Homemade Lasagna

this was so good but not enough sauce. Used Ricotta cheese instead of cottage cheese and doubled cheeses ricotta and mozz to make it more gooey. I adjusted according to prev reviews. replace sugar with 2 tsp ground carrot (thanks for the tip) - also replaced pork sausage with mild Italian sausage. I doubled everything but noodles and tripled onions/garlic/parsley/oregano. only used 4 eggs. For added flavor I a whole chopped green pepper. also added the garlic when meat was browning this seems to really release the flavor. Did not use any salt because all the cheeses are salty enough - this was a good move, it turned out perfect. will make this many more times - thanks Craig!! PS - This sause is great on pizza too! This freezes really well too but whenever i freeze dishes with tomato sauce, I find that i need to add just a little bit (small can) of sauce before cooking. just add to sides and it will work it's way down. the little extra can of sauce will help to moisten it up and bring back some of the tomato flavor which seems to go away when frozen. you can freeze whole or cook the lasagna, cool, cut into serving sizes and freeze individual serving :)

I made this for my family and it was great, the best ziti recipe I have tried. 4 stars instead of 5 because this recipe really should be written that you need a layer of sauce on the bottom of the pan before the first layer of pasta, or the first layer will be really dry. The cheese between layers will keep any sauce from getting to the pasta on the bottom.

This is the best lasagna we have ever had! And my BFF is Italian! Lol! The only changes I made were to add a layer of the sauce to the bottom like another review recommended. Make it a BIG can of tomato sauce. And use a little bit more cottage cheese. It makes the sauce spread out better and makes it goes farther as you make layers! And enjoy! Thanks to whoever posted this recipe!

This is very yummy. I did have a few problems though. First, I thought it had too much of a tomatoey taste in the sauce so I added some carrot based on some of the other reviews, but it still had that tomato taste so I added a few teaspoons of brown sugar. Second, I wasn't sure about the parsely. It says 1 TBSP, but I didn't know if only 1/2 tbsp was to go into the sauce and the other 1/2 was to go into the ricotta mixture. I ended up putting it all into the sauce and just put extra into the cheese sauce and it turned out fine. Third, I doubled up on the sauce and used it all for the lasagna and wished I had left some over for extra sauce. I thought I would have plenty, but I didn't and I had doubled this. 4th, I used about the same amount of salt that the recipe called for and it tasted fine to me. Many people thought it was way too salty. Some changes I made were: I sauteed onion and garlic in olive oil before adding the ground beef. I only used ground beef. Then added extra garlic and onion to the tomato sauce because we love garlic. For the cheese sauce I used ricotta and shredded parmesan cheese. I think the grated parmesan might make it too salty. It was a time consuming recipe, but very very good. I wish I had some sauce left over. It's very cheesy and I will make it again using my changes and possibly making sure that I have enough sauce left over.

YUM! What a fantastic recipe. My picky husband even LOVED it. FYI...top it with mozerella cheese and bake 15 min. longer so it's not runny.

I loved this recipe, with a few changes. Based on previous reviews I made a little more sauce, used 1/8 cup minced carrots instead of sugar, and reduced the salt. I think cottage cheese is a wonderful replacement for the traditional ricotta, and (to really freak out you traditionalists), I use swiss cheese instead of mozzarella- a trick I picked up from my mother-in-law. It gives a major flavor boost.

This is a wonderful recipe! It is easy to make and everyone loves it. I have made it three times now and each time I used all ground beef instead of the pork. I also don't put double noodle layers, I do it with three single noodle layers. It is the best!

I made this for Valentines day the nigt before. I substituted Ricotta for cottage cheese, only used a couple dashes of salt in both the sauce and cheese mix, and used one pound italian sausage instead of the beef/pork combo. Baked it for thirty minutes covered, 5 uncovered, then let it cool and put it in the fridge. The next day I came home from work, put it in the oven for about thirty to forty five minutes at 275 (upped it half way to 350- Hubby was hungry) and served. They always say Lasagna's better the next day!

