When we say easy, we mean easy. You don't even have to cook the noodles for this speedy yet impressive lasagna that always gets rave reviews. Lasagna is a family favorite, but this version is extra-special because it only requires 5 quick ingredients: ground beef, pasta sauce, lasagna noodles, ricotta cheese, and shredded mozzarella (we don&rsquo;t count the water!). It&rsquo;s rated 5 stars for a reason. Pro tip: Make a double batch: Enjoy one now and freeze one for a quick meal on a busy weeknight.

Extra-Easy Lasagna

beef

tomato-basil pasta sauce

lasagna noodles

(15-ounce) container ricotta cheese

mozzarella cheese

water

Cook beef in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink; drain. Stir in pasta sauce.


Spread one-third of meat sauce in a lightly greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish; layer with 3 noodles and half each of ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese. (The ricotta cheese layers will be thin.) Repeat procedure; spread remaining one-third of meat sauce over mozzarella cheese. Slowly pour 1/4 cup hot water around inside edge of dish. Tightly cover baking dish with 2 layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil.


Bake at 375&deg; for 45 minutes; uncover and bake 10 more minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.


Note: For testing purposes only, we used Classico Tomato &amp; Basil pasta sauce.


Husband and father loved it.  For what it's worth, the hubby said it was much better than Maggiano's lasagna.  I don't eat dairy so I can't compare.    I used hot italian sausage thinking because there are so many other ingredients it wouldn't be too hot.  And, that was the case.  My dad doesn't like hot and he ate it all up.  I used  Rao's tomato and basil flavor sauce.  Added minced garlic to the sauce. As suggested by a couple of folks, I added an egg and about 1/2 c parmesan to the ricotta and added parm to the top.   Used Barilla Oven Ready lasagna noodles.  Didn't add water.  Looked beautiful.

Extra Easy is on point!!! I, as well, added 1 egg and 1/2 cup parm to the ricotta, however believe would be just as good without. I made double batch, for my son to take one home. He appreciates home cooking, even though it took 10 minutes ❤

Excellent.  I added sausage and onions to the sauce and simmered it on low to get the consistency I wanted;  cooked off most of the liquid.  Added one egg as suggested and shredded Parmesan to the ricotta.  Seasoned the sauce with a couple teaspoons of sugar to help with the acidic aftermath.  Next time I'll add mushrooms.   The best and easiest lasagna I have ever made, and the only one I'll make again.

I have made this half a dozen times. It is the best! I do 1.5 lbs meat. 2.5 cups of Ronaldi Meat Sauce. And 20 oz. Mozerella cheese

Relying on jarred sauce made this "extra-easy," but also "extra-one-dimensional.  I used nine noodles, which is more conveniently closer to half a pound (and the added water in the final step should be bumped up to a third or even half a cup).  I sauteed six minced garlic cloves with the meat, added a tablespoon of dry oregano to the sauce, and added 3/4 cup of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (no green can!) to the final cheese layer.  A teaspoon or so of crushed red pepper and some salt and pepper wouldn't have been a bad idea, either.  You could even go crazy and saute some mushrooms and onion with the meat.

My first time ever making lasagna and it turned out PERFECTLY!! Absolutely delicious!! I highly recommend this recipe. I did follow what others had said about adding an egg, Parmesan and parsley flakes to the ricotta cheese. I also added Italian seasoning, onion powder and garlic powder to the ground beef. My lasagna was a hit! Thank you so much for this recipe!

To:  SouthernMasterLike you I was a bit put off by the idea of having to open 2 24 oz. jars of pasta sauce and use only about 1/3 of the second jar and have a bunch left over.  I did a bit of looking around and found a jar the I already often use that comes in a 32 oz. jar - Mid's.  It is a delicious sauce.  As far as the Lasagna goes you can use a half box and the rest of the box will keep for years.  I have been making Lasagna and Stuffed shells for years without pre-cooking the noodles and it is my preferred method.

 I made this yesterday and used the suggestion of Chef D to add egg, Italian seasoning and Parmesan to the ricotta.  I used oven-ready lasagna noodles and didn't add the 1/4 cup of water at the end of assembly. This turned out very tasty and quite easy too.  

