• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Peter's Food Adventures
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Travel
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
  • recipes
  • about
  • travel
  • Follow and Share!

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • recipes
    • about
    • travel
  • Follow and Share!

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Italian Recipes

    Lasagna with Cottage Cheese

    Author: Peter Kolesnichenko · Published: Oct 13, 2017 · Modified: Sep 23, 2021

    Jump to Recipe

    I think everyone loves eating Lasagna or Lasagne, an favorite Italian dinner loved all over the world. Just like the spelling, there are many ways to prepare this dish. This Lasagna with Cottage Cheese recipe is one of my favorite ways to eat lasagna!

    Lasagna with Cottage Cheese is a classic Lasagne dinner favorite, with loads of mozzarella cheese, meat Ragu, cottage cheese and parmesan. Spinach Free and delicious!
    lasagna ingredients
    boiling lasagna sheets in a pot of water

    Lasagna with Cottage Cheese

    The most common lasagna recipe outside of Italy, is Lasagne al Forno, which uses a thick Ragu sauce and a cheesy Béchamel sauce. This is not that recipe! Lasagna with Cottage Cheese is a popular recipe that is eaten in Canada and the USA, and probably not as authentic as we would like to think.

    Ricotta cheese is the staple in many traditional Lasagna recipes, and wasn't as common in stores 50 years ago as it is now. Cottage cheese was substituted, making all our lives easier. To make Lasagna al Forno, making Béchamel sauce took too much time, so layering with mozzarella became the timesaver. Instead of using homemade tomato sauce, people bought ready made pasta sauces.

    Canadian Lasagna

    Some Canadian Lasagna recipes add spinach to the cottage cheese, but I don't love spinach in my lasagna. It's a sneaky way to add vegetables to your dinner! Across Italy, there any many different types of Lasagne recipes, depending on the region you are in. So there really isn't a right way to make Lasagna, just different variations.

    When my wife moved to Canada from Australia, she made Lasagne with Béchamel Sauce or Lasagna al Forno. It was so different from what I knew Lasagna with Cottage Cheese to be! She even showed some friends the way Australians prepare Lasagna, which is closer to how the Italians make it. As awesome as her recipe is, I still love the Lasagna with Cottage Cheese from my childhood.

    Traditional Dry Lasagna Sheets

    It's become popular to use Oven Ready Lasagna Sheets, that don't require pre-cooking. This wasn't always the case. In the olden days, we bought the uncooked lasagna sheets, and cooked them al-dente style, before being able to build the lasagna. It was hard finding the original uncooked lasagna sheets here in Australia, but they do exist!

    There are a few different types of lasagna pasta sheets that you can use. For this recipe, I made it like my mom made it, using dry lasagna sheets that need to be cooked in boiling water before using. You can still find these in some Canadian grocery stores, and Italian stores sell them, but their popularity is on the decline.

    You can use oven ready pasta sheets, and every grocery store sells fresh lasagna sheets. While that might be easier to make, I love the tradition of boiling the traditional lasagna sheets al dente before using. When using oven ready lasagna sheets, depending on the brand, they can soak up too much sauce, leaving your lasagna dry. Alternatively, they can also not soak up enough sauce, making the lasagna taste stodgy. Pre-cooking the old fashioned lasagna sheets ensures you get it right every time.

    lasagna meat sauce
    making lasanga layering pasta

    What is Passata?

    Passata is an uncooked tomato puree that is strained from seeds and skin. You can find Passata at all Continental Delis. In North America, it's often called Tomato Sauce or Tomato Puree. It's the quintessential Italian sauce. Here in Australia, Italian families celebrate Passata Day or Sauce Day. In the peak of summer, when tomatoes are ripe and plentiful, Italian families spend the day, chopping tomatoes, cooking, and making jars, jars and more jars of Passata. This is enough sauce for the next year!

    When possible, always use Passata, it's an incredible base for all your Italian cooking. If you can't find Passata Tomato Sauce, then you can use store bought pasta sauce, but it won't be as good!

    Can You Make Lasagna with Cottage Cheese Instead of Ricotta?

