This is a recipe my Mother made often. The teenagers around my house inhale it. I usually saute the onion in a little butter before adding it to the dish and I microwave the spinach.
I am the originator and am thinking of using 1 pound of ground beef along with 1/2 pound of hot sausage next time. That is how I make my Lasagna and it is a huge hit.
Read MoreThis was just ok for us...a lazy man's lasagna. The spinach was too overpowering and the dish itself was rather bland...thats after added some Italian spices and more garlic. I don't think this is something that we will make again. It was easy, quick, and inexpensive...just not for us. Thanks anyway for the post.
Read MoreI am the originator and am thinking of using 1 pound of ground beef along with 1/2 pound of hot sausage next time. That is how I make my Lasagna and it is a huge hit.
Delicious! For those who had a problem with wateriness, I make two suggestions. First, the originator of the recipe posted a review in which she said she forgot to say that the meat mixture should be simmered for 15 minutes. Second, make sure to thoroughly drain your cooked spinach. I put mine in several layers of paper towels and squeezed until no more liquid came out. I followed the suggestions of other reviewers and added more seasoning to the meat, and I sauteed the onion and garlic with the meat as well. The result was a very flavorful dish that I'm sure I will make again.
This was a good recipe and very very easy to make. The only problem I had was after I put it in the oven, I realized that the acutal directions don't say what to do with the 2 cloves of garlic. When it came out it did seem to be missing something, so I'm assuming the garlic probably could have gone in the spinach mixture. I would also like to try substituting spaghetti for the tomato sauce and ricotta for the cottage cheese. I will definetly make this again, though, and tweak it a bit. It still came out yummy, and it's definetly a way to spruce up plain old ground beef. It's leftover friendly too~ Thanks, Sarah!
This turned out DELICIOUS. After reading the reviews, I modified this recipe for our personal tastes. I tripled the garlic, and halved the salt. I doubled all the rest of the spices, the onion, and the Parmesan cheese. To combat the dryness that people complained about, I used a #2 can of no-salt added diced tomatoes for an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce, and did not add any water. Subbed ground turkey for the beef, and Provolone cheese for the Mozzarella. Did not pre-cook anything--just squeezed ALL the moisture out of the spinach, and diced the onion very fine. While we couldn’t specifically taste the cottage cheese, all the flavors blended together so well that my hubby said that this was a GREAT “light” version of lasagna, and that we should have it often. And we will, since it is so very simple to make.
This was just ok for us...a lazy man's lasagna. The spinach was too overpowering and the dish itself was rather bland...thats after added some Italian spices and more garlic. I don't think this is something that we will make again. It was easy, quick, and inexpensive...just not for us. Thanks anyway for the post.
We all loved it in our house, the bowls were all but licked clean, though am sure my 4yr old considered it. I did make some changes as I find that taste is very subjective and that where seasonings are concerned it is better to go with your own personal taste than a prescribed quantity...so I went nuts and added a bit more garlic, a good sprinkling of Italian seasoning, beef stock powder, a grated carrot (it is all about sneaking in the vegies where the kids are concerned) and a tin of tomatoes. Everything else was unchanged....and it was just fantastic. I just polished off the leftovers for my lunch and it was even better.
I thought this was a wonderful and quick meal idea. I usually cook light so I used wheat pasta, ground sirloin, and all light chesses. The spinach put a wonderful twist on this recipe. My husband also loved it. I will be making this again real soon! Thanks for the recipe!
Yum is all I have to say. I have made this a few times for potlucks and there is never any left. I add oregano and garlic powder to my liking.
Have made this multiple times and it's always a hit. Some changes I've made... saute the beef with garlic and onion, use homemade tomato sauce instead of the canned tomato sauce and other ingredients in that step.(oregano, salt, pepper, water). And I add a package of feta cheese. Also we mix everything together instead of layering.
My dad liked it so that gives any recipe 5 stars. as suggested by someone else I just mixed the noodles,sauce, meat, spinach, and cottage cheese together in a pan. I baked for 15 minutes then covered with the mozzarella and baked ten more. We like spinach but if you don't I'm not sure this is your recipe
I give this one 5 stars because it is so easy to make. I sauteed onion and garlic with the beef, and added italian seasoning with the other spices. Along with the cheeses, I added Ricotta to the mix. The result was great!
