With saucy, cheesy pasta layers baked together in a casserole dish and only 5 minutes prep (yes, you read that right!), this Laziest Lazy Lasagna Recipe Ever might just be your new best friend!
What if I told you that you could make an easy, cheesy lazy lasagna recipe with raw lasagna pasta and no layering? One in which you literally mixed the cheese, sauce, and broken raw pasta together in a big bowl and dumped it in a casserole dish and baked it and out came lasagna? Well, hold on to your horses, because that’s exactly what I’m saying.
Table of Contents
- The Story Behind the Recipe
- Why You’ll Love Laziest Lazy Lasagna
- Ingredients
- Adaptations/Variations
- How to Make the Laziest Lasagna Recipe Ever
- Tips for Success
- More Easy Pasta Recipes
The Story Behind the Recipe
I know a lot of lazy lasagna recipes call for ravioli, and I love that idea! But I wanted to take it one step further. If I was going to make a lazy lasagna, I didn’t want to have to do any layering. (Although, note that I actually did go there with these individual lazy ravioli lasagnas, a long long time ago! I still love this one for one dish two ways dinners.)
I’m a huge fan of Smitten Kitchen’s pasta and squash bake. The method feels so weird – you literally mix everything together in a giant bowl, raw pasta and all, then bake it in a spring form pan – but the result is amazing! And it’s so, so easy.
So, over the years, I’ve been slowly developing a lazy lasagna recipe that uses that method, but the result is lasagna. Okay, caveat – something resembling lasagna, because obviously this isn’t a true, traditional lasagna, even though it tastes like it.
I continued to simplify the recipe until I finally settled on this one, an extra lazy lasagna situation that uses jarred sauce and need only be baked in a 9×13 pan, no springform necessary.
I’m not sure I’ve ever been so proud to be so lazy!
Why You’ll Love Laziest Lazy Lasagna
It tastes like a real cheesy vegetarian lasagna, but it comes together with a fraction of the effort. What’s not to love?!
Don’t get me wrong – I firmly believe there is absolutely a time and a place for real lasagna. My usual vegetarian lasagna recipe is made more traditionally, with an epic homemade Italian tomato sauce that completely seals the deal. (Though it is made without having to boil the pasta first, which is awesome!)
But sometimes, you just need a fast and easy recipe. Granted, this one does take some time in the oven, so you’ll want to plan for that, but the magic is in the fact that this lazy lasagna recipe takes just 5 minutes to prep, leaving you free for everything else you have to do. And that is why is truly is the laziest lazy lasagna recipe ever!
Ingredients
- Marinara sauce/spaghetti sauce – Grab your favorite jar from the store, though if you really want a homemade sauce, I have this Italian tomato sauce recipe that’s really, really yummy, and sometimes I’ll use that if I have it in the freezer.
- Water – Needed to help cook the pasta and make the lasagna the saucy wonder we all know and love when we think of lasagna.
- Mozzarella cheese – I like to go with full-fat (low-moisture) mozzarella, but part-skim works well too.
- Parmesan cheese – Grate it yourself or grab it already shredded at the store.
- Ricotta cheese – One tub.
- Lasagna noodles – You’ll need one box of lasagna pasta, broken into 3- to 4-inch pieces.
- Salt & pepper – For flavor, of course!
- Olive oil – This is for drizzling over the top of the lasagna during the final baking period when you bake it uncovered. It adds a nice bit of flavor, too. It’s not strictly required, but this is how I like to make it.
- Parsley – Optional, but I like the pretty green it adds when sprinkled over the top of the lasagna. You could swap in ribbons of basil, too, or in place of the parsley.
Adaptations/Variations
- Add some greens. Throw in a few handfuls of baby spinach for some added nutrition.
- Make it meaty. Stir some cooked ground beef or ground sausage in with the sauce and cheese for a meaty lasagna.
How to Make the Laziest Lasagna Recipe Ever
First, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Have a 9″x13″ baking dish ready. You can spray it with non-stick spray for easier clean-up, if you like.
To a large bowl, add the marinara sauce, water, 2 cups of the mozzarella, 3/4 cup of the Parmesan, ricotta, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
Break the pasta in 3 to 4-inch pieces directly into the bowl. Grab a big wooden spoon or sturdy spatula, and stir it until all of the pasta pieces are coated.
Pour the pasta and sauce into your 9×13 baking dish and spread it out a bit so it’s even. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and parmesan over the top.
Cover the baking dish tightly and bake for an hour. Remove the foil, drizzle with olive oil, and bake uncovered for 15 more minutes to help get the top a bit more golden and bubbly.
Drop some minced parsley over the top if desired and serve!
Tips for Success
- Have faith in the process. I know it’s weird to add water to lasagna. I know it’s weird to break raw pasta into a bowl of sauce and cheeses. Just go with it! It’s worth it!
- Leftovers can be a bit dry. Splash it with water or warm with a bit of extra pasta sauce to help remedy this, or and/or warm it with some extra cheese.
- Buy pre-shredded cheese to make it even easier. Grab pre-shredded mozzarella and parm for the easiest prep ever!
I hope you adore this lazy lasagna recipe as much as I do! It’s one of those super easy shortcut recipes that makes dinner easy yet is still delicious. Homemade is amazing, but sometimes it’s a relief to turn to a good store-bought jar of sauce when it helps get the job done!
More Easy Pasta Recipes
The Laziest Lazy Lasagna Recipe Ever
Ingredients
- 24 ounces marinara sauce (1 jar [3 cups]; or your favorite spaghetti sauce)
- 1 cup water
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided (about 12 ounces)
- 1 cup finely grated parmesan, divided (about 4 ounces)
- 16 ounces ricotta cheese (1 tub; 2 cups)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 16 ounces lasagna noodles (1 box; broken into approximately 3-inch pieces)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh minced parsley (if desired, for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray if desired.
- To a large bowl, add the marinara sauce, one cup water (I like to swish the water in the marinara sauce jar to get the last bits out), 2 cups of the mozzarella, 3/4 cup of the Parmesan, ricotta, salt, and pepper. Stir well until completely combined.
- Break the lasagna noodles right into the bowl and stir with a sturdy wooden spoon or spatula until the pasta is completely coated.
- Pour the mixture into a 9×13 pan, spreading into a relatively even layer (but it doesn't have to be perfect). Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan evenly over the top.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for one hour, then remove the foil and drizzle the top with the olive oil. Bake for 15 more minutes, until the cheese is bubbly on top and golden in spots.
- Top with chopped parsley, if desired, and cut into squares to serve.
Hi! I’m Karen – I’m a real person with real recipes. No A.I. here! Since 2009, every recipe on Kitchen Treaty is thoroughly tested and loved before I hit “publish.” I’m a home cook, certified plant-based pro, and mom. I’m a vegetarian married to a carnivore, and my goal is to coexist deliciously.
