Egg Noodle Lasagna
My Egg Noodle Lasagna recipe is a real family pleaser with layers and layers of meat sauce, cheesy filling, and egg noodles.
I don’t know about you, but for me, some recipes are just “special.” They’re the ones that bring back fond memories of people who hold a special place in your heart. This is one of those really, really special recipes.
This recipe wasn’t always called Egg Noodle Lasagna. For years, it didn’t even have a name. It was just my friend Judy’s lasagna recipe.
Judy and I used to cook together all the time. There wasn’t a whole lot to do in our little hometown and she was the most adventurous cook I knew back in those days of the mid-80s. Any time we were getting a large group of people together for dinner, Judy would make her “army lasagna” because it quite literally would feed an army. And everybody loved it!
This was way back in the days before the internet when people actually wrote down recipes on little cards and kept them in a box. I know… quaint, right? This is a photo of my actual handwritten copy of this recipe from way back. As you can see, we didn’t go in for a lot of recipe instructions in those days 😊 so I’ve tried to expand and explain a bit more for you.
Judy was the matron of honor at mine and BeeBop’s wedding. She’s been gone from this world for years now but I still think of her often and hope she has a top-of-the line stove and fully equipped kitchen wherever she is :-)
Why We Love This Recipe
- No fancy ingredients! You’ll find everything you need at your nearest grocery store whether you live in a big city or in the middle of the country.
- Familiar flavors. This recipe has all the mouth-watering flavors of tomatoes, cheese, and noodles with garlic and basil.
- Really cheesy! Who doesn’t love a dish just oozing with cheese?!
Ingredients You’ll Need
You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Egg Noodle Lasagna
Make the Meat Sauce
Place a large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the canola oil and the ground beef. Cook, stirring frequently, breaking up the ground beef as you cook.
When the ground beef is completely browned (no pink color remains), drain it in a colander set into a plate lined with paper towels. Return the drained ground beef to the pan and discard the fat.
Add the garlic powder, parsley flakes, dried basil, salt, canned tomatoes, and tomato paste to the browned ground beef. Bring the mixture to a bubble over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the sauce, uncovered, for one hour.
Cook the Noodles
When the sauce is nearing the end of the cooking time, cook and drain the egg noodles according to the directions on their package.
Make the Filling
In a medium bowl, add the cottage cheese, beaten eggs, salt, pepper, Parmesan cheese, and parsley. Stir well to thoroughly combine. A tip about the Parmesan: it is not necessary to use an expensive block of Parmigiano Reggiano for this recipe. This is not fancy food. The green box Parm goes really well here :-)
Grate (or not) the Cheese
I just wanted to give you a note about the cheeses. Feel free to use the packaged pre-shredded cheese if you’d like. For some reason, I just prefer to hand grate my Cheddar and don’t care either way about the mozzarella. But rest assured the shredded works just fine for this recipe.
Preheat the Oven
Before you start assembling the lasagna, go ahead and preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Assemble the Lasagna
Now, this recipe makes a lot. If you’re making this for a crowd, you can use one very large 10×15 baking dish. If you’re cooking for your family, I’d advise you to divide it into two pans – one 9×13 pan and one 9×9 pan.
Make two layers in each pan in this order — half each of the noodles, meat sauce, filling, cheddar, and mozzarella. Repeat with a second layer of each in the same order.
Bake
Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until bubbly and hot throughout.
Increasing the Recipe
Cooking for a youth group? Kids love this recipe! You can easily double or even triple this recipe to feed a really huge crowd.
Storing Leftovers
Yes, you’re going to have leftovers. I’ve never made this recipe, no matter how large the crowd, that I didn’t have leftovers. That’s a really good thing! Any leftovers of this Egg Noodle Lasagna can be wrapped well and stored in the refrigerator for up to three days. To freeze, place in a freezer container or wrap well in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Freeze for up to three months. To use from frozen, allow the lasagna to thaw and then reheat at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.
Spice it Up!
Try adding a teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the meat sauce to make it nice and spicy! Or substitute half the ground beef for hot Italian sausage.
How to Serve
All you need with this lasagna is a big tossed salad and some bread. My Cheesy Onion and Herb Bread is really great with it.
Questions? I’m happy to help!
If you have more questions about the recipe, or if you’ve made it and would like to leave a comment, scroll down to leave your thoughts, questions, and/or rating!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
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Egg Noodle Lasagna
Ingredients
For the Meat Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 2 ¼ pounds ground beef
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon parsley flakes
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ cups canned tomatoes with juice
- 6 ounces tomato paste
————
- 12 ounces egg noodles
————
For the Filling:
- 24 ounces cottage cheese
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 2 tablespoons parsley flakes
- 1 pound sharp Cheddar cheese grated
- 1 pound Mozzarella cheese grated
Instructions
Make the Meat Sauce:
- Place a large skillet or saucepan over medium high heat. Add the canola oil and ground beef. Cook, stirring frequently, until the beef is completely browned.
- Drain the beef in a colander over a a plate lined with paper towels. Discard the fat and return the ground beef to the pan.
- Add the garlic powder, parsley flakes, dried basil, salt, canned tomatoes, and tomato paste.
- Bring to a bubble over medium high heat.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer the sauce, uncovered, for one hour.
Cook the Noodles:
- When the sauce is nearing the end of the cooking time, cook the egg noodles according to the package directions. Drain the noodles and set aside.
Mix the Filling:
- In a medium bowl, add the cottage cheese, beaten eggs, salt, pepper, Parmesan cheese, and parsley. Stir well to thoroughly combine.
Assemble the Lasagna:
- Use either one large 10×15 baking dish, or one 9×13 pan and one 9×9 pan. Make two layers starting with half each of the noodles, meat sauce, filling, cheddar, and mozzarella. Repeat with a second layer of each.
Bake:
- Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly and hot throughout.
Notes
- You can easily double or even triple this recipe to feed a really huge crowd.
- Any leftovers may be wrapped well and stored in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- To freeze, place in a freezer container or wrap well in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Freeze for up to three months. To use from frozen, allow the lasagna to thaw and then reheat at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
Made it for Sunday. Everyone love it. No leftovers (people either ate or took it home). Very good. Hope I can make it again soon.
That’s so nice to hear, Marta! I’m so pleased that you all enjoyed it!
I love those recipes that feed lots of folks! Handy to have in your arsenal. And, your handwriting has always been a thing of beauty. Just like you.
❤️