I wanted to try this recipe since it was a lot like a canneloni dish my mom makes that takes all day to cook. I followed the recipe almost exactly except for using ricotta rather than cottage cheese. I found the meat mixture a little bland and next time I would spice it more. It was fast and easy though. My daughter also liked it, although my husband took one look and refused to eat it.
This is so bland. I added extra garlic and spices as noted in the other reviews as well as substituting ricotta for the cottage cheese, and this was still terrible. My husband also thought it was terrible. I would not make this again, EVER!!
Add the fresh chopped Spinach to the saute pan after the onions turn translucent and are mostly cooked, will wilt the spinach. Saving you from cleaning another dish, and making it taste SPECTACULAR. I also use fresh chopped garlic, adding right after the Spinach.
My DH loved this. I tweeked it a bit to kick it up a notch. Used 1 1/4 lbs of gr beef, a handful more noodles. Cooked 3 cloves garlic and 1/2 cup finely chopped onion with the beef. Along with the oregano I added 1 teasp basil and 1 teasp Italian seasoning. Used 2 cans no salt tomato sauce and only about 1/4 C water. Next time I'll use 1 can tom sauce and appx 1/2 can of diced tomatoes. Will make this again - thanks for a great recipe!
We loved it. I used whole wheat noodles; it made a nice, light alternative to lasagna. I did put the mozz in the middle layer as well.
have to say I had a lot of hope for this recipe.... has all the things we like, but mine didn't turn out very good and it was sloppy. I did add more parma, why dirty a grater for a couple of tlbs so I added about a cup. But it was still flat tasting ??
Well... this was okay-tasting. It didn't knock my socks off, but all of it did get eaten. Next time, I would add more herbs/spices. I think an addition of basil, a little extra oregano, minced fresh garlic, and a creamier cheese/spinach mixture (like ricotta with some shredded Havarti or Muenster) added to the spinach filling would make this much more flavorful. But, with a tossed salad and vinaigrette, garlic bread, and red wine, this was not a bad meal. I will try it again soon.
My family thought this was very good! I used ricotta cheese instead of cottage cheese, sauteed the garlic with the hamburg (recipe doesn't say what to do with the garlic.)My only change to it would be to add either spaghetti sauce, or more tomato sauce and seasonings, as it needed just a little more liquid. This will be a keeper in our house!
Simple and good. I used fresh spinach and didn't bother with adding water. Thanks!
This was pretty tasty although I cut back on the spinach, used ricotta cheese instead of cottage, and skipped the water and used more tomato sauce instead.
This was really great! Stuck to the recipe except for omitting the onions, doubling the noodles, and cutting the beef down to 1 lb. I simmered the beef and tomato mixture for about 10 minutes and it thickened up very nicely. I also added a layer of mozzarella cheese after the spinach layer. Mmmm!
This dish tasted exactly like hamburger helper to me :(... I even used bowtie pasta instead of the egg noodles and ricotta instead of cottage cheese, which I imagine would have made it worse. It didn't taste bad for what it was, which is the only reason I'm giving it two stars instead of one. It was just an incredible waste of time, effort and money to make this big dish that tastes like it came out of a $1.99 dinner box. I even doctored it up with extra spices to try to give it some originality, but it didn't work. If you want your kids to eat spinach, save some money and throw a can into some hamburger helper lasagna. I was disappointed and definitely will not make again.
The picture makes this recipe look like it is made with a flank steak or something similar and sliced cheese which is not at all what the recipe calls for! I think I might like it better if the recipe was like the picture!
I use bowtie pasta for this dish with a pinch of nutmeg and top it with cheddar as well as mozzarella cheese.
I didn't care for it. Kids liked it.It was more like a glorified hamburger helper.I may make again because the kids did eat thier spinach.Thanks for the recipe.
Our family did not care for this recipe and we will eat most anything. It was not watery for us, as I did simmer like the update suggested, but the taste was just not good at all.
Easy, easy, easy. Next time I make this, I think I will saute the onions first. Reminds me of lasagne. I would definitely make this again.
Most people liked this when i made it, I agree with everyone who said you need to like spinach to really get into this one. I increased the recipe to 60 servings - it had way too many noodles & I'll use less water next time. Overall it brought on many compliments so I'm giving it 4 stars.
It was a good hamburger casserole, much better than a box of hamburger helper. It didn't knock our socks off, but it was a quick and filling weeknight supper.
