This cottage cheese lasagna is a classic beef lasagna with one swap: blended cottage cheese takes the place of ricotta. It’s layered with no-boil noodles in a 9×13 pan and baked at 375°F for 45 to 50 minutes. Mine comes out creamy and, after a rest, holds clean slices with no watery layer.
Below you’ll find the recipe, why blending the cottage cheese matters, how it compares to ricotta by the numbers, and how to keep the layers from sliding apart. Each of 12 slices has about 279 calories and 21g of protein. It’s part of our collection of easy cottage cheese recipes.
Can You Use Cottage Cheese Instead of Ricotta in Lasagna?
Yes, and blended cottage cheese is the easiest way to do it. Straight from the tub, cottage cheese has visible curds and a little liquid, which can make the cheese layer lumpy. Blended for about 30 seconds with an egg and Parmesan, it turns smooth and thick, and it bakes into a creamy layer that looks and slices like the ricotta version.
The swap also changes the nutrition. Full-fat cottage cheese has 11.1g of protein per 100g, while whole-milk ricotta has 7.5g, according to USDA FoodData Central (FDC 172179 and 170851). The egg works as a binder, so the cheese layer sets in the oven instead of oozing out when you cut. It’s the same blend-first idea behind our cottage cheese egg bake.
What Do You Need for Cottage Cheese Lasagna?
You need a meat sauce, a blended cheese layer, no-boil noodles and mozzarella for a 9×13 pan. Everything is easy to find in a regular grocery store, and the whole list is in the recipe card below.
- Meat sauce: 1 pound of 90% lean ground beef, 1 diced onion, 3 cloves of garlic and a 24-ounce jar of marinara.
- Cheese layer: 2 cups of full-fat (4%) cottage cheese, 1 large egg, ¼ cup of grated Parmesan and 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, blended smooth.
- 12 no-boil lasagna noodles, straight from the box. They soften in the sauce as the lasagna bakes.
- Topping: 2 cups of shredded low-moisture mozzarella and another ¼ cup of Parmesan.
How Do You Make Cottage Cheese Lasagna?
Start with the meat sauce. Brown the ground beef with the onion until no pink remains, add the garlic for a minute, then stir in the marinara and let it simmer while you blend the cheese. Ground beef is safe at 160°F, the USDA’s safe minimum temperature for ground meat.
- Brown the beef and onion, add garlic, then stir in the marinara and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Blend the cottage cheese, egg, ¼ cup Parmesan and seasoning until completely smooth.
- Spread 1 cup of sauce in the 9×13 pan, then layer 3 noodles, a third of the cheese mixture, ¾ cup of sauce and ½ cup of mozzarella.
- Repeat twice more, then finish with the last 3 noodles, the rest of the sauce, the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
- Cover with greased foil and bake at 375°F for 35 minutes, then uncover and bake 10 to 15 minutes more until bubbling and golden.
No-boil noodles cook by soaking up liquid from the sauce, so make sure every noodle is covered, especially the edges and corners. Any dry spot that sticks out of the sauce stays hard. The foil traps steam for the first 35 minutes, which is what softens the noodles all the way through.
Cottage Cheese Lasagna
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 9×13 baking dish and one side of a sheet of foil.
- Brown the ground beef and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until no pink remains (160°F). Drain any excess fat. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Stir in the marinara and salt and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Blend the cottage cheese, egg, ¼ cup Parmesan, Italian seasoning and pepper for about 30 seconds, until completely smooth with no visible curds.
- Spread 1 cup of the meat sauce in the dish. Layer 3 noodles, one third of the cheese mixture, ¾ cup of sauce and ½ cup of mozzarella. Repeat these layers two more times.
- Top with the last 3 noodles and the remaining sauce, making sure every noodle edge is covered. Sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup mozzarella and ¼ cup Parmesan.
- Cover with the greased foil and bake for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 to 15 minutes more, until bubbling and golden.
- Let the lasagna rest at least 15 minutes, then cut into 12 slices.
Notes
- Clean slices: blend the cottage cheese until smooth, use full-fat cottage cheese and low-moisture mozzarella, and rest at least 15 minutes before cutting.
- No-boil noodles: use them straight from the box and cover every edge with sauce. Regular noodles work too: boil them 2 minutes less than the package says.
- Swaps: 93% lean ground turkey (cook to 165°F), half Italian sausage, or 10 oz thawed, squeezed-dry spinach stirred into the cheese mixture.
- Storage: refrigerate up to 3 to 4 days or freeze slices up to 3 to 4 months. Reheat to 165°F.
- Nutrition is per slice (1 of 12), calculated from USDA FoodData Central (FDC 174030, 172179, 171192, 169736, 170900, 171247, 171287, 170000, 169230, 173468).
How Do You Get Clean Slices That Don’t Fall Apart?
