Lasagna Noodle Casserole

Jump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.

A comforting, layered casserole of noodles, beef, cheese and spaghetti sauce. This Lasagna Noodle Casserole is well-loved and can easily be doubled to feed a crowd.

You all are crazy for our lasagna! I don’t blame you really. We think it is the best lasagna recipe, too! It’s time consuming, but worth it. If you’re craving lasagna for your next family dinner but don’t have time for the real thing, you’ll like this easy lasagna noodle casserole we’re sharing today.

Lasagna Noodle Casserole with spoon

Lasagna Noodle Casserole

Our family has a love-hate relationship with lasagna.

3 of us love it. 1 of us hates it. 1 of us could take it or leave it.

Matt could eat lasagna every day and not get tired of it. Braden is so much like his daddy that it’s scary, but he doesn’t want to touch lasagna with a 10-foot pole. He runs and hides when the word “lasagna” is mentioned.

This casserole isn’t officially lasagna. It’s more like a lasagna bake, but it an easy Italian bake that your Italian loving family can enjoy for a weeknight dinner or a special occasion.

Are egg noodles better for you than regular pasta?

As you can see, this recipe calls for egg noodles. Honestly, I chose them for this recipe because that’s what I had on hand. But then I had to wonder if egg noodles were better for you. The answer is…not really. They are higher in protein than traditional pasta, but they still have a lot of carbohydrates in them and they are low in fiber.

meat pasta sauce

Easy Italian Casserole

This casserole

  1. It is creamy and cheesy.  To make this you mix together the egg noodles with some sour cream and cottage cheese. I could seriously have stopped the recipe right there and been a very happy girl eating cheesy noodles.noodle casserole with cheese
  2. There’s no chunks of tomatoes. My kids don’t like tomato chunks. I really can’t blame them since I wanted nothing to do with them when I was their age, either. I figure they may grow into liking them some day. This casserole recipe uses smooth spaghetti sauce. You can just choose your favorite kind. Of course if you prefer chunky sauce…go for it.
  3. This casserole is not “saucy”. Because of the sour cream and cottage cheese, this was more of a “creamy” sauce. This made it a perfect dinner for half of the family who doesn’t like a lot of sauce. So what did I do since I love a good red sauce?  I simply added more spaghetti sauce on top after it was baked. 

overhead shot of lasagna noodle casserole

Italian Casserole Variations

  • This recipe serves about 8. We bake it in an 8×8 baking pan and it is very full. You can bake it in a 9×13 baking pan if you’d like.
  • If you need a main dish for a potluck or as a dinner for company, you can easily double the recipe and bake it in a 9×13 pan.
  • Feel free to use low-fat cream sour cream and cottage cheese.

Can you freeze Lasagna Noodle Casserole?

Yes! You can freeze this casserole before baking it. Wrap it in plastic wrap first, then wrap it in foil. Remove it from the freezer the day before you want to bake it and allow it to defrost in the fridge overnight.

Bake as directed, but you may need a little extra time if the casserole is really cold. Plan for up to an hour. It would also be a good idea to cover the casserole with foil for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake through.

You only need foil if the casserole has been frozen.

What to Serve with Lasagna Noodle Casserole

Pair this dinner with some Asiago cheese bread or garlic lover’s cheesy biscuits and a side salad for a complete meal!

cheesy pasta casserole

Other Italian Recipes

cheesy pasta casserole
cheesy pasta casserole

Lasagna Noodle Casserole

4.85 from 45 votes
A comforting layered casserole of noodles, beef, cheese and spaghetti sauce. This well-loved Lasagna Noodle Casserole can easily be doubled to feed a crowd.
Servings 8 servings
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes

Email Me This Recipe!
Enter your email and get the recipe sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get new recipes from us every week.

