Tammy's Recipes

A flavorful and cheesy homemade beef lasagna with cottage cheese and spinach

3/4-1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, optional
8 ounces* lasagna pasta sheets, cooked according to package instructions
2 cups pizza sauce
16 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 cups (16 ounces) cottage cheese*
1-2 cups fresh spinach leaves, optional
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, for serving

1. Brown meat in skillet with onion, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and Italian seasoning. Drain grease.

2. To drained meat mixture, add 1 cup of the cottage cheese, stirring well.

3. Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish and spread a small amount of pizza sauce in the bottom. Layer cooked pasta in a single layer on top of sauce. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese.

4. Continue layering: meat mixture, pasta, sauce, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, remaining 1 cup cottage cheese, spinach, pasta, remaining sauce, and remaining mozzarella cheese. Garnish top with oregano if desired, and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until top is golden. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese when serving, if desired.

Homemade Lasagna, served with Garlic Bread

*Or more, depending on how deep your 9 x 13 baking dish is. I like to use about 12 ounces of pasta, but depending on the dish, it can get too full to fit.

**If cottage cheese is watery, as some brands are, strain off any excess liquid before using.

This is a great lasagna recipe! It looks beautiful and has a great flavor. We like to serve this with fresh homemade garlic bread :D This lasagna can also be made and frozen. Just thaw and then bake as directed! My rating: 9/10... because the Easy Lasagna is also really yummy... and faster to make :)