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A close up image of a serving of the lasagna casserole.
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Easy Lasagna Casserole

This easy lasagna casserole has all the flavors of lasagna but comes together in a fraction of the time. We take a shortcut with the sauce by using jarred pasta sauce and canned diced tomatoes. Italian sausage adds flavor to the sauce without a lot of ingredients or long cooking time.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword casseroles, easy pasta recipes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 606kcal
Author Elizabeth

Ingredients

Italian Sausage Sauce Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 1 Medium Onion finely diced
  • 3-4 Garlic Cloves minced
  • ½ teaspoon Italian Seasoning
  • 1 pound Mild or Hot Italian Sausage casings removed and torn into pieces or use bulk
  • 1 (14 ounce) Can Diced Tomatoes do not drain (we use petit dice)
  • 1 (24 ounce) Jar Pasta Sauce use your favorite meatless variety and brand

Cheese Mixture Ingredients

  • 15-16 ounces Ricotta Cheese
  • 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese shredded
  • ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese grated or shredded
  • 1 egg lightly beaten
  • ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper

Remaining Ingredients

  • 12 ounces Rotini Pasta fusilli, ziti, or other tube or twist pasta will work also
  • 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese shredded (for the top of the lasagna casserole at the end)
  • Chopped Parsley for garnish – optional

Instructions

Sauce instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet or large pot, over medium heat. Add the onions; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Add the garlic and Italian seasoning, cook 1 minute, stirring frequently.
  • Raise the heat to medium-high and add the Italian sausage to the skillet. Cook approximately 5 minutes to brown the meat, stirring frequently and breaking up any large pieces with a wooden spoon or spatula.
  • Add the diced tomatoes and the pasta sauce and stir well to combine. When the sauce comes to a simmer, lower the heat to medium to medium-low, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Keep the sauce at a simmer, if it’s boiling too vigorously, lower the heat a bit.

Prepare the remaining ingredients while the sauce cooks

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook to package directions for al dente.

Cheese mixture instructions

  • Combine the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, egg and black pepper in a large bowl. Stir well until the ingredients are combined. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  • Preheat the oven 350°F

Casserole instructions

  • Add a few heaping tablespoons of the meat sauce to a baking dish (about 2.5 quart 8x12 inch). Use enough to just cover the bottom of the pan.
  • Layer the lasagna casserole by adding half the pasta, arrange it in an even layer.
  • Top with half the Italian sausage sauce.
  • Add half of the ricotta cheese mixture by adding dollops over the entire top.
  • Sprinkle with ½ cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.
  • Repeat the layers (pasta, sauce, ricotta mixture). Hold off on the remaining mozzarella cheese, reserve that for after baking.
  • Bake the casserole for 40-45 minutes. Then remove it from the oven, top with the remaining ½ cup mozzarella cheese and bake another 2-3 minutes until melted. Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired, serve and enjoy.

Notes

Choose a pasta sauce that is not too thick so it will stay saucy when cooked with the sausage, then combined with the pasta and baked.

Nutrition

Calories: 606kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 115mg | Sodium: 1176mg | Potassium: 608mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1092IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 346mg | Iron: 3mg