Real lasagna takes time and a lot of cheese. This budget version gives you the same cozy dinner with egg noodles, a pound of ground beef, a jar of sauce and cottage cheese. No boiling and layering wide noodles, and it feeds a family for a lot less.
Tips
- Cottage cheese works like ricotta and costs less. Small curd is best.
- Cook the noodles just until tender. They soften more in the oven.
- Brown the beef well and drain the fat so the bake isn’t greasy.
- Add a can of drained mushrooms or a handful of spinach to the sauce if you like.
Storing and reheating
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, covered, for up to 4 days. Reheat portions in the microwave until hot in the center (165°F).
Poor Man's Lasagna
A budget lasagna bake with ground beef, egg noodles, pasta sauce, cottage cheese and mozzarella.
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Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 jar pasta sauce 24 oz
- 12 oz wide egg noodles
- 1 1/2 cups small curd cottage cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Cook the egg noodles in salted water until just tender. Drain.
- Meanwhile, cook the ground beef and onion in a large skillet until the beef is browned and no pink remains. Drain the fat. Stir in the pasta sauce.
- In a bowl, stir together the cottage cheese, egg, Parmesan and Italian seasoning.
- Spread half the noodles in the dish. Top with the cottage cheese mixture, half the meat sauce and 1 cup mozzarella. Add the rest of the noodles, the rest of the sauce and the last cup of mozzarella.
- Bake uncovered 25 minutes, until bubbly and the cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.
Notes
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, up to 4 days. Reheat to 165°F.
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