    Of course! Many lasagna recipes are made with Ricotta Cheese, and for a more authentic recipe, use Italian Ricotta Cheese! However, there are a few differences between the two cheeses. Ricotta is a finer cheese and Cottage is chunkier in texture. I find that Cottage Cheese more creamier and a little runnier than Ricotta. Not that Lasagna is diet food, but Cottage Cheese is lower in calories than Ricotta, almost 50% lower. It's up to you, but I suggest trying this recipe as is, because I'm sure you'll love it!

    lasagna layers in a glass pan
    lasagna pan with cheese, top down photo

    How to Make Lasagna with Cottage Cheese

    This Lasagna recipe can be broken down into 4 main parts. Cooking the pasta, making the meat sauce, preparing the cottage cheese, and layering the lasagna with ingredients. Cooking the pasta is self explanatory, so I'll start with the meat sauce.

    The meat sauce isn't a traditional Ragu, but an easy ground beef with onions, celery, carrots and Passata sauce recipe. Brown the veggies, add tomato paste and ground beef until cooked. Mix in Passata and fresh herbs, season and your lasagna meat sauce is ready.

    To prepare the cottage cheese, just mix together with 2 eggs, fresh parsley and some black pepper. Grate some mozzarella cheese. Now you're ready to layer your lasagna.

    Start by setting aside 2 cups of meat sauce, one for the base of the lasagna, and one cup for the final topping. Spread 1 cup of meat sauce on the base of your lasagna dish. This prevents the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the dish. Layer with lasagna sheets, add ½ the meat sauce and sprinkle with ½ the mozzarella cheese. Add another layer of pasta the cover with the cottage cheese mixture. Add pasta again and cover with remaining ½ of meat sauce. Add last layer of pasta, and the last cup of meat sauce. Cover in mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Bake at 350F°/175C° for an hour, covered with foil.

    • LASAGNA BUILD RECAP: Bit of meat sauce > noodles > more meat sauce > mozzarella > noodles > cottage cheese > noodles > more meat sauce > noodles > bit of meat sauce > mozzarella > parmesan
    Lasagna with Cottage Cheese is a classic Lasagne dinner favorite, with loads of mozzarella cheese, meat Ragu, cottage cheese and parmesan. Spinach Free and delicious!

    Recipe Tips

    • I used 4 layers of noodles, but you can use 3 layers of pasta. I don't like leftover pasta sheets, so I will work all the lasagna sheets into the recipe
    • Substitute Cottage Cheese with Ricotta Cheese
    • For a meatier Lasagna, add an extra 1lb/500g of ground meat
    • Instead of Ground Beef, use a 50/50 mixture of Ground Pork and Ground Beef
    • Add a splash of red wine into the meat sauce
    • If you can't find Passata, substitute with 1 large jar pasta sauce (24oz/680g)
    • If you're using oven ready lasagna noodles, then add extra water to the meat sauce. Fill half the passata jar with water, shake and add to the meat mixture.
    • When Lasagna is baked and removed from oven, leave the lasagna for at least 10 minutes before cutting. This allows the lasagna to set and not be as runny.

    Italian Pasta Recipes You Need To Try!

    • Lasagna with Chorizo
    • Beef Osso Bucco
    • Lasagna Pasta Shells
    • Creamy Seafood Lasagna
    • Conchiglioni Stuffed Pasta Shells

    Lasagna with Cottage Cheese is a family favorite, full of flavor, cheese and calories. If you've only enjoyed Lasagna al Forno, give this Canadian Classic recipe a try. Bon Appetit! Приятного аппетита!

    Lasagna with Cottage Cheese is a classic Lasagne dinner favorite, with loads of mozzarella cheese, meat Ragu, cottage cheese and parmesan. Spinach Free and delicious!
    Lasagna with Cottage Cheese is a classic Lasagne dinner favorite, with loads of mozzarella cheese, meat Ragu, cottage cheese and parmesan. Spinach Free and delicious!

    Lasagna with Cottage Cheese

    Lasagna with Cottage Cheese is a classic Lasagne dinner favorite, with loads of mozzarella cheese, meat Ragu, cottage cheese and parmesan. Spinach Free and delicious!
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
    Prep Time: 45 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour
    Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
    Course: Dinner
    Cuisine: Italian
    Keyword: Lasagna with Cottage Cheese
    Servings: 8 people
    Author: Peter Kolesnichenko

    Ingredients

    • 12-16 lasagna noodles original uncooked style not oven ready

    Lasagna Meat Sauce

    • 2 tablespoons oil for frying
    • 2 onions diced
    • 4 cloves garlic minced
    • 1 celery rib diced
    • 1 carrot diced
    • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
    • 2 lbs /1kg ground beef
    • 1 jar of tomato Passata 700g
    • 2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil or 1 tablespoon dried basil
    • 2 teaspoons fresh chopped oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 1 bay leaf optional

    Lasagna Cottage Cheese Mixture

    • 1 tub cottage cheese 500g/16oz
    • 2 eggs
    • ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
    • black pepper to taste

    Grated Cheeses

    • 4 cups mozzarella cheese grated
    • ½ cup parmesan cheese grated

    Instructions

    • Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil. Cook the lasagna noodles according to instructions ensuring they are cooked al dente. Do not overcook the noodles! Drain the noodles, rinse with cold water and set aside.