Let the lasagna rest for at least 15 minutes after it comes out of the oven. Straight from the oven, the cheese layer and sauce are still loose, and a slice slides apart on the spatula. As it cools slightly, the egg-bound cottage cheese layer firms up and the noodles soak up the last of the sauce.
- Blend the cottage cheese. Whole curds release liquid as they heat, which is the main cause of a watery cottage cheese lasagna.
- Use full-fat cottage cheese. Low-fat and nonfat versions hold more whey.
- Don’t skip the egg. It binds the cheese layer so it sets like ricotta.
- Use low-moisture mozzarella, not fresh mozzarella, which adds water.
- Cut with a sharp knife and lift the first slice out with a thin spatula. The rest come out cleanly after that.
Cottage Cheese vs Ricotta: How Do They Compare?
Swapping 2 cups of ricotta for 2 cups of cottage cheese adds about 13g of protein to the whole pan and cuts about 295 calories and 24g of saturated fat. The trade-off is sodium: cottage cheese adds about 880mg more per pan. These figures come from USDA FoodData Central values for full-fat cottage cheese and whole-milk ricotta.
Per slice, the difference is smaller because the beef, noodles and mozzarella stay the same: about 21.0g of protein and 279 calories with cottage cheese, versus 19.9g and 303 calories with ricotta.
| Per slice (1 of 12) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 279 |
| Protein | 21.0g |
| Fat | 11.8g (5.2g saturated) |
| Carbohydrates | 21.0g |
| Fiber | 1.7g |
| Sodium | 651mg (28% of the 2,300mg Daily Value) |
| Calcium | 230mg |
Want less sodium? Use a low-sodium cottage cheese or a low-sodium marinara. The jarred sauce is the biggest single source, at more than a third of the sodium in the pan. The Daily Value comes from the FDA.
What Can You Swap in This Lasagna?
The blended cottage cheese layer works with almost any lasagna. Keep the cheese mixture and the layering the same, and change the filling.
- Ground turkey: use 1 pound of 93% lean ground turkey and cook it to 165°F, the USDA’s safe temperature for ground poultry. Our turkey chili uses the same browning method.
- Italian sausage: swap half the beef for sausage for more seasoning.
- Spinach: stir 10 ounces of thawed, squeezed-dry frozen spinach into the cheese mixture after blending.
- Regular noodles: boil them 2 minutes less than the package says, since they finish cooking in the oven.
How Do You Store and Reheat Lasagna?
Refrigerate leftover lasagna in a covered dish or airtight containers for 3 to 4 days, the USDA’s guideline for leftovers. Reheat single slices in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, or cover the pan with foil and warm it in a 350°F oven, until it reaches 165°F in the center.
To freeze, cool the lasagna completely, wrap individual slices tightly, and freeze them. The USDA notes frozen leftovers keep their best quality for 3 to 4 months. Thaw slices in the fridge overnight before reheating. For another freezer-friendly dinner, try our cottage cheese pizza crust.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have to blend cottage cheese for lasagna?
You don’t have to, but blending gives a smooth, creamy layer that slices like ricotta. Unblended curds stay visible and release liquid as they heat, which can make the lasagna watery. About 30 seconds in a blender with the egg and Parmesan is enough.
Why is my cottage cheese lasagna watery?
Usually it’s unblended or low-fat cottage cheese, a missing egg, or cutting it too soon. Blend full-fat cottage cheese with one egg, use low-moisture mozzarella, and let the lasagna rest at least 15 minutes before slicing.
Can you use no-boil noodles with cottage cheese?
Yes. No-boil noodles soften by absorbing liquid from the sauce, so cover every noodle completely and bake covered with foil for the first 35 minutes. Use them straight from the box without soaking.
How much protein is in cottage cheese lasagna?
About 21g per slice when the 9×13 pan is cut into 12 pieces, based on USDA FoodData Central values. Using cottage cheese instead of ricotta adds about 13g of protein to the whole pan and saves about 25 calories per slice.
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central: Beef, ground, 90% lean meat / 10% fat, raw (FDC 174030); Cheese, cottage, creamed, large or small curd (FDC 172179); Cheese, ricotta, whole milk (FDC 170851); Sauce, pasta, spaghetti/marinara, ready-to-serve (FDC 171192); Pasta, dry, enriched (FDC 169736); Cheese, mozzarella, low moisture, part-skim, shredded (FDC 170900); Cheese, parmesan, grated (FDC 171247); Egg, whole, raw, fresh (FDC 171287); Onions, raw (FDC 170000); Garlic, raw (FDC 169230); Salt, table (FDC 173468); retrieved 2026-10-13. fdc.nal.usda.gov
- USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart, retrieved 2026-10-13. fsis.usda.gov
- USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Leftovers and Food Safety, retrieved 2026-10-13. fsis.usda.gov
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels (sodium 2,300mg), retrieved 2026-10-13. fda.gov