Way toooooo much salt, cut the salt content by at least half. Couldn't taste to much of the flavour of the meal as it was too salty. Will try it again though with the less salt.

This is a really good recipe but instead of just using cottage cheese I use cottage cheese and ricotta cheese it blends well and leaves the lasagna with a truly urban taste... i also pre-season my hamburger

I'm stuffed! I made this lasagna for dinner tonight and now it is sitting on my counter, cooling, to put in the fridge. However, it is so yummy that I take a bite every time I walk through the kitchen! I can't say that I've made hundreds of lasagna recipes before, but out of the ones I have made, this is definitely the best. My kids loved it, and my husband, who is usually casual about his lasagna eating, devoured his three servings!

Way TOO salty! but it had a nice flavor. I will try and make this again but cut the salt way down.

I have made this twice now. The first time it came out way too salty and the second was perfect. Don't add ANY extra salt to the cottage cheese mixture. It's naturally salty enough from the parm and cottage.

Delicious! I put fresh spinach in each layer & use ricotta cheese instead of the cottage cheese mix. A great basic homeade lasagna, have fun & add other layers like veggies, mushrooms, etc.

I'm used to cottage cheese in my lasagna as that's how my mom made it. Some find Ricotta to dry and pasty(like my boyfriend), but I don't mind it. I actually double the cheese by mixing the cottage and ricotta together to get the both of best worlds and mix fresh oregano in it with the other mentioned ingredients(except salt). I also double the sauce as well because the cheese and meat kinda soaks it up. Added some tomato paste and extra sugar into the sauce to take away the tang (taste it before putting it on the lasagna!).

This is the best recipe!!! My kids are very picky and they liked this!!! excellent sauce and love using the cottage cheese. very very tasty.

Great "bones" to start off lasagna, but I will use ricotta cheese next time instead of the cottage cheese mixture, other than that, I wouldn't change a thing!

I see that some of the other cooks suggested using carrot rather than sugar. I suggest using some dried sweet basil(leaves)-about 3. You can also use chopped basil. If using basil leaves,remove from sauce after simmering. Oh,and it's much better with ricotta

My first time inmaking lasagna everyone in my family loved it...we had company that time and even them loved this recipe.... just dont add salt to the cottage cheese mixture coz it will end up too salty....i will do that next time....great recipe.

Delicious recipe that the playoff party quests enjoyed. I like my lasagna a little less cheesy and a little more meaty. Just a matter of personal preference.

this lasagna is great :) I made it for my husband who's very very picky about his food and he ate it for breakfast lunch and dinner the next day :S. I followed the advice of other reviewers such as doubling the tomato sauce and only using beef. overall this recipe is 5 stars! thanks for sharing!!

My son requested lasagna for his b-day meal. I found this recipe. My family loved it. I did add more onion, garlic, basil, and oregano than it called for. My family loved it!

well this receipt was very good i did add a few things to it. because most don't get the veggies they should i added in one layer of chopped Yellow peeper, Broccoli, celery, also used stewed tomatoes and left out the salt it came perfect without

My =son-in-law had eaten the authentic dish in Italy. Every couple days he reminds me of how great it was. We can't even ask him what he wants for dinner any more. We know the answer! A little time consuming with the home made marinara sauce, but well worth it!

I have made this twice but the 2nd time I played around with the ingredients to suit our tastes. I used another reviewers suggestion to add Swiss near the end of the baking and it was a good idea, it gave the first layer a nice pop. I'll never make a recipe that calls for "store bought sauce" and that is why I appreciate this one so much. It's simple, delicious and doesn't taste generic. Thanks. We will continue to use CRAIG'S format for lasagna.