Ingredients
 

  • 8 ounces egg noodles (cooked according to package directions)
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 24 ounces spaghetti sauce
  • 1 cup cottage cheese
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions
 

  • In a skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef and onion together. Drain the fat.
  • Add the spices and spaghetti sauce. Mix well.
  • In a separate bowl, mix together the cooked noodles, sour cream and cottage cheese.
  • Spray a 2 quart casserole with cooking spray. Layer ½ the noodles, ½ the meat sauce and ½ the mozzarella in the prepared dish. Repeat the layers.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, until the casserole is baked through and browned.
  • If you'd like the top to be a little extra golden brown, place the casserole under the broiler on low for 3-4 minutes or until lightly browned. Watch it closely!

Video

Notes

The calories shown are based on the recipe serving 8, with 1 serving being ⅛ of the recipe. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**

Nutrition

Serving: 287g | Calories: 416kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 1089mg | Potassium: 653mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 885IU | Vitamin C: 6.6mg | Calcium: 292mg | Iron: 3mg
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Italian
Calories 416
Keyword casserole recipe, easy italian casserole, lazy lasagna

A plate of food, with cheese and Noodles

About Julie Clark

I'm Julie Clark, CEO and recipe developer of Tastes of Lizzy T. With my B.A. in Education and over 30 years of cooking and baking, I want to teach YOU the best of our family recipes.

Get 5 Classic Recipes with a Deliciously Secret Twist

You might also like

Join the Discussion

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

33 Comments
Most Voted
Newest Oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Jill
9 years ago

I am going to try ricotta cheese in place of cottage cheese.

Connie Martin
2 years ago

5 stars
I’m going to try this tonight using tortellini!

Dar
3 years ago

we are not big fans of the egg noodles in this dish………I substitute med. shells

Last edited 3 years ago by Dar
Miranda @ Cookie Dough & Oven Mitt
9 years ago

What? I didn’t know there were people in the world that didn’t like lasagna. This casserole looks amazing! I bet it was a crowd pleaser!

Jamie @ Love Bakes Good Cakes
9 years ago

My family loves lasagna … unfortunately for them, I hate all of the work that goes in to making it. This seems like a better solution FOR ME! 🙂

Nicole Alexander
1 year ago

5 stars
Excellent recipe! We have made this several times and really like it. We like it better than regular lasagna. It’s become a favorite in our household.

Judy Harris-Betts
2 years ago

5 stars
Made this before….making again tonight…super easy and delicious!!

Linda
2 years ago

5 stars
So easy. Great last minute recipe. My 3 boys loved it. I used Rigatoni noodles instead of egg. They had no egg noodles at Trader joes plus I’m not a big fan of egg noodles anyways. Cooked first according to package. Definitely use a 9×13 dish. Used Rao’s marinara sauce. Seasoned beef with a pinch of Italian seasoning’s,ie. Basil, oregano, dried parsley, even onion salt. I love seasoning everything 😊 Came out Delicious!!!

Kathy Bever
3 years ago

5 stars
this recipe was delicious! I’m working on making it a less sodium recipe for my hubby and I.

Jami Shorb
3 years ago

Can you use Ricotta cheese instead of the cottage cheese? Would there need to be any changes?

Suze
4 years ago

Just found this wonderful recipe! Used bow tie pasta and only substitution was Greek yogurt for the sour cream (didn’t have any) and it turned out like one of those “restaurant-catered” premium meals with the taste of Mama’s special homemade recipe. Thank you so much!

Maureen
8 years ago

5 stars
Two things that make this recipe delicious: lasagna and casserole. This recipe is so comforting. I like that it is very creamy and so cheesy as well!

Deb@ Cooking on the Front Burner
9 years ago

I love how comforting this dish is!

Cathy@LemonTreeDwelling
9 years ago

Looks like a great “easy” version of lasagna…and I love that you can adjust the sauciness for different tastes!

Joy McElroy
9 years ago

5 stars
Yay! I LOVE this! I am kind of lazy about not always wanting to put lasagna together, all the layering and such, so thank you for this!! 🙂