Everyone loved this! Please, when you are making any recipe, look at the seasoning. If it does not seem in the range that you would usually use just adjust! I added more garlic, mushrooms, and an Italian season blend.
My family really liked this dish - easy and good. But I too would saute the onions first.
This recipe tastes quite excellent. It just needs more spices and a little less water.
Sounded better than it was. Very bland; sorry, we simply like our foods highly flavored. Not a keeper for our family. I would suggest spaghetti sauce as one improvement; it needs several. Also, it was rather dry and needs more sauce.
My husband and I liked it. I used one can of tomato paste and a cup of spaghetti sauce, since thats all I had. I sauted the onion and garlic with the meat and then let it simmer with the water and sauce mixture. It turned out great! Totally tastes like lasagna, but takes less effort!
Easy and straightforward dinner, nice flavor. I alteed it by cooking the onions in with the ground beef and substituting chicken broth for the water. Good dinner for a weeknight.
This is one of the very best pasta recipes that I have tried. I increase the cottage cheese and spinich. My entire family is always requesting this one.
GReat blend of flavors and recipe was quite easy to make. My family loved it and I will add this to my monthly meal plan. Thank You!
I needed a good meal to make for my dad and siblings while my mom was out of town, and this turned out to be a big hit! Like some other people, I substituted ricotta cheese for cottage cheese and used spaghetti sauce instead of tomato sauce. It wasn't all that difficult to make and everyone loved it. I would definitely recommend this recipe...I'm sure we'll be eating it again!
this was great loved the textures and different flavor
This is very good, my family loved it, even my picky eating 2 year old. It will become a reegular family meal.
I wish I could give this recipe 0 stars. I followed the recipe perfectly and I was expecting it to be really good. Too bad, it turned out to be VERY bland. I will not be making it again.
I recommend cooking the onions with the beef. I am not a big fan of raw(ish) onions. I would also use a smaller ratio of cheese next time if I choose to make it again. I found it way too heavy for my taste.
We thought this was average. For our taste, it had too much spinach. I did add a bit more seasonings and had to add more when it was finished to overcome the spinach flavor.
This is a tasty dish. Not overly exciting but a great week night meal. It's pretty much all there, no need really for a side if you so choose. That's what I really like about this dish, everyone in the family likes it a lot, and I usually have all the ingredients on hand, especially if I have Swiss Chard or spinach from our garden and homemade cottage cheese, and wonderful grassfed beef. I have gone to this recipe for years when searching what to fix. It's just pretty quick, and no real need to plan ahead. No beef thawed out, no problem, it'll cook up frozen of microwave it for a couple min.
This was pretty good - even though I had to change a few things (from suggestions & lack of ingredients). I forgot I had no cottage cheese so I added 2 beaten eggs & shredded mozerrella to the spinach mixture & used provolone cheese on top. I know it would've been better with cottage or ricotta cheese. I used a large can of tomato sauce (29 oz) & omitted the water, as suggested by another review. I noticed the recipe did not say where or when to add the garlic?? Also, 2 cups of noodles - is that cooked or uncooked - half of a 16oz. bag?
I have to give this 5 stars because it constituted one of the occasional times that my boyfriend immediately said, "This is a keeper!" As others have said, if you season to your own taste this works really well. I used plenty of garlic, garlic salt, oregano and basil. Adding a bouillon cube to the water seemed to add extra flavor. I used sirloin ground beef and it didn't generate that much fat in the pan, so I kept it as is and let the juices mix with the tomato sauce. Non-fat cottage cheese worked quite well and made us feel a bit healthier!
Just wanted to say that everyone in our family loved this recipe. The only thing that I did different was omitted the salt and oregano and added Italian Seasoning. I also lined a 9 x 13 baking dishing with half of a small jar of pizza sauce and then added the rest of the pizza sauce along with the tomato sauce to the ground beef mixture. Also, I didn't not have any ground beef at the moment and substituted ground veal. Next, time I think I'll try Italian sausage. Will be keeping this recipe as part of my list. Thanks for sharing.
I was disappointed with this. The onion and garlic really needs to be sauteed before being added to the mixture. It was almost like biting into raw onion. Yuck! The recipe itself could use alot more spice. My fiance had two helpings but he doesn't count because he'll eat everything.