Wow, this is one salty lasagna! I'm considered a salt-aholic. So when I saw that the only thing that reviewers really complained about was that this was to salty, I thought this is the lasagna for me. Nothing is ever to salty for me. Well, this was! I had a hard time eating it. But I ate it because I spent a lot of time making it. Besides being salty I don't think that the lasagna really had much other flavor to it. The only good thing that I can say about this recipe is that it held together really well. I made the recipe exactly as it said to without making any changes. I used the cottage cheese just like the recipe called for. I won't be making this again. I will keep looking.

I also made a little more sauce and put a layer of sauce in the bottom of the pan. Then I drained the cottage cheese to make it more dry. It came out perfect!

I loved this Lasagna, it was one of the first times my family ate the whole thing in less than two days. Very good the second day! I missed the spinich, so I think I'm going to try it with that next time. A very nice dish though!

Not the greatest lasagna. Tasted bland. Needed more spices to it.

Yummy doozers!!

Wonderful recipe! Tried lasagna for the first time and this was wonderful! I added a package of roll sausage instead of the ground pork. My family loved it!

i thought this recipe was delicious! used half of each measure salt and sauteed garlic and onion before adding sauce. also let bake for about an hour and then broiled until golden brown.

I made this more meatier by upping the ground beef/sausage to a full pound each. I also increased the oregano to 1 1/2 teaspoons. I made no other changes. Very simple lasagna recipe, it came together in a snap. The boys all liked it, I thought that it was a little bland. I would make this again but add more spices next time.

Excellent & delicious! A big hit @ my house. I lost the garlic cloves somewhere in the store before checkout. Substitited garlic power & it still was delicious.

My husband is in the army, so his friends are often over for dinner, this was a huge hit with us!!!! made me think of when my grandma used to make it. AWESOME!!!!!! thank u so much for a recipe that i will use again and again!!!

I made this for my birthday awhile back and everybody loved it! I'm making it again this week for a dinner party and I'm adding my own touch this time. I can't to see how it turns out!

This is my new favorite recipe for lasagna. I used fresh pureed tomatoes (4 large ones) and it was absolutely delicious. Thanks Craig.

Every member of my family loved this recipe, which is very unusual at our house. I substituted Italian turkey sausage for the pork and beef and it was sooooo yummy!

My family LOVES this recipe. I use the sauce for spaghetti, manicotti and of course the lasagna. I use ricotta cheese instead of the cottage cheese and I also use red pepper flakes to kick up the spice a bit. Always a huge hit!! I also triple the batch and put some sauce in the freezer.

Wonderful! The homemade sauce makes the difference. Will make again and again.

I tried this recipe to get a real homemade taste and it by far succeeded. I didn't change anything in the recipe and it was awesome. I have the world's pickiest hubby and mother-in-law and even they ate it which was nothing short of a miracle... I'll definately be making this recipe again in the near future.

I changed some things, but followed the general recipe. I used just ground sirloin and followed the advice of the others and doubled the sauce. I topped it with the cheese layer using double the amount of cheese. This recipe is pretty involved and takes awhile, but it is so worth it. My husband said that this was the best thing I have ever made! We have eaten it all weekend and it is just as good leftover. Some friends tried it and said that it was the best lasagna they have ever had! I was thrilled and will definitely make it again!

Perhaps ricotta cheese is the best however my mom always made it with cottage cheese and I loved it. Cottage cheese is a fine substitute.

Great recipe. I cooked two because I have such a large household. In one night, we ate it all, none wasted. My mother who is a southern cook, very particular, even loved it! But the clincher was when I heated up the second one (I'd placed it in the freezer and took it out and and cooked it slowly). When my husband and I came home, my teenagers' friends and my kids had eaten it all up. All of the teens/young adults raved. It was quite disappointing to come home to an empty tray of lasagna, but I was soooo glad they enjoyed it! I made two changes: replaced cottage cheese with ricotta and used my favorite brand of spaghetti sauce instead of the tomato sauce/paste. It turned out scrumptous!

