Cottage Cheese Lasagna
Cottage cheese stands in for the usual ricotta layer — lighter, tangier, and higher in protein — in a classic tomato-and-spinach lasagna.
Ingredients
- 250 g Lasagna sheets
- 500 g Cottage cheese
- 700 g Tomato passata
- 200 g Spinach
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 2 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp Salt
- 150 g Mozzarella (optional)
- 1 Egg (optional)
- 3 tbsp Basil (optional)
Method
- Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
- Warm the olive oil in a saucepan, soften the garlic for a minute, then pour in the passata with the salt and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
- Wilt the spinach in a dry pan until collapsed, then squeeze out the water and chop it roughly.
- Stir the chopped spinach and the egg through the cottage cheese to make the creamy layer.
- Layer the dish: sauce, then lasagna sheets, then the cottage-cheese filling, repeating and finishing with sauce.
- Tear the mozzarella over the top and bake until bubbling and the sheets are tender, about 40 minutes.
- Rest the lasagna for 10 minutes so it slices cleanly.
- Tear over the basil and serve.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Cottage Cheese Lasagna
Cottage cheese lasagna riffs on the Italian classic by replacing ricotta—that soft, mildly sweet cheese—with cottage cheese, which brings more tang, more protein, and a slightly lighter mouthfeel. Cottage cheese curds, when folded through wilted spinach and a raw egg, transform into a creamy, tender filling layer that sets firm during baking but remains loose enough to spoon. The simplicity of the filling—just cheese, spinach, and binding—lets the tomato sauce sing, its acidity brightened by the garlic-infused oil and its body built during a gentle ten-minute simmer.
Traditional lasagna asks for patience and layering discipline; this version delivers the same comforting, bubbling result in a single baking dish. The sheets soften into tender, edible layers rather than remaining distinctly separate, and the mozzarella torn over the top browns and pulls into the finished dish, creating pockets of melted cheese that bind the whole thing. At six servings with a seventy-five-minute total time, this is a make-ahead main that feels restaurant-standard but comes together on a weeknight.
Cottage Cheese Lasagna: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Cottage Cheese Lasagna?
A serving has about 403 calories — 23.5g protein, 41.6g carbs, 15.7g fat, 3.2g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Cottage Cheese Lasagna gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Lasagna sheets. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for that ingredient to make it gluten-free.
Is Cottage Cheese Lasagna dairy-free?
Not as written — it uses Mozzarella. Swapping it for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.
How long does Cottage Cheese Lasagna take to make?
About 70 minutes start to finish, but only around 28 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Cottage Cheese Lasagna?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out mozzarella, egg, basil — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Cottage Cheese Lasagna make?
This recipe makes 6 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.