Mom’s Lasagna with Cottage Cheese Recipe
This classic Mom’s Lasagna Recipe with Cottage Cheese features a rich tomato sauce layered with a creamy cheese mixture, spicy Italian sausage, fresh vegetables, and oven-ready lasagna sheets. A comforting and hearty Italian-American dish made with a blend of cottage cheese, ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheeses, perfectly seasoned with herbs and spices, baked until bubbly and golden.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Ingredients
Tomato Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Kosher salt, to taste
- ½ white onion, diced (¾ cup)
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
Cheese Mixture
- 1 (16 ounce) container whole-milk cottage cheese (2 cups)
- 1 (15 ounce) container part skim ricotta cheese (1¾ cups)
- ¾ cup shredded Mozzarella cheese (3 ounces)
- ½ cup freshly grated or shredded Parmesan cheese (2 ounces)
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Filling & Assembly
- 1 pound bulk spicy Italian sausage
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 (9-ounce) box oven-ready lasagna sheets (such as Barilla)
- 1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
- 2 cups loosely packed chopped fresh spinach
- 1 ½ cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the Tomato Sauce: Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced onion and a pinch of kosher salt, sauté until the onion is soft and translucent. Stir in minced garlic and tomato paste, cooking for 2 minutes to develop flavors. Add bay leaves, dried basil, oregano, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Pour in crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce, simmer uncovered for at least 30 minutes to thicken and blend flavors. Adjust seasoning with salt.
- Make the Cheese Mixture: In a large bowl, combine whole-milk cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, shredded mozzarella, Parmesan, chopped fresh parsley, egg, dried basil, oregano, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Mix well until homogenized and set aside.
- Cook the Sausage and Vegetables: In a skillet over medium heat, cook the spicy Italian sausage until browned and cooked through, breaking it into crumbles. Remove sausage and set aside. In the same skillet, sauté sliced cremini mushrooms and thinly sliced zucchini until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Set aside.
- Assemble the Lasagna: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). In a baking dish, spread a thin layer of prepared tomato sauce on the bottom. Add a layer of oven-ready lasagna sheets, then spread a third of the cheese mixture over the noodles. Follow with a layer of cooked sausage, some sautéed vegetables, chopped fresh spinach, and a generous spoonful of tomato sauce. Repeat layering twice more, finishing with a final layer of noodles topped with remaining tomato sauce, shredded mozzarella, and grated Parmesan cheese. Season with cracked black pepper.
- Bake the Lasagna: Cover the assembled lasagna tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 15 minutes until the cheese on top is bubbly and golden brown. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving to set the layers.
Notes
- For best flavor, make the tomato sauce a day ahead and refrigerate overnight.
- Use oven-ready lasagna noodles to save time, no need to boil before assembling.
- Letting the lasagna rest after baking helps it slice neatly and prevents it from falling apart.
- Customize vegetables by adding bell peppers or eggplants according to preference.
- Substitute ground turkey sausage for a leaner version of the dish.
- Cover lasagna with foil during baking to prevent excessive browning of the cheese layer.