This is the best lasagna I've made. I did make some changes to it (thanks to reviews) Instead of ground pork I used Italian Sausage, no salt, ricotta cheese instead of cottage cheese and added 1 pkg of frozen spinach to cheese mixture. We love garlic so used 4 large cloves fresh minced garlic. As other recommendations we doubled the sauce recipe (it would be excellent on other dishes).

Good stuff! The sauce was flavorful although I may cut back on the salt just a tad bit. I used 1 lb of ground beef, used only 6 lasagna noodles (3 for each of the two layers), and added some leftover tomato paste that I needed to get rid of. When I was assembling the lasagna, I was afraid that there wasn't enough sauce but after baking it in the oven, I found that it was the right amount. My husband and sister really liked this lasagna and since my husband likes his lasagna to be cheesy, this was the perfect recipe. I didn't even bother with the cottage cheese/parmesan cheese layer and I'll probably make it that way in the future. I really liked how this recipe was so easy and quick.....no cutting, no peeling of any kind necessary.

This was my first experience making lasagna. Everyone loved it!!! The directions were very thorough. I will definitely make this one again.

Excellent lasagna, friend tried it and wanted me to make him some. Mixed up all cheeses (on accident) then added extra pound of mozzerlla on top. Family loved it and is just as good the next day.

I liked this one. I used a 15oz can of tomato sauce because I thought it was a little dry without it. I did not precook the noodles just stuck them in dry. I put sauce on the bottom and then layered from there. I also only used ground beef because that was what I had on hand. Thanks for sharing it was a good Sunday night dinner.

I thought this tasted great! I did however use Ricotta instead of cottage cheese, and next time ill need to make a tad more sause, but other than that I loved it and so did my boyfriend.

Excellent & delicious! A big hit @ my house. I lost the garlic cloves somewhere in the store before checkout. Substitited garlic power & it still was delicious.

This was okay in my books.

I was really suprised that this recipe was given 5 stars because it has so many problems. Several people mentioned that it was too salty. They were right. I left out all but 1/2 teaspoon salt and it was still really salty - I think it's the parmesan cheese. The recipe calls for 16 oz of noodles but if you do 3 double layers you only need 18 strips. If you follow the instructions and put half of the cheese mixture, the mozzarella cheese, and the sauce between the first layer and the next, you have nothing to put on top of the last layer of noodles. I will not use this recipe again I think it needs some serious adjustments.

Perfect recipe very delicious, my family loves this

Very good lasagna. Keep the cottage cheese!!! It works very well when mixed with eggs and blended with a hand mixer.

Way to salty! Directions are not clear about the salt listed twice. Once for the sauce and once for the cheese mixture. But it is way to salty and it feels like the salty part is in the sauce. I was so proud to make sauce from scratch

Cottage cheese in lasagna?!! You are obviously not from N.Y.

this recipe has a great sauce, but i found the salt in the cheese mixture to be too much and the overall effect was much too salty. there was also a lack of clarity as far as how much parsley to actually use, and there was no mention to leave sauce for the top. maybe that was intended but i rather like to have some sauce on the top. really though, it is a great start and the sauce from scratch was great-especially be cause i substituted portobello mushrooms and tofu for the two different types of flesh.

Delicious and pretty easy to make!

I cannot cook; however, I can grocery shop and follow directions. It's a no brainer really - buy the best quality ingredients and follow the directions precisely. I wanted something yummy and homemade for two holiday get togethers. Folks loved it. My mom (a superb cook) said it was the best lasagna she's had in her life. Oh my god, dynamite.

I am not much of a lasagna fan but I decided to use the meat sauce as my spaghetti sauce. It was good as lasagnas go but the sauce is much better than the jarred ones in the stores plus I can add more extras to it! Thank you for the recipe!

