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Home » Cuisines » American » Meat Lasagna with Cottage Cheese

Meat Lasagna with Cottage Cheese

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This meat lasagna with cottage cheese is hearty and flavorful. Cottage cheese is a delicious and budget-friendly substitute for ricotta cheese in lasagna. Not only does it have a creamy, savory flavor, but it is lower in fat and calories but still packs a flavorful punch.

The combination of beef and sausage with red wine pasta sauce, and cheese creates a delicious and comforting meal that will please everyone at the dinner table.

A square slice of lasagna with sausage and beef on a spatula.

If you love lasagna as much as we do, check out our Italian seafood lasagna or our eggplant lasagna for a delicious twist.

Why You’ll Love This Classic Meat Lasagna Recipe

Homemade lasagna is a dish that often found its place on our table when our kids were growing up.  It was relatively inexpensive, easy to make, and there would always be a lot of it and some leftover for lunchtime.

This beef and sausage lasagna is a delicious, meaty main course that only needs a green salad to complete the meal.  It is also a great dish for a large crowd or potluck!

Still not convinced? Here’s why you’ll love it:

  • Prep time can be done in under 30 minutes.
  • This lasagna recipe is packed full of protein from beef and sausage.
  • It’s very versatile.
  • There’s enough for leftovers or even meal prepped lunches!
A slice of sausage and beef lasagna on a plate with salad in the background.

Ingredients Needed

Here is a list of the ingredients you will need for this lasagna with cottage cheese. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details. 

  • Lasagna noodles
  • Veggies: Onions, celery ribs, and garlic.
  • Ground beef and sausage
  • Spices and seasonings: onion powder, dried oregano, sage, salt, crushed red pepper flakes.
  • Diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste
  • Cheese: Cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, Ricotta cheese, and shredded mozzarella
  • Fresh basil and parsley leaves (chopped)
  • Large eggs
Ingredients needed for sausage and beef lasagna.

How To Make Lasagna With Cottage Cheese

This lasagna does have a lot of ingredients but, they give this recipe all of its amazing flavor. We’ve listed out the basic instructions below to give you an idea of how easy it is to make this delicious beef and sausage lasagna with creamy cheeses!

Note: Make sure not to skip the full printable recipe card at the bottom of the page. There, you’ll find all of the ingredient amounts and details you’ll need.

  1. Cook the noodles: In a well-salted water pot, boil the lasagna noodles and cook for 6-7 minutes. Remove the pasta from the water and lay flat on a tray to cool.
  2. Make the meat sauce: In a large saucepan, cook the onion, celery, and garlic. Add in the ground beef and sausage and cook until brown. Next, add oregano, onion powder, sage, salt, and red pepper. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
  3. Make cheese mixture: In a small bowl, combine cottage cheese, parmesan, ricotta, basil, parsley, and eggs.
  4. Layer the lasagna: Add some of the meat sauce to the bottom of the casserole dish. Next, add a layer of cooked lasagna noodles on top of the sauce. Spread 1/2 of cottage cheese mixture over noodles followed by more of the meat sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese. Repeat these layers one more time and top off the whole dish with leftover sauce and mozzarella cheese.
  5. Cook and serve: Bake the lasagna for 50 to 60 minutes until it’s hot and bubbly. Let it cool before slicing!

Tip: If the edges of the lasagna brown too fast, cover with tin foil.

Collage of 4 photos showing how to make the meat sauce and cottage cheese filling for a lasagna.
Collage of 6 photos showing how to layer a sausage and beef lasagna.

  Substitutions and Variations 

  • We added a small amount of ricotta cheese to the cottage cheese mixture for a slightly sweeter, more complex flavor. If you want to omit the ricotta, then replace it with more cottage cheese.
  • Make it vegetarian. Instead of using beef and sausage, you can swap it out for a plant-based meat substitute such as Beyond Meat. You can also load up on vegetables for the filling like spinach, zucchini, or mushrooms.

What To Serve With Meat Lasagna Recipe For Dinner

This lasagna pairs perfectly with a quick Texas toast garlic bread. You can also make some of this garlic and herb focaccia bread for variety!

