#330: Better-than-Ever Cheesy Meat Lasagna

Lasagna is one of the best recipes to make ahead because you can cut the recipe into two 8x8 pans and freeze one for later on.  Yes it does take a little bit of prep work but it is such a relatively easy recipe to make.  It took years for me to try a recipe that had cottage cheese in the filling, but I'm happy to say I've been using it for quite a while now and my family has no idea....or at least they aren't complaining!  My girls are not big lasagna fans, so I wasn't surprised that they didn't touch theirs.  Brian and I however, definitely enjoyed this!


3/4 lb. extra-lean ground beef (I used 1 lb)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce (I used almost 2 jars)
1 large tomato, chopped (I omitted)
1 egg
1 container (16 oz.) Low Fat Cottage Cheese
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
9 lasagna noodles, cooked
1 pkg. (7 oz.) Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided

Heat oven to 375°F.  Brown meat with garlic and oregano in large saucepan. Stir in spaghetti sauce; simmer 5 min., stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in tomatoes. Mix egg, cottage cheese and Parmesan.

Spread 1/2 cup meat sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; top with layers of 3 noodles, half the cottage cheese mixture, 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1 cup sauce. Repeat layers. Top with remaining noodles and sauce; cover.

Bake 30 min. or until heated through. Top with remaining mozzarella. Bake, uncovered, 5 min. or until melted. Let stand 5 min. before serving.

Make Ahead

Assemble lasagna as directed. Refrigerate up to 24 hours. When ready to serve, bake, covered, at 375°F for 40 min. or until heated through.