Do you have a large group you have to feed? Or maybe you need a potluck recipe? Or even a freezer meal? This No Boil Lasagna is the way to go!
Make up some garlic bread, toss a salad and a lasagna dinner for a crowd is ready! Here is a fool-proof recipe to make a fabulously delicious lasagna for the masses.
I love this recipe because it uses no boil lasagna sheets, I just find it so much easier! To make things even easier, I make my giant lasagna in a disposable dish instead of having to scrub caked on cheese for hours on end.
How Do No Boil Noodles Work?
It is really quite simple. Instead of them reconstituting with water while boiling, they use the liquid from other ingredients like the tomato sauces or cheese, to soften. But they have an added perk… if you are a fan of the crispy edges around lasagna, this version ensures you’ll get a few more because it is easier for them to crisp up if they haven’t already been boiled.
How to Use No Boil Lasagna Noodles
These no boil noodles only need to be placed against ingredients that have some sort of liquid or water. In this case, I make sure to layer mine with marinara and mozzarella cheese. Mozzarella cheese typically has a good amount of water and so does the sauce.
I would suggest not layering them directly with the meat or ricotta, as the meat doesn’t have much moisture and it will draw everything out of the ricotta blend and you want that to stay creamy.
Why You’ll Love This No Boil Lasagna
With the classic flavor of lasagna simplified, what’s not to love about this easy lasagna recipe?
- Less time – Because we’re using oven-ready noodles, you skip the step of having to boil the noodles, therefore saving time.
- Classic dish – While I love trying new recipes, sometimes an age old favorite like a classic lasagna recipe really just hits the spot. It’s the ultimate comfort food.
- Easily feed a crowd – This is a big lasagna. And when I say big, I mean I make it in a turkey pan instead of a regular baking dish. It’s large enough to feed a crowd easily.
Ingredients
The ingredient list is a little long, but together they make for the perfect no boil lasagna recipe.
- Italian seasoning – A blend of oregano, basil, parsley and other spices, this seasoning adds the perfect flavor to our lasagna.
- Baby spinach – I like to add a little bit of spinach to my lasagna for some extra nutrition as well as texture and color.
- White onion – You can omit if you have picky eaters, but I love the flavor and texture onion adds to this dish.
- Petite tomatoes – I like to use canned tomatoes for ease. It adds a little substance and texture to the lasagna.
- Garlic cloves – I prefer to mince my own garlic. It packs much more of a flavor punch than the pre-minced jarred version.
- Eggs – Always assume a recipe is calling for large eggs. We combine these with the cheeses to act as a binding agent.
- Ricotta cheese – You can’t have lasagna without ricotta! This creamy cheese adds a cool creaminess to the dish.
- Parmesan cheese – You will want to grate this cheese yourself for best results. It’s used both the cheese mixture and then extra for topping
- No-boil lasagna noodles – Also called oven-ready lasagna noodles, these are found by the regular pasta at the local grocery store.
- Marinara sauce – Of course, you can make your own homemade sauce, or just buy your favorite jar from the store.
- Mozzarella cheese – This will be used in both the cheese mixture and then extra for topping. I like to use a low moisture mozzarella.
- Turkey sausage links sweet or spicy – You will want to make sure these are cooked. Also be sure to remove from casing and crumble it. Why do I use the links? Because they are already seasoned similar to Italian sausage and have some fat, whereas ground turkey will not be.
How to Make No Boil Lasagna
Making this lasagna to feed a crowd couldn’t be easier.
- Prepare oven and pan. Preheat oven and set all ingredients near by. Spray turkey tray with cooking spray.
- Make tomato mixture. In a medium mixing bowl, combine Italian seasoning through garlic. Toss well.
- Combine eggs and cheeses. In a small bowl, lightly beat eggs. In a different mixing bowl, mix with ricotta and Parmesan cheeses.
- Layer lasagna. Lay a thin layer of marinara sauce on the bottom of the dish, then line with lasagna sheets. You may need to break a few to cover evenly. Follow with a layer of cheese mixture, sausage and then spinach mixture. Continue the process starting with marinara. You should get through three layers. Gently press down and end with a thin layer of marinara sauce.