Yeah, it's a little unclear, because most people are expecting to finish the lasagna with a layer of cheese.So, the first 1/3 of the sauce is the first layer.  Then noodles, ricotta, and mozzarella.  The second 1/3 of the sauce starts off the next group.  Then noodles, ricotta, and mozzarella again.  Finally, the recipe says to add the final 1/3 of the sauce as the final layer.I've seen in other comments that people added a final layer of mozzarella for the last 10 minutes of cook time, which I think is a fabulous idea.

Where are the garlic and spices?  Great texture and super easy, but it is well worth the extra few minutes to add these items. Hot water technique a keeper. 

I'm a sucker for lasagna, but I'm lazy. When I order lasagna at a restaurant though, most times I'm disappointed. It's either dry or bland, or whatever. Not this one. Even lazy me did it, took no time at all, tasted fantastic. Only thing I did differently was that I had to add some spices to the beef, I don't cook anything without some kind of spice. I added something to the ricotta too. Next time I'll try mixing in the egg and using the snipped plastic bag. What a great idea. Thanks!

Loved this recipe but made it with Italian sausage for a little spicier version.  Everything else was the same.  

Love this recipe! Made it for a family get together of ten adults. Lots of compliments. Easy, beefy, cheesey and moist. YUM!  Thanks for posting!

Love this recipe. I have never made lasagna before because of all the steps and this was super easy. Even my super picky trn year old loves it.

 "This is great because it's one package or jar of each ingredient -- no waste." Uh, what?? Sauces don't come in 32 oz. jars. Lasagna noodles don't come in packages of six. Mozzarella cheese doesn't come in 10 oz. packages. I'll give you the ricotta cheese. Yipee. 

A 13" x 9" pan is definitely needed.  Unless I'm missing something, the recipe only accounts for 2/3's of the meat sauce.  What happens to the last third?

Thank you for verifying this, I could not for the life of me figure out how e noodles would properly fit in an 11”x7” footprint!

Thanks for the added ingredients - that is how I always make my lasagna.  I also use on 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and of course the regular lasagna noodles.  Thanks again.

This is wonderful recipe. Thank you very much.

This dish is exactly as described. I made my pasta sauce overnight in the crockpot and only had to add the ingredients into the oven dish as prep. Added some garlic bread to the mix and it was a very hearty meal. Will be sharing wirh my neighbors.

I totally agree with you Tiff!  Sky's post has at least 9 grammatical and spelling mistakes.

 This lasagna was a bit lackluster and not as easy as implied. Although that's my fault as I made my own ricotta and tomato/pasta sauce.  I think it needed more seasoning and perhaps Italian sausage versus ground beef.  There are many other recipes I have tried that I liked better, thus I will not be making this again. 

I have been making lasagne like this for forty years. I, too, have made it by boiling the noodles and hated doing that so rarely made this. The first microwave I bought had a recipe for not cooking noodles and that is how I've made it since. If I don't use ricotta, I use cottage cheese and add an egg. I don't add the extra water to mine though. I have used the "no boil" kind of noodles one time. That's all it took. They taste like cardboard to me. I've made this in a conventional oven and also in a microwave oven with great results each and every time.

First time I made this I had rave reviews. It's the only lasagna recipe I use now. I've also frozen it and it came out great.

This was delish.  Even Nicole loved it.  Very easy, followed directions exactly.  Great not having to cook noodles first (used regular noodles).

I am so happy that I found this recipe. I love lasagne but dread cooking it because of the mess of the cooked noodles. But not anymore since they have the oven ready noodles. What a life saver. The recipe was perfect and my family loved it. I added ground Italian sausage for extra flavor but other than that I followed the recipe. I can't wait to make it again, after all I have to use of the rest of my box of noodles.

Excellent Lasagne and super easy.  I'll be making this again and again! 

the 11 x 7 baking dish does not work for this recipe.  a standard 9 x 13 works great.  i added sauteed onion, garlic and seasoning and used cooked lasagna noodles.  

