Pioneer Woman’s Best Ever Lasagna

Everyone needs a good lasagna recipe, because really, who doesn’t like lasagna? I’ve tried various recipes over the years but have settled on a slight variation of Pioneer Woman’s Best Ever Lasagna from The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl as our go to family favourite. It’s rich, creamy, filling…and delicious!

Pioneer Woman's Lasagna
*Cottage Cheese is missing from photo

Pioneer Woman's Lasagna

Pioneer Woman's Best Ever Lasagna
Recipe type: Main Meal
Serves: 8
 
Ingredients
  • 1 box Oven Ready lasagna noodles
  • 4 Cups grated mozzarella cheese
  • 1½ lbs ground beef
  • 1 lb mild sausage
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 - 28 oz can whole tomatoes
  • 2 - 6 oz cans tomato paste
  • ½ tsp salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • 4 Tbsp dried parsley
  • 2 Tbsp dried basil
  • 3 Cups Cottage Cheese
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 Cup grated Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F
  2. In a large skillet over medium heat, fry the ground beef, sausage and garlic until cooked through
  3. Drain off the excess fat
  4. Stir in 2 Tbsp parsley and 2 Tbsp basil
  5. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, and freshly ground black pepper
  6. Stir together well, simmer over low heat, uncovered, for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally
  7. In a medium bowl combine the cottage cheese, eggs, ½ Cup of the Parmesan cheese and 2 Tbsp parsley
  8. Stir together well
  9. Layer 4 noodles in the bottom of a 9x13 pan
  10. Spoon half of the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles
  11. Sprinkle half of the mozzarella cheese on top of the cottage cheese mixture
  12. Spoon just under half of the meat mixture on top of the mozzarella
  13. Spread evenly being careful not to disturb the layers
  14. Repeat the layers, beginning with noodles, cottage cheese, mozzarella, and ending with a thick layer of meat sauce
  15. Sprinkle the remaining ½ Cup Parmesan over the top
  16. Bake for 45 minutes until the lasagna is hot and bubbly
  17. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before cutting into squares
  18. * Lasagna can be frozen, unbaked

Pioneer Woman's Lasagna

Typically if I am going to go to the bother of making a lasagna, I make two at the same time. One for a friend, or simply one for the freezer. It doesn’t take you twice as long to make 2 lasagna’s, it just requires a few more ingredients. I buy a large club pack of ground beef and a use 4-5 sausages. If you are making two, use a deep pot rather than a skillet which will give you the room for added tomatoes, paste, etc. Having an extra lasagna in the freezer is like having gold in there…at least to me. 😉

I often serve this with garlic bread and a Caesar Salad. A perfect Sunday dinner or a hearty pasta meal for the athlete in your life before a big game. You can’t go wrong with a Pioneer Woman recipe and you can’t go wrong with lasagna. You need Pioneer Woman’s Lasagna in your life…or I do anyway. 😉

Disclaimer: This post contains an affiliate link which means if you purchase from such links I receive a small commission.

About Jennifer

Jennifer Naugler is the owner of Simple Local Life Media. When she's not working, she enjoys cooking, gardening, visiting farm markets and thrift stores and spending time with her family. Coffee is life.

5 Comments

    • I think the only variation in this one is the use of dried herbs as opposed to fresh. In her cookbook she has fresh basil, etc listed, but on the website, I think it is dried herbs. That’s all. 🙂

  1. Nancy Wilson

    Pioneer Woman’s website recipe says to use Hot Breakfast sausage. Yours says to use mild sausage, which I think would be more appealing to my family.
    I’m going to make it this week-end.
    Thank you.
    Nancy Wilson

Comments are closed.