- Cover and bake. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet and bake. Remove from oven, remove aluminum foil and top with remaining cheese and remaining Italian seasoning. Return to the oven until cheese has melted and is bubbly.
- Allow to rest before serving. Don’t worry, it will retain heat well. Slice, serve and enjoy your no boil lasagna!
Variations
There are plenty of ways you can make this no boil lasagna recipe your own. Here are a few suggestions.
- Meat – Instead of turkey sausage, try ground beef, Italian sausage or even ground chicken in its place. You can also keep it vegetarian and just add additional cheesy layers.
- Sauce – Instead of marinara, you can use your favorite pasta sauce or even meat sauce to bulk things up. Alfredo sauce is fun for a white lasagna.
- Cottage cheese – If you’d like to add a little more protein to this dish, combine ricotta cheese with some cottage cheese.
- Spicy – If you’d like to spice things up, add some red pepper flakes to the sauce to taste and it will certainly add some heat.
What to Serve with No Boil Lasagna
You can serve this lasagna with just about anything you serve with other pasta dishes. I like to top mine with fresh basil and extra grated cheese.
Some fresh garlic bread is always a great option to serve alongside any pasta dish. Also, I like to serve mine with a fresh green side salad.
Storage and Freezing
How to Store Leftover Lasagna
You can either store the leftovers in the pan you baked it in wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, or in an airtight container. Either way, this no boil lasagna will last for up to five days in the refrigerator.
Can I Freeze No Boil Lasagna?
You can freeze this lasagna before baking or after. Just be sure to consume within three months or the noodles will lose their integrity.
Frozen lasagnas can take up to 2 hours or more to cook, depending on the size. For this giant lasagna, I recommend thawing it before cooking to shorten the cook time, otherwise it can take about 2 1/2 hours in the oven. But ovens vary and the size of the cooking vessel will also vary.
Other Easy Pasta Recipes
If there’s one thing about me, it’s that I love a good pasta dish. These are some of our favorites that we know you’ll love too.
Baked Mostaccioli
Pesto Sausage Pasta Bake
Easy Authentic Carbonara Recipe
No Boil Lasagna
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning divided
- 6 ounce bag baby spinach
- 1/2 white onion chopped
- 15 ounce can diced petite tomatoes drained
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 4 eggs
- 32 ounce ricotta cheese
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese plus extra for topping
- 20 sheets no-boil lasagna
- 67 ounce marinara sauce
- 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese plus extra for topping
- 10 turkey sausage links sweet or spicy, cooked, remove from casing and crumbled, about 2 pounds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning through garlic. Toss well.
- In a small bowl, lightly beat eggs. In a different mixing bowl, mix with ricotta and Parmesan cheeses.
- Set all ingredients near by. Spray turkey tray with cooking spray. Lay a thin layer of marinara sauce on the bottom of the dish, then line with no-bake lasagna sheets. You may need to break a few to cover evenly. Follow with a layer of ricotta cheese, shredded mozzarella, turkey sausage and then spinach mixture. Continue the process starting with marinara. Only use 3 cups of shredded mozzarella. You should get through 3 layers. Gently press down and end with a thin layer of marinara sauce.
- Cover tightly with aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 60 minutes. Remove from oven, remove aluminum foil and top with remaining 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese and remaining 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning. Return to the oven, uncovered, for 5 minutes, or until cheese has melted and is bubbly.
- Allow to rest for at least 15 minutes before serving. Don’t worry, it will retain heat well. Slice and serve! Enjoy your Giant Lasagna!
- If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was!
Nutrition
Hello! I see the recipe calls for 10 turkey sausage links. How many pounds of turkey sausage is this? I already have ground sausage that I will be using. i just need to know aproximately how many pounds are in 10 links. Thank you.
Hi Vicki- great question and I’ll add it to the post. It is about 2 pounds of ground turkey sausage.
Thanks for answering my question and adding it to your post. I am excited about making this lasagna and can’t wait to tell you how it came out ! I have one more question please. I am not adding the spinach to my lasagna. Since I’ve already made up the mixture excluding the spinach, should I just use the mixture as one of the layers or add it to my marinara sauce? I wait for your reply. Thank you Jessica!
And now I’ve failed you cause this one was so late. I’m sorry! We were traveling back from our family vacation yesterday. Just use it as a layer, no need to add it to the marinara, although it wouldn’t hurt either. 🙂
How many servings does this make? What are the dimensions of a disposable turkey pan?
Hi Carla! I’d say it feeds 12-16, depending on appetites of course. I use one that is 120 fluid ounces, about 16×13 inches and 2 inches deep so you can stack a lot!
I’m making Lasagna without the turkey but just 4 cheese in a large 11 x 19″ size pan. I will be feeding 40 people maybe 45. I planned on making this size in 4 pans. Can you expand your recipe for this size pan? I took out the unbaked strips and they fit width wise perfectly so it will run 8 noodles across per layer taking 1 1/4 box per pan for 3 layers. (each box has about 20 per box). I’m also making a chicken alfredo with spinach too and did a test recipe and was fantastic in a small 8 x 8 pan and is so yummy. I will make one with hard salami and we will serve meatballs on the side with extra sauce for those who want meat with their meal.
Hi Mary, that is quite a feast and sounds delicious! The size of a typical turkey tray is 16×13, but without the crumbled turkey, it will probably fit just perfectly into a 11×19. I estimated about 12 servings per tray for mine (although we all know some people eat less and others WAY more)! I would just say to quadruple the recipe and make one batch per tray. Does that make sense?
There is also a tool where you can pop “45” into the servings and the recipe will update with how much of each ingredients you need, then you can just equally divide those among your 4 trays.
Make sure to come back and let us know how it all went!
In doing one to in a 11×19 was wandering howling to bake at 359
Hi Nora, probably 45-60 minutes. The good news about lasagna is that they are virtually impossible to completely mess up and all the ingredients are pre-cooked, so you are really just heating it up.
Hello,
The Italian seasoning and garlic mix is put together with which other ingredients?
the ricotta or Parmesan cheese ?
And what mix of spices do I need to get the Italian seasoning type?
Note: Just a suggestion if you put on top a little bit of bread crumbs it might be a good idea! =D
Hi Lucienne, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning,onion,baby spinach, garlic and canned tomatoes all get tossed together. The remaining tablespoon gets sprinkled on top. You can buy pre-mixed Italian seasoning or make your own mixing equal parts dried basil, parsley, thyme and oregano, even rosemary, if you’d like. I hope you enjoy- this is one of my families favorite recipes!
Where is spinach mixture. You don’t show what it is
Hi Vera! In step #3, it explains to add a layer of the spinach mixture and then repeat the layers. I hope that helps and I hope you enjoy this recipes as much as my family does. Cheers!
Step three doesn’t mention this…
I’ve updated the instructions (and photos) since the original comment (and response was made). The spinach mixture is now in step #2.
Just so I’m clear on the ingredients, but the no boil noodles, put them in dry, do not boil?
This is great Jessica. I’ll need to remember the tip about the pan next time I make lasagna for a crowd. Your recipe looks terrific and is a real crowd pleaser.
Thanks so much!
This looks fabulous! I have to feed a crowd in a couple of weeks so I am pinning this to make! And I love the idea of using a disposable pan to make cleanup a breeze. Thanks!
Great, Kristin! Let me know how it goes!
I like the look of this! Pinning this as well 🙂
Thanks!
Looks Scrumptious! Using a turkey roaster pan is a great idea.
Thank you Danielle! It is the only way to get a true “deep dish” lasagna.
My kids love lasagna, thanks for sharing!
You know what is funny, Stephanie? As a child I hated lasagna. I didn’t like my foods to touch, so I think that is where it came from. As an adult- I LOVE it!