I wanted to try the no bake lasagna noodles and had all these ingredients. I used 1/2 gr turkey and 1/2 gr pork sausage and added ch onion, garlic and red wine to the jarred sauce. Used Chef D's suggestion for the ricotta. I added 10oz bag of from spinach uncooked and did need to add the 1/4  c boiling water. Loved the simplicity and ease in assembly. I would have liked it moister so next time I would add a can of tomatoes pureed into the spaghetti sauce

Made this on a Monday night and it couldn't have been easier for a weeknight meal.  I substituted Gardein meatless crumbles and added shredded Asiago cheese on the top for the final 10 minutes of baking.  Fantastic! 

Made this the other night - huge hit! I did follow "Veddy Teddy" suggestion for the ricotta cheese - a must do! It makes such a difference. I also seasoned my meat with Italian seasoning and a pack of Lipton onion soup mix (because I love that stuff). I will definitely be making this again.

My family and I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I will definitely make it again!

Pleasantly surprised!  Used VeddyTeddy's tips and added fresh garlic (compliments of my neighbor's garden) to the sauce.  Also put a layer of mozzarella on top for last 10 minutes of baking uncovered. Not sure why this isn't in the recipe.  Oh - And totally forgot the 1/4 cup water.  Didn't make any difference at all.  And spread the ricotta and mozzarella layers with my fingers.  I will make this again😃

Don't mean to sound stupid but you don't cook the noodles first? And you pour the water in the dish ??

First time making a lasagna and it turned out GREAT!  Thanks for the helpful tips with the ricotta.  Only adjustment ill make next time is add a lil more salt.  I don't really cook with it much anyway from fear ill oversalt my dishes. 

I made this when I was pregnant. This made me extra happy. Lol.....so good and easy. Good on a budget.

My entire family of 5 which includes three teenagers really enjoyed this meal.  Everyone wanted seconds. We only have a little left over because I would not let anyone go back for thirds. I followed the recommendations and added 1 egg, Italian seasoning, and about 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese to the ricotta mixture.  I seasoned my turkey meat with onions and Italian seasoning as well.  I added a thin layer of mozzarella cheese on top of the lasagna during the final 5 minutes of baking with the cover off.  I am no cook and found this very manageable.  I will definitely make this again.

 I followed the recipe and and a tip from  "VeddyTeddy" to add Parmesan, Egg and Italian seasoning to the ricotta  and it was fantastic. Very easy to make and delicious.  For better or worse, I pre-cooked my noodles against the original recipe's instructions, it seemed to work out great.  

Ditto, Tiff!  Even without punctuation, I appreciated Lala29's review!                 Skylar was rude!

Turns out perfect every time. My kids love it. I use ground turkey instead though.

Do you use No Bake lasagna noodles or regular noodles?

What type of Parmesan cheese do you use and how much of it do you use and how much Italian seasoning do you use?

 This is VERY similar to the recipe we have been using in my restaurant 
for years. The only thing we really do differently is we take the 
ricotta, and mix in egg, Italian seasoning and parmesan. Then place the 
mixture in a ziplock bag, cutting off just the tip of one of the corners
 (like piping icing on a cake). That way it's much easier to apply, 
rather than trying to mash and spread the ricotta with a spatula that 
can usually end up being a frustrating mess. Hope this little tip helps someone. 

Not to be rude, I am thankful for your input, but next time you write a review, (And I assume others will feel the same.) That you use correct grammar and punctuation marks so we can understand truly what you are a tempting to say. Also, please try to stay away from using un-necessary information in reviews, because the fact of that you are not the best cook does not give any important information to the reader. But thank you for your opinion, it's helped decide if I would like to make this for my mother and I! (: Have a pleasant day.~Sky. 

