Traditional lasagna is a once-a-year project for me. I love it deeply, but it’s rare that I can carve out time for it. When it does happen, it’s in the dead of winter when I have absolutely nothing else to do but spend the entire day in the kitchen.

While it’s impossible to beat the classic version — with a homemade bolognese sauce and, when I can manage it, homemade pasta — I’m all about an easier version that makes lasagna a much more frequent occurrence. This recipe is exactly that. This lasagna is about as low-lift as you can get while still achieving cheesy, crowd-pleasing results. Here’s how to make it.

Why You’ll Love It

• This recipe uses store-bought sauce (make sure you get one you love). There are just three components that make a lasagna great: the pasta, the cheese, and the sauce.
• The lasagna noodles cook right in the sauce. Since the noodles aren’t pre-boiled, they’ll cook from the heat and steam in the oven. It’s important that they’re completely covered in the sauce so they cook evenly.

Key Ingredients in Easy Lasagna

• Ground beef: You’ll need 1 pound of lean ground beef.
• Marinara sauce: Since this recipe starts with a jar of marinara for ease, make sure it’s one that tastes great. My favorite brand is Rao’s, but choose your personal favorite.
• Cheese: Use two types of cheese – shredded low-moisture mozzarella and whole-milk ricotta.
• Regular lasagna noodles: While classic dry lasagna noodles are typically boiled before they’re layered, there’s no real reason why you have to cook them ahead of time — they can actually be layered in with the sauce and cheese as is. And yes, this is just regular lasagna noodles!

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