Lasagna Casserole

  Dinner

Growing up, this was the meal I always wanted on my birthday. Mother made the sauce from scratch, but I use store-bought spaghetti sauce to save time. Replace the ground beef with Italian sausage if you want more spice.

Lasagna Casserole

Average Rating: 4.475

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 15 min. Bake: 1 hour + standing
YIELD: 8 servings.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided
  • 1 pound medium pasta shells, cooked and drained
  • 4 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
  • 3 cups 4% cottage cheese
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
  • 1 jar (24 ounces) pasta sauce

Instructions

  • 1. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Sprinkle with salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; set aside.
  • 2. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, 3 cups mozzarella cheese, cottage cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, parsley and remaining pepper. Transfer to a greased shallow 3-qt. or 13x9-in. baking dish. Top with beef mixture and spaghetti sauce (dish will be full).
  • 3. Cover and bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, until bubbly and cheese is melted, 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
    Freeze option:
    Sprinkle casserole with remaining mozzarella cheese. Cover and freeze unbaked casserole. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake casserole as directed, increasing time as necessary to heat through and for a thermometer inserted in center to read 165°.

Nutrition Facts

1 each: 667 calories, 30g fat (14g saturated fat), 157mg cholesterol, 1209mg sodium, 56g carbohydrate (12g sugars, 4g fiber), 44g protein.

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