Besides the garlic bread, I like to serve this meat lasagna recipe with a tossed side salad topped with homemade caesar dressing and homemade croutons.

Frequently Asked Questions About Meat Lasagna

Do you have to boil the lasagna noodles before adding them to this dish?

It really depends on the type of lasagna noodles you buy. I would keep an eye on the box you purchase. If you don’t want to boil your noodles, then purchase Oven Ready lasagna noodles or fresh pasta in the refrigerator section of the grocery store. You can also make your own pasta. We have a recipe for einkorn pasta that is easy to make.

Can I use a store-bought jar of sauce?

Use our homemade garlic basil tomato sauce but, if time is an issue, a good store-bought pasta sauce works as well!

More ground beef recipes:

If you are looking for more ground beef recipes, we’ve got a great selection. From classic dishes like taco salads to comfort foods like slow cooker beef barley soup – there’s something here for everyone.

Sausage and beef lasagna being scooped out of a casserole dish.

This meat lasagna with cottage cheese is definitely a winner! Not only is it hearty and flavorful, but the use of cottage cheese instead of ricotta makes it a more budget-friendly option without sacrificing flavor. Combining the different ingredients creates a delicious and comforting meal for any occasion.

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Beef and sausage lasagna

Beef and Sausage Lasagna

A hearty, flavorful lasagna filled with sausage and beef for the meat sauce. The creamy cheese layer has a blend of cottage cheese and ricotta mixed with herbs. this is sure to be a family favorite.
4.82 from 16 votes
Print Pin Video Rate
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 606kcal
Author: Dahn Boquist

Ingredients

  • ½ box lasagna noodles about 12 wide noodles
  • 1 onion diced
  • 2 celery ribs diced
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 pounds ground beef
  • ½ pound ground pork sausage
  • 2 teaspoons ground oregano
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground sage
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1 14-ounce can tomato sauce (or 1 ¾ cup of Tomato, Basil and Garlic Sauce)
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 16 ounces cottage cheese
  • 5 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
  • 4 ounces ricotta cheese
  • ½ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
  • 2 large eggs
  • 16 ounces shredded mozzarella

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook for 6-7 minutes. Remove the pasta from the water and lay flat on a tray to cool.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • In a large saucepan, combine onion, celery and garlic, cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes until soft. Add the ground beef and sausage and cook 5-6 minutes, breaking up the meat as it cooks, drain the fat off.
  • Add oregano, onion powder, sage, salt and red pepper. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
  • In a small bowl, combine cottage cheese, Parmesan, ricotta, basil, parsley and eggs.
  • Poor 1 ½ cups of meat sauce into bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan. Place 4 lasagna noodles on top of sauce. Spread 1/2 of cottage cheese mixture over noodles, top with 1/3 of sauce and 1/3 mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers once more then top the last layer of noodles with the remaining sauce and mozzarella cheese.
  • Bake 50 to 60 minutes until hot and bubbly. If the edges of the lasagna brown too fast, cover with tin foil.
  • Let cool 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 606kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 125mg | Sodium: 982mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g

This post was originally published on October 1, 2014. We updated the photos but left one of the original photos below.

Beef and sausage lasagna

Pat Nyswonger

Pat is a wife, mom of four adult children, and grandmother to seventeen beautiful children. She is a self-taught home cook and loves creating delicious meals for her family and friends. Her kitchen is the hub of activity in her home, and she loves to entertain.

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Recipe Rating




Janet Bradley

Saturday 20th of February 2021

Could I use crushed tomatoes instead of diced. Not a fan of diced. Other than that I can't wait to make this recipe. Although there is only 2 of us, I will make it in two different pans. I can just prep the second one and wrap it and freeze it, correct?

Thanks, Janet

Dahn Boquist

Saturday 20th of February 2021

Yes, crushed tomatoes work great. You absolutely can freeze half of the lasagna. It can be frozen before or after you bake it. I do that all the time so I can have an easy dinner for nights that I don't want to cook. Thanks for the question

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