    Lasagna Meat Sauce

    • In a large saucepan or dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Sauté the onions, garlic, celery and carrot until softened. Stir in the tomato paste and allow to cook for 2 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook until browned and all the liquid has evaporated. (all up about 12 minutes)
    • Stir in the Passata, basil, oregano and bay leaf and allow to simmer for a few minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

    Lasagna Cottage Cheese Mixture

    • In a bowl, mix together the cottage cheese, eggs, chopped parsley and black pepper.

    How to Make Lasagna

    • Use a 13x9 or 11x13 inch baking dish to build your lasagna. Start with spreading 1 cup of your meat sauce across the base of the baking dish. Top with 3 pieces of cooked lasagna. Set aside 1 cup of meat sauce for the topping of the lasagna.
    • Cover with ½ of the remaining meat sauce and spread evenly covering the noodles. Sprinkle with ½ the mozzarella cheese. Top with 3 pieces of cooked lasagna noodles. Spread the cottage cheese mixture evenly across the lasagna noodles. Top with 3 pieces of cooked lasagna noodles. Cover with remaining ½ of the meat sauce and spread evenly covering the noodles. Top with 3 pieces of cooked lasagna noodles. Cover with the 1 cup of meat sauce you set aside and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
    • RECAP: Bit of meat sauce > noodles > more meat sauce > mozzarella > noodles > cottage cheese > noodles > more meat sauce > noodles > bit of meat sauce > mozzarella > parmesan
    • Preheat oven to 350F°/175C°
    • Cover lasagna with foil and bake for 1 hour until heated through. Remove foil during the last 10 minutes of baking allowing the cheese to lightly brown. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before serving to allow the lasagna to set.
    Tried this recipe?Mention @petersfoodadventures or tag #petersfoodadventures!

    ©PetersFoodAdventures

    A classic Lasagne dinner favorite, with loads of mozzarella cheese, Ragu, cottage cheese and parmesan. Spinach Free Canadian Lasagna with Cottage Cheese
    A classic Lasagne dinner favorite, with loads of mozzarella cheese, Ragu, cottage cheese and parmesan. Spinach Free Canadian Lasagna with Cottage Cheese
    A classic Lasagne dinner favorite, with loads of mozzarella cheese, Ragu, cottage cheese and parmesan. Spinach Free Canadian Lasagna with Cottage Cheese

    More Italian Recipes

    • Your kids will LOVE this! The only way to eat gnocchi, an easy one pot wonder! Cheeseburger inspired with seasoned ground beef, bacon, tomatoes, red peppers, gooey melted cheddar cheese. Bacon Cheeseburger Gnocchi
      Cheeseburger Gnocchi
    • cherry tomato bruschetta
      Cherry Tomatoes Bruschetta
    • osso bucco in a bowl
      Beef Osso Bucco
    • linguine with fresh clams in a bowl
      Linguine Vongole

    Primary Sidebar

    Peter's Food Adventures - where you'll find Russian recipes, Slavic and International favorites with some fun travel and cooking videos. A Russian Food Blogger.

    Hi, I'm Peter!

    Are you looking for a little inspiration in the kitchen? Let me show you how to create tasty meals for your family!

    Food is the ingredient that brings people together. I love authentic foods, and have a very multicultural food background. I am genuinely happy to share the recipes of foods that make me and my family happy. And hopefully yours too. 

    Learn more about me →

    As Featured On

    As Featured On various magazine brands

    Popular Recipes

    • A Hungarian classic summer dish - paprika peppers with with ground beef, rice and paprika spice. Cooked in a delicious tomato passata sauce. Summer comfort food - Hungarian Stuffed Peppers (töltött paprika)
      Hungarian Stuffed Peppers (töltött paprika)
    • Greek Meze Plates
    • pineapple fried rice served inside pineapples
      Thai Pineapple Fried Rice
    • black caviar on a plate served with blinis
      How to Eat Caviar

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Intellectual Property

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Peter's Food Adventures

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Cookie settingsACCEPT
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT
    446 shares
    • 82