Lasagna Noodle Casserole
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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
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.
Easy Italian Casserole
This casserole
- It is creamy and cheesy. Â 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.
- 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.
- 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.Â
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!
Other Italian Recipes
- Italian Chicken Skillet
- Chicken Parmesan Skillet
- One Pot Sausage Pasta
- Three Meat Ragu Sauce
- Italian Sloppy Joe Sandwiches
Lasagna Noodle Casserole
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
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
All lovely recipes. Thanks so much.
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! 🙂
What totally delicious looking dish! I’m such a sucker for pasta….yum!
Love this idea! Looks like the perfect comfort good!
Ooh this lasagna noodle casserole look so comforting, nourishing and delicious. Wish I had a bowlful to devour now!
Thank you for this lasagne recipe and for all the bread recipes I found on your site. Maybe I can surprise my family with some of these soon!!
I can’t imagine anyone in our family not going for this lasagna type comfort food. Looks great!
I am such a sucker for a good cheesy casserole! I like it even more if noodles are involved!
Oh lasagna…a love hate relationship of mine as well! I love it saucey but that is how I love my pasta! When I crave pasta, which is once every few months (gasp!), i love a good hearty dish like this!
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!
haha… we are the same way with lasagna. I’m the one that could take it or leave it. I always up for trying new recipes to help me fall in love with it and this recipe just might be it!
my daughter – the fussy one in the family will only eat lasagna, my son who is really not fussy at all doesn’t like lasagna at all – I think this is a great compromise that would make them both happy
Scary? lol! I LOVE lasagna! Such a fun recipe!
Love the look of your lasagna. My plan is to make one today! I agree with the tomatoes; I love chunky tomatoes, but my daughter sure picks around them.
I love easy, and delicious weeknight dinners. And I know what you mean about families that are picky about lasagna. Both my husband and I have discussions about what makes lasagna the best.