My family loves this easy cheese lasagna recipe! It’s rich, incredibly cheesy, and absolutely delicious. Best of all, you can assemble it in about 20 minutes.
This is the best lasagna I’ve made in a long time. We pack in five delicious cheeses, one of which is mascarpone, which makes this super creamy and decadent.
If you’ve seen our veggie lasagna or meaty lasagna recipes on the blog, you know we’re big fans of lasagna. You won’t add veggies or meat to this lasagna. It’s all about that pure cheesy goodness. For another cheesy recipe like this one, see my favorite manicotti recipe!
Key Ingredients
- Lasagna noodles: I love no-boil noodles for this easy recipe. You can assemble this dish in under 20 minutes thanks to no-boil noodles. If you have traditional noodles, I recommend boiling them according to the package directions before using them in our recipe.
- Whole milk ricotta: The classic base for a lasagna filling. Cottage cheese offers a similar texture to ricotta.
- Mascarpone: Adds extra creaminess (it’s my secret for the best lasagna). If you need to, you can substitute more ricotta or make your own mascarpone by beating 8 ounces of cream cheese with 1/4 cup of heavy cream until smooth and creamy.
- Parmesan: Provides a salty, savory flavor. For a similar salty, sharp flavor, try Grana Padano or Pecorino Romano.
- Mozzarella: Essential for a gooey, melty result. Provolone is an excellent substitute.
- Fontina: Melts beautifully! Substitute it with provolone for its mild taste and excellent melting qualities.
- Egg: Helps to firm up our ricotta and mascarpone filling.
- Basil: Adds fresh flavor to the lasagna. I layer torn basil leaves on top of the cheesy layers.
- Pasta sauce: I use this homemade red sauce or jarred spaghetti sauce.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Our Favorite Cheese Lasagna
Tip 1: Use the right blend of cheeses. The secret to the best cheese lasagna is the perfect blend of cheeses. We love whole milk ricotta, mascarpone, parmesan, mozzarella, and fontina. Combining ricotta with mascarpone creates the absolute best cheese filling. We’re so in love with this combination that we’ll use it in all our future lasagna recipes!
Tip 2: Use no boil noodles. This can be assembled in under 20 minutes. There’s no pre-cooking, and the longest task is shredding the cheese.
Tip 3: Layering your lasagna. Start by layering sauce in the baking dish, top with noodles, followed by half of the ricotta-mascarpone mixture and fresh basil leaves. Add another layer of noodles, sauce, mozzarella, and fontina. Then add a third noodle layer, the rest of the ricotta-mascarpone filling, and more basil. Finally, finish with a final layer of noodles, sauce, and a generous topping of mozzarella and fontina. Be sure to watch our step-by-step video!
More Lasagna Recipes
The Best Cheese Lasagna
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
We love this easy lasagna! Its perfect blend of cheeses will make anyone weak at the knees. It’s rich, creamy, incredibly cheesy, and absolutely delicious. If you need cheese substitutions, you’ll find them in the article above. We’ve also included tips below for making this recipe vegetarian-friendly.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
12 to 15 lasagna noodles, preferably no-boil noodles; see notes
8 ounces (226g) whole milk ricotta
8 ounces (226g) mascarpone
1 cup (2oz) grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
8 ounces (226g) mozzarella, shredded, 2 packed cups
5 ounces (142g) fontina, thinly sliced or shredded
3 cups homemade red pasta sauce or use one 28-ounce jar of spaghetti sauce
Directions
1Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly grease a 13×9 inch baking dish, or use non-stick cooking spray.
2Combine ricotta, mascarpone, parmesan, salt, pepper, and the beaten egg in a medium bowl. Mix well.
3Spread 1 cup of sauce evenly over the bottom of your prepared baking dish. Place 3 to 4 noodles over the sauce, overlapping slightly. Break noodles into smaller pieces to fill any large gaps.
4Spread half of the cheese filling over the noodles, followed by half of the basil leaves. Add another layer of noodles, then spread 1 cup of sauce over them. Sprinkle with half of the mozzarella and half of the fontina cheese. Repeat these steps: add noodles, the rest of the cheese filling, the remaining basil, noodles, and sauce. Finish by sprinkling the rest of the mozzarella and fontina.
5If your dish is very full, place it on a baking sheet to catch any sauce or cheese that might bubble over.
6Bake the lasagna, uncovered, until the cheese is bubbly and the noodles are cooked through, about 30 minutes. For a golden-brown top, broil for 1 to 2 minutes.
7Let it cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Leftovers last up to 4 days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze-baked lasagna for up to 3 months. Wrap or store it in freezer-safe containers. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating in a 350°F oven until heated through (30 to 60 minutes).
- Make ahead: To assemble this ahead of time, add a layer of parchment paper and cover it with foil. Refrigerate for up to 2 days.
- Noodles: For a faster option, use no boil noodles. They’re a bit thinner than traditional noodles, which we like. This recipe calls for one 9-ounce box. If you prefer traditional noodles, that’s perfectly fine! Just remember to boil them before layering.
- Vegetarian lasagna: Most cheeses in our recipe are vegetarian-friendly, but traditional parmesan isn’t. It contains animal rennet, an enzyme that helps the cheese set. When shopping, carefully read the labels to ensure they don’t contain animal rennet. If you cannot find vegetarian parmesan, leave it out. Add a few tablespoons of nutritional yeast to your ricotta and mascarpone mixture for a cheesy, salty flavor similar to parmesan.
- The nutritional information provided below is an estimate.
I have a question about your recipe. Any ingredients you have one cup of grated Parmesan cheese for then in parentheses you have 2 ounces. Is it one cup which is 16 ounces or is it 2 ounces? This is for the lasagna recipe, which I’m making in a few days.
Hi Gary, Great question. It’s 1 cup of grated Parmesan, which weighs about 2 ounces. Parmesan is very light and fluffy when grated, so a full cup is much lighter than you might expect. You’re good to follow the recipe as written. If you have any other questions while prepping the lasagna, I’m happy to help.
Can I use cottage cheese instead of ricotta cheese in this recipe,or add meat?
Yes! Cottage cheese works nicely.
Just a question about the amount here. There are 8 ounces in a cup, but you have in parentheses 2 ounces. 1 cup (2oz) grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese
What about adding Asiago and Gruyre cheese? Both delicious. I will be back when I make this.
That sounds amazing.
I make this recipe on repeat. It’s so easy and delicious, even when I don’t have basil to add. Thanks for the recipe!
We made this receipe tonight for our Christmas Eve dinner. It was delicious and easy to assemble. We would definitely make this again.
Such wonderful news, Barbara! Thanks for coming back and letting us know!
Can you please answer me the question I asked about the parmigiano cheese. You say one cup and then in parentheses you have 2 ounces. Which is a 2 ounces or is it one cup which would be 8 ounces?
Hi Gary, Great question! It comes down to the difference between volume (cups) and weight (ounces). While 1 cup of liquid equals 8 fluid ounces, dry ingredients vary a lot in weight. Because grated Parmesan is so light and fluffy, it takes up more space. We measured this out in our kitchen, and 2 ounces of cheese by weight (on a scale) filled up our 1-cup measuring cup. If you have a scale, sticking to 2 ounces is the most accurate method!
Made this last night! That cheese mixture with ricotta and marscapone was genius! Add the fontina (one of my favs) and the torn basil and Parm. Oh this was amazing. Thanks for the lovely Sunday dinner inspo. My husband and I have had a Sunday dinner tradition for 13 years and this will certainly stand out.
I like ground beef in my lasagna. Can I use this recipe and add beef?
You can! Or, take a look at our Meaty Lasagna or this Easier Lasagna
I’ve tried the ricotta many times, but find I very much prefer the outcome when I use whole milk cottage cheese. Don’t know why, but it is much cheesier. I’m fussy about cottage cheese, too. (I have food allergies.) So I always get one that has no additives like gums and such — just milk, salt and culture, I think. I can’t remember if even the best has preservatives, but it’s amazing how many put gums and other thickeners in.
Excellent recipe!
We are thrilled that you enjoyed it!
Easy, minimal prep and clean up, and delicious! I used mascarpone and cottage cheese.
We are thrilled you enjoyed it!
Delicious!!! I made my own red sauce based on an arrabbatia recipe I found years ago to add a little kick and it was amazing.
I also added a bit of parsley on the top and broiled it on the top rack until it was brown on the top! Making it again tonight.
I made this last night. Fast, easy and absolutely delicious! I served it with a side of meatballs and an EVOO/lemon dressed arugala salad topped with Parmesan ribbons. Would be a fabulous meal for guests as well. This will be added to our list of family favorites. Thank you!
I made this last night for company. Everyone absolutely loved it !! It’s so so good . I covered mine for 25 mins then uncovered it for 5min., worked perfectly. Thank you for