I'm not very good at making things that I don't know anything about which this was one of them my family loved it it turned out perfect it was easy and I like easy I don't like trying new things because they are hard and this one was not I give it a 5 star

This is great because it's one package or jar of each ingredient -- no waste. And it's amazing how much simpler lasagna is if you don't have to cook the noodles first. The technique is what's key--the extra water, the aluminum foil. I cooked mine an extra 15 minutes because the noodles didn't seem quite done -- but they would have cooked for 10 more minutes if I'd removed the foil. I just wanted to be sure. If your dish is full, the foil will pull off the melted cheese when you remove it. I think it would be better just to add the cheese to the top when you take off the foil and put it back in the oven for 10 minutes. I added some things: another 1/2 lb of beef, onion &amp; garlic to the sauce; also parsley &amp; shredded parm to the ricotta. As a result, I had to drain off some liquid to make room for the water (not sure I shouldn't just have skipped it). Using a very deep dish as shown in the photo rather than a glass one would help here. Because my dish was so full, I lined a jelly roll dish with alum foil and put it in the oven on top of the dish. Saved a lot of clean up!

I love this recipe!  It's super easy to make and tastes amazing just the way it is.  The 2nd time I made it, I used half and half Classico 4 cheese sauce and Safeway select vodka sauce and it tastes even better that way.

My family loved this recipe!!  I made my own ricotta cheese (1 gallon of whole milk, bring to 120F, add 1/2 c. white vinegar, wait 20 minutes while it sits undisturbed off of the heat, strain mixture through a cheesecloth, squeeze out excess moisture) and added Italian seasoning to it along with 2 medium eggs and a generous amount of parmesan cheese.  I also used a 24 oz. jar of spaghetti sauce and blended it until smooth with a large can (16 oz?) of organic tomatoes with basil (drain and drink the juice, yummy).  Also, when I cooked the ground beef, I pureed 1 carrot, 1 small onion, and 3 cloves of garlic and cooked the beef in that.  My kids are picky about chunks so I have to be creative.  This was a real hit and very easy.  The entire pan was gone within 24 hours and I have an 11 year old, a 4 year old, and a hungry hubby.  Next time I may layer zucchini that I slice thinly in a microplane - MAYBE the kids will eat it!

This has to be the easiest lasagna recipe I've ever made. It was quick and surprisingly flavorful. I used lean Italian seasoned ground turkey. I also added 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese and 1 egg as suggested by other reviewers. I  added fresh chopped Italian parsley (2-3 tbs.) to my ricotta mixture.  I will definitely make again.

This was indeed Extra Easy and Super Delicious.....I also put the 1/2c Parm and 1 egg in my ricotta, I love ricotta so much, so I would use a little more.  Made this for Thanksgiving, went so quick I only got a taste, so making it again tonight, can't wait to have a large serving!!! :-)

Great, easy recipe.  I am NOT a good cook, and even I was able to make this.  Delicious!

So so SO good! We're vegetarian, so we used Morningstar Veggie Crumbles instead of hamburger, and I had some zucchini and yellow squash that needed to be used so I added those, too. I could not believe how amazing such a simple recipe turned out! I never leave reviews, but I had to for this! AWESOME!

This turned out FANTASTIC, especially for the ease of it! Although I did add a few things.
I sauted one small onion, chopped, and one garlic clove, minced. (You can do this in either cooking spray or olive oil) until the onions were tender/just turning brown. I then added Parsley to this, and minimal garlic salt, salt, and pepper. I mixed this into the Beef/Pasta sauce mixture.
I also used sprinkled Parmesan in each cheese layer and sprinkled it on the top before covering and baking. I didn't use nearly the amount of Ricotta they called for, but maybe that was just personal preferance.
These modifications made it MUCH more flavorful as opposed to just meat, sauce, and cheese. 

Paired with cooked Spinach and fresh Italian bread (toasted w/ butter and garlic salt) on the sides--made a great meal! The family LOVED it :D

This truly is extra easy!!   I've spent hours making lasagne the traditional way (homemade sauce simmered with pork chops), and the time and energy saved on this recipe is definitely worth the slight difference in taste.  I too used the no boil noodles. Only thing I will do differently next time is add some garlic powder to the ricotta to give it a little more flavor.  Thumbs up from all my picky eaters on this one!