I ate this meal alone. After a bite my family was not interested at all. This was not anything special, wont make it again.
This was good...a quick lasagne meal. I accidentally bought Italian stewed tomatoes when I thought I was buying Italian tomato sauce, but we both enjoyed this. I noticed that it didn't say what to do with the garlic, so I chopped it up and put it in with the hamburger. I also shredded a big carrot, and a small zuchini and some celery and saute'd that with the meat. I'll make this again for sure!
The final product looks sooo much better than the example photo! My family absolutely loved this dish. I will definitely be making this again.
Very good; quick/easy/yummy!! I didn't have cottage cheese so I used riccota. I didn't have mozz, but that didn't matter. I used some garlic powder just because my family loves garlic and it turned out great!!! Thanks for sharing this recipe!!!
This was a great, easy and cheap meal to make. It was also an easy way to get spinach into my toddlers. I did not saute the onions and liked them being a bit crunchy. I would leave out the water next time.
NOT GREAT, MAY HAVE SOME THING TO DO WITH THE SAUCE I USED. WILL TRY AGAIN WITH JARED PASTA SAUCE
This was a HUGE hit with my husband, and a semi-hit with my 12 year old. They both told me it was okay to put it into rotation on the menu. The combination of seasonings and spinach gave it a great flavor. It was even better the 2nd day as leftovers.
It's like lazy man's lasagna. Super good. The only thing i did different was I used fresh spinach, and heated fora bit. Next time I would chop it first, but great dish!
This tasted like a home made hamburger helper. Sorry, this has received rave reviews, but it wasn't a hit at my house.
I thought this one was pretty good. The wife didn't care much for it. I believe she is wrong. Sauce could use a little something though and maybe just a little more of it.
This recipe was an easy alternative to lasagna, but it needed some improvements. I would use ricotta instead of cottage cheese next time and add more of it for added flavor. I would also omit the water it made it to watery, I might also add a little more tomato sauce and some extra seasoning for more flavor.
This was great. I used fresh spinach and cooked it down before adding it. I also used fresh oregano. I went back for seconds. It’s surprisingly addictive.
This recipe is good, and it is very much like lasagna with the smaller noodles.
It waan't anything special. I thought the taste of the spinach was really overwhelming so I would suggest cutting back on that, maybe by half. Otherwise, easy and straightforward to make. I think this recipe needs something to kick it up a bit but I can't recommend what. Maybe feta cheese instead of cottage cheese. Or maybe another internal layer of mozzerella (never too much cheese). More garlic or oregano, you decide. This was not a keep and repeat recipe for my family.
I followed some of the suggestions & increased the amount of seasonings. A quick & easy meal.
I used fresh spinach - food processed it with the onion and garlic (double the garlic). the result was a nice filling to go between the beef/noodle layers. My picky eater thought it was really good!
This recipe was good. It just wasn't my favorite. It was bland. I boiled the pasta in beef broth. I added extra spices too.
WOW. This was more than I had hoped for. My husband went back for thirds, and the kids both went for seconds. One of the few recipes I have found that the whole family enjoys. The only change I made was using steak cut into small chunks instead of ground beef. Thanks for a real keeper!!
This is delicious! The one change I made was out of necessity-I didn't have two 8-oz. cans of tomato sauce, just one, so I used 8 oz. of an Italian Baking Sauce instead and it was fine. I added slightly more water to offset the chunkiness and thickness of the baking sauce. It was very nice and moist, didn't dry out like some pasta casseroles can. My husband had 3rds...and he does NOT like cottage cheese. I don't think he even knew it was one of the ingredients. Thanks for a great dish!
Pretty good. Too much food for two people, and is a little bland when made straight from the recipe, but with added seasonings it makes pretty tasty leftovers.
This was a pretty satisfying "fast" meal. I'd probably rate it 3 3/4 stars. When I make it again I'll cut the amount of spinach down to 8 oz., as the 10 oz was a bit much for a couple of our kids.I also substituted Ricotta for the cottage cheese. Overall, most of the family really liked it and went back for seconds!It's a keeper!
Thank your mother for making you this, so you could have shared this great quick-type lazagna with us! I added a little more noodles to it for us, that was the only difference. This is a very tasty, satisfying comfort food for any day of the week. Love it!
