's converted 🙂
Very Impressive
@ Close's – That is awesome! I am so glad he liked it. I am flattered!
-Erica
Great recipe! I've been making lasagna for many years and the last time I made it I was disappointed. (it came out more runny then normal) So I used this recipe! The cottage cheese mixture made ALL the difference. WE LOVED IT! The only difference is that I used one package sweet itilian sausage and one package of hot breakfast sausage. 2 cans of fire roasted tomatoes and a good handfull or two of parsley in the cottage cheese mixture. I will start making my lasanga this way EVERY time! Such a hit! Thank you! We love your blog!
@Steffani– Thank you so much! I like the modifications you did and will have to try them next time. Great suggestions!
Made this a week ago and LOVED IT! Had to add a little liquid so I could simmer it but it was AWESOME! Making it again tonight at my husbands request — we're having the missionaries over for dinner and he wants them to 'experience the goodness'! LOL!
Thanks so much!
made this and it was DELICIOUS!! My husband LOVED it as well. Thank you so much. Seriously, I look at your site almost daily to get new recipes and ideas. I pretty much make your Mac and Cheese on a weekly basis 🙂 Love LOTS of your recipes. Thank you for sharing them 🙂