I too used the "No Boiling" Lasagna pasta and did not add any water. I went overboard on the Mozzarella cheese but it can only make it better when you get a nice cheese crust.. Turned out fantastic and I should have doubled the recipe and made two batches. I thought that 4 cups of pasta sauce would have been too much but after adding the third layer of meat/sauce, I was coming up short so I will truly follow the recipe next time. =)

Awesome recipe...couldnt find ricotta cheese so i added diffrent layers of marble, mozz and parm. Mixed the Classico Four Cheese and spinach with the Tomato Basil one....end result....YUM! I really cant cook at all... and this made me look like the ultimate chef, boyfriend was very impressed and excited to take the leftovers for lunch :)

They're not kidding, this is extra-easy! My husband actually ate leftovers and asked me to make it again. I used the no-boiling required and skipped the 1/4 cup of water. You won't be disappointed!

I love this recipe! It was easy to make and delicious. My whole family loved it, which is a big plus. It's hard to find something that they all like. Another plus is that I've developed an allergy to eggs, and can't have traditional lasagne but since this recipe doesn't call for any eggs I can have it.

This was super easy and delicious! Lasagna always intimidates me - it just seems to be a lot of work with a lot of ingredients, and I never want to make one after a long day at the office. I tried this last night and my family was amazed that a) I actually took the time to make it; and b) that it tasted so good. I'll never let on how easy it was :). And I'll definitely make it again. I had one small change - I didn't use jarred pasta sauce - I made my own with basil oregano flavored tomatoes and tomato sauce and onions. I think it added some additional texture and flavor to the lasagna.

This Was a Fantastic Recipe! I Actually made this and Froze it for a later Date, and it came out Great! (I Placed the Lasagna in the Fridge 24 hours before using to thaw) My only suggestion, if you are freezing it and then baking, is to Significantly reduce the Amount of hot water, to a few Tablespoons. I Added the Full amount and it was too much.

But overall this is Probably my favorite Lasagna recipe and was So easy and Fun to make. Thank you!

Great! Anyone know the calories per serving?

I was very impressed with this recipe.  I only chose this recipe because I was cooking for kids.  But the lasagna turned out great!  I especially liked the fact that it was dense and not watery.  I used more cheese than the recipe called for because I had extra.

I made this for my stepson's birthday and everyone LOVED it. I used ground turkey that I seasoned prior to cooking. I added parmesan cheese and made a third layer. For sauce I used Bertolli Olive Oil and Garlic. EXCELLENT!! And EASY. Will make again.

BF loved it. I liked it pretty well too! Good, solid recipe. I added some slices of mozzarella cheese to the layers which made it extra yummy :)

this is a very good,fast and easy recipe my family loved it i did change it alittle by adding more meat and a little more sauce but not much more sauce my family likes a meaty lasagna thats one reason i decide to make a homemade lasagna and this was just the recipe thanks will make many more times.[used 2lbs of meat and half cup more sauce]

I was looking for a good, easy recipe for lasagna, and I was not disappointed with this one.  My family loved it.  We will definitely have again.

YUM! This recipe was very simple to make and was a big hit with my family. At the suggestion of some of the other reviewers, I added one egg and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese to the ricotta to "fluff" up the filling. I also threw in a dash of onion powder and garlic powder. Next time, I think I'll try ground sausage and add fresh onion and garlic instead. I may try to sneak in some tobasco sauce, too, because I think that would give the recipe an amazing kick. Highly recommended for a weekday meal!

I made this lasagna last night and it was really good.  My 6 year old LOVED it.  He said it was the best dinner ever.  I did as the other reviews suggested and added 1 egg and a cup of parmesan to the ricotta.  I also added an extra layer of everything to make it thicker (of course, if you do that, you'll need more sauce).  Overall, this is a great recipe and I will definitely be making it again!

Lasagna is a family favorite, but this version is extra-special because it only requires 5 quick ingredients: ground beef, pasta sauce, lasagna noodles, ricotta cheese, and shredded mozzarella.

extra-easy lasagna

Servings: 7

Cost: $2.58 /serving

Author : MyRecipes

Ingredients

Instructions

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