This was good. Nice for a change in pace. I changed the recipe a bit after reading the reviews. I would add an extra can of tomato sauce next time, I found it to be a bit dry. I used ricotta cheese instead of cottage cheese and I liked that mixture fine.
I live in a house with very picky children and an adult who won't eat many veggies. This was a great recipe to sneak in the spinach and they said they could't taste it. I have made this a few times and my family LOVES this dish. I am always stoked when they tell me to make something again. This one is for sure a crowd pleaser!
Yum!!! I used elbow macaroni and I used a can of crushed tomatoes instead of the sauce! It was sooooo good!
This recipe was marginal, in my opinion. It really needs more flavor and liquid. I added spaghetti sauce to the leftovers to make it better, but more spices, like thyme and oregano, would add much-needed flavor.
made this one at the firehall. quick, easy, and super yummy. and lots to go around.
I thought this was pretty bland. (and I'm from Minnesota where most food is and tastes white)
made this tonight for dinner was pretty good husband also liked this, made a few changes used 1 more can of tomatoe sauce and added italian seasoning and some mrs. dash, also added some mozarella cheese on top of the spinach layer yummy with leftovers for lunch!
This was an easy and good recipe. It would be very easy to modify to your family's taste. I made it according to this recipe and have had a request to repeat it! It also freezes and reheats well. Nice.
It's a very very versatile recipe!! We are not picky eaters but my husband is a very picky "pasta person" he wants stuff to taste Italian usually,not just covered in cheese or pasta sauce and this fit the bill and was delish!! A wonderful,quick,not as rich alternative to lasagna. I didn't have egg noodles,I had penne pasta,so I used that and a combo of something similar to farlafelle(sp?).I completely missed the "garlic",altho it would've made a nice addition. Didn't have cottage cheese,so I used cream cheese. Used half ground sausage and half ground beef. Used half a jar of Ragu pasta sauce and didn't have mozzarella for the top so I used pepper jack cheese. I sauteed the onions in a bit of butter as someone else suggested. Served with garlic bread and steamed zucchini. It was wonderful! We are adding it to our favorites. Oh and it's wonderful the second day as well!
I made this as listed. Tasted the tomato/beef mixture and thought it was very bland. Added some extra oregano, a tsp of garlic powder and extra salt. Assembled and baked it. It was okay. Nothing to rave about. Not sure if I will make again.
This is pretty easy, relatively quick, and tasty. I used ground turkey and fresh spinach, but otherwise followed the recipe. Might benefit from a little more herbs and spices, but it was fine as is. The family says to keep this recipe handy.
This was really good. Since I keep kosher, I left out the beef. I also used jarred spaghetti sauce rather than canned tomato sauce (using about two thirds of a jar), doubled the oregano and added a good shake of basil. My kids had triples.
An easy, tasty recipe - and you get all of your food groups in one dish! This is very similar to lasagna, except egg noodles are used instead of lasagna noodles.
easy to make, and pretty healthy too. it's not my favorite, but i don't like spinach, which really dominates this dish. however, 3 other people who do like spinach loved it! thanks for the recipe
Very good, I added some extra onion and extra cheese and I didnt happen to read that it is suppose to use ground beef so I just cut up the steak that i took out of the freezer. I added the garlic to the spinach and cheese mixture.
I cooked the onion and (extra) garlic with the beef, added bouillion to the water, used ricotta instead of cottage cheese and added basil and oregano. My husband and father-in-law liked it; I thought it was OK.
Great tasting main dish. Great leftovers. Great take with party dish. Soon to become a family heirloom recipe. Thanks Sarah Boothe!
Really nice blend of flavors. I used part ground chuck and part Italian sausage, and sauteed the onions and garlic with the meat. Also used spaghetti sauce, and ricotta for the cottage cheese.
Overall, this is a good recipe, but it was lacking something. I couldn't put my finger on it. My husband loved it - and he doesn't even like spinach. I will make this again, but I think that it would be more flavorful with Ricotta cheese instead of cottage cheese and instead of chopped garlic, I would just add garlic salt to the meat mixture. I believe the cottage cheese is more of a healthy alternative, but cottage cheese itself does not have much flavor - so that, in my opinion, is where it's lacking flavor.
This recipe was just an okay dish with a fancy name. I followed the recipe except didn't add any water to the tomato sauce meat mixture. It was very plain, probably won't make this again.
