There’s just something incredible about lasagna, am I right? Total comfort food. I could eat it every day. It’s always the option I pick when we got to an Italian restaurant. Layers of pasta, cheese, and sauce make for an incredible meal, but I’d like to argue that my lazy lasagna with cottage cheese is just as delicious, but way easier.
Oh and also? I named this protein lasagna because I kick up the protein 3 ways – by using a whole pound of lean, grass-fed beef, protein pasta noodles, and by swapping high protein cottage cheese for ricotta.
Ready to do this? Let’s go!
Protein Lasagna Ingredients:
I used 90% lean, grass-fed and finished ground beef.
I get mine in bulk from Butcher Box. I’m pretty obsessed with Butcher Box – the quality of the meat is incredible, and I end up saving a lot of money by buying it in bulk, vs at the local grocery store. If you’d like to sign up to try it for yourself, you can use my affiliate link to get a discount AND free meat! To check the latest Butcher Box deals – click here.
To kick up the protein and fiber, I used a pasta made from chickpeas for my noodles. You can use any small shape pasta that you want.
I cooked my pasta according to the package directions.
Another way I added more protein to this lazy lasagna is by substituting fat free cottage cheese for the more typically used ricotta cheese. Lasagna with cottage cheese is delicious – even my little one who’s not a huge cottage cheese fan loved this dish!
Recipe Step by Step with Photos
Add your lean ground beef to a pan and cook until brown. Then, add in your garlic, onion and spices and cook until onion is soft and garlic is fragrant. Add in your favorite pasta sauce and simmer.
While you sauce is simmering, mix cottage cheese with herbs, spices and grated parmesan cheese.
Add your cooked pasta to the sauce and stir to combine.
Now for the fun part! Grab your baking dish begin to layer the protein lasagna by adding half the pasta mixture. Then, top with all of the cottage cheese mixture.
Then, add the remaining pasta mixture on top.
And then, top with mozzarella cheese. Yum.
Bake until cheese is melted and bubbly. I like to serve alongside a green salad. Enjoy!
Did you enjoy this recipe? Please try my high protein beef chili as well!
Protein Lasagna (Lazy Lasagna with Cottage Cheese)
Ingredients
- 6oz (168 g) dry protein pasta I used Banza
- 1 lb (454 g) lean ground beef I used grass-fed 90/10
- 1/4 cup (40 g) white onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves (6 g) garlic, minced
- 1 cup (226 g) low-fat cottage cheese
- 1/4 cup (30 g) grated parmesan
- 2.5 cups (680 g) pasta sauce I used a low sugar sauce
- 1 cup (112 g) mozzarella cheese, shredded
- salt, to taste
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp basil
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp chili flakes, optional
- fresh parsley, optional
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, and set aside.
- Add your ground beef to a pan set over medium-high heat. I recommend using a lean ground beef so there is no fat to drain.
- Add in chopped onion and minced garlic. Cook, stirring and breaking up meat until nicely browned.
- Add 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp chili flakes if using.
- Add sauce and stir to combine. Let it simmer for about 3 -5 minutes. Then add in your cooked pasta.
- While the meat mixture is simmering, add cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp basil, and 1 tsp oregano to a small bowl and stir to combine.
- In your baking dish, layer half of the pasta/sauce/meat mixture.
- Spread all of the cottage cheese mixture on top of noodles, and top with the remaining noodle mixture.
- Sprinkle on the shredded mozzarella, and parsley if using.
- Bake at 350 degrees until sauce is bubbly and mozzarella cheese is melted.
NOTE
Nutrition information for this recipe is provided below. For more information on the nutrition facts provided on this site, please visit our nutrition disclaimer.
This was delicious!
So easy. Delicious.