I'm new to the kitchen and was a little worried about making a lasagna from scratch, but this recipe was so easy and had such a great payoff. My family loved it! The only suggestion (from the pickiest memeber of my family) was a little less salt... but I will definitely be making this again!

This is a great recipe. I highly recommend it. Everyone raved about it.

This is the recipe my grandmother used and her family of 18 grandchildren LOVED! That was 25 years ago so you know it is an older recipe and tried and TRUE. I love this recipe!!! Easy and Tastes delicious. Thanks.

This was the first time I ever attempted to make lasagna. It was unbelievably good. My husband, whose mother is Sicilian and a great cook, said that it was THE best lasagna he ever had. How's that for a review?

This is definitely the BEST lasagna I've ever made. The ground pork added an extra spark to the recipe. DELICIOUS!

be sure to make extra sauce

Excellent--much like my Mom's recipe. I substituted 1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage and 1/2 lb. hot Italian sausage for the meat, and used ricotta instead of cottage cheese. I also omitted the sugar and salt. I prefer more layers and a cheesy top, so I made mine with a layer of noodles, 1/3 cheese mixture, 1/3 meat sauce, 1/4 mozarella, etc., and finished with 1/2 the mozarella on top. I baked it for 40 minutes with no foil so the mozarella would be brown and bubbly--delicious! Thanks, Craig!

We love this recipe. We didn't double the noodles but did double the sauce and served some on the side. I made this recipe for company twice and both times everyone loved it. Thanks for a great recipe!

Delicious!

I've been making this since I found it a year ago. Best lasagna I ever tasted! I nip and tuck it a bit but the concept stays the same. Thank you Craig for this recipe.

It's great! I flipped the order of the top layer so that the cheese was on top.

Add a layer of sauce under the first layer of pasta so it wouldn't dry up. I use Parmesan cheese and Mozzarella cheese. I personally like those two cheese the best and it fits well together.

Wonderful sauce. The lasagna was delicious. I increased the recipe and had leftover sauce to freeze. I can't wait to use it with angel hair pasta. The Italian Sausage did make a difference.

This is an easy recipe to follow -- and I'm a horrible (and I do mean horrible) cook. I made this and my husband was THRILLED. It was great! Granted, it's somewhat time consuming, but not one of those recipes where you feel pressured to run around the kitchen like a chicken. Thanks, Craig!

This is a great lasagne. Different from my usual, but really good. I've been using cottage cheese instead of ricotta for many, many years, and it's great. Also, my recipe with the cottage cheese does not have eggs in it.

My whole family and all my friends RAVE about this lasagna, my grandmother (who is an AMAZING cook) said it was the best lasagna she has ever had. THANK YOU!!

I have been making this recipe for years. I just use beef instead of a beef pork combination and it always turns out perfectly!

I love this recipe, but I made some changes. I made the lasagna with ground turkey and only with Mazzarella & parmesan cheese because cottage cheese and Regato is a little to heavy for my stomach. I also put Tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan and on top of the Lasagna because it would of been to dry if I didn't.

We enjoyed this, but we added crushed red pepper and green peppers. Additionally we cut the fat and calories by using ground turkey and 2% milk mozzarella and reduced fat parmesan cheese. But don't put the reduced fat cheese on the top until it is almost done baking, it burns very quickly. You could also use tin foil during the whole baking process to keep this from happening.

I came across this recipe while searching for a lasagna recipe that would be good enough to feed a crowd. This one was a favorite of my family, and my father in law. I'll be serving it to an entire baseketball team and I bet they enjoy it too. I did use 1/2 ricotta and 1/2 cottage cheese. I think I'll use more seasoning next time, and maybe a little more cheese.

This recipe has become a staple for my family! We love the flavor, and the ease of cooking. The sauce is wonderful! I substitute soy sausage and Morningstar Farms veggie crumbles for the meat, and even my carnivorous family can't tell the difference. Love it!

I loved this lasagna! It will be the one I make from now on! I added chopped spinach to the cheese mixture for an added veggie. I also substituted canned marinara sauce because I needed a quicker recipe. For a healthier version, try ground turkey breast as I did and it's guaranteed a winner by anyone! It turned out very well and as I said, I will make it again and again!

it was good but I will need to change the spices a little next time. After reading pass reviews I added water and I'm happy that I did. I will make it again.

My nephew made this for me the other day to compare to my own lasagna. To my surprise, my nephew's lasagna was awesome. I recommend this recipe to everyone - Great Job nephew!

Just like my mom used to make. I used hot Italian sausage instead of the pork, and added probably 6 cloves chopped garlic to the sauce. Only used 1 egg, and 1/2 ricotta in place of 1/2 the cottage cheese. Delicious!

excellant dish really enjoyed making and eating it

My family really loved this recipe. It's a keeper and I will make it again. However, I did make a few changes...I chose tomato sauces & crushed tomatoes with italion seasoning, I used 2 eggs instead of 3, limited the salt and added worchestshire sauce to season the pork/beef mixture and added the meat mixture 1st before adding the noodles.

Wow - I've always been one to just use plain spaghetti sauce and cottage cheese for lasagna, but not anymore! This was fantastic! I used 1/2 lb. extra lean ground turkey and 1/2 lb. reduced fat sausage in place of the other meats (what I had on hand) and increased the sauce as suggested (2 28oz cans italian style diced tomatoes - I prefer them to the crushed). I also used f.f. cottage cheese and 1/2 c. egg substitute (~2 eggs). I made homemade noodles, as well. Served this to hubby's bosses with garlic bread for the bread maker and a salad - everyone had seconds! This sauce is amazing and will be what I use from now on!

This was the first time I've made a meat lasagna, used ground turkey instead. It was very good, though I think next time I will cook the meat with garlic and a shallot for extra flavor. Also my first time to make homemade sauce, so much better than a jar and easy too! Vey good the next day!

I am not the person in my family who normally does the cooking. Lately though I've been cooking up a storm. This recipe was easy to make and tasted awesome! Thanks for your help in the kitchen with this one.

We made a few changes because we're vegetarian. Instead of using meat, we added a little more than 1/2 pound of mushrooms & some shredded carrots to the sauce. Also, I may have misunderstood something, but the whole box of noodles is too much ... 1/2 box is probably plenty. And like others, my husband & I both thought it was a little too salty. I probably added 1 1/2-1 3/4 t of salt instead of 2t and it was still too salty. But if I reduced the salt some more, this would probably become a recipe we make often.

Not what I was looking for, but a good recipe all in all.

Really great recipe. I served this at a family dinner and everyone loved it. I doubled the sauce part of the recipe so I could have extra sauce to serve on the side. Otherwise I wouldn't change a thing.

I made this recipe for my boss and his family when a family member was ill. It got excellent, excellent reviews, and was even better as a leftover. Not to mention my house smelled wonderful. I have used the sauce recipe for many other pasta dishes. Thanks for a new addition to my kitchen.

I scaled this recipe to 32 to use to feel at a graduation party. I did not measure the seasoning, and used Italian seasoning instead. I also added an extra 29 oz can of tomato sauce and did NOT cook the noodles first, which saved lots of time. I also used ricotta and italian sausage (I was feeding italians and Croatians, I wanted authentic) They all enjoyed it!

My husband said "this was good, but I've had better". I wish it had more sauce. Otherwise good lasagna. Thanks!

Outstanding served it to company and they loved it there was nothing left

Very good. I substituted the ground pork for mushrooms (very finely chopped). I fed this to my husbands family when they visited us for a week, and they loved it. They (the kids anyway) think they hate mushrooms, so I didn't tell them that this had half a pound of them. I used salt free tomato sauce & crushed tomatoes, extra garlic, no onion, and subsituted the sugar for grated carrots. I will certainly make this again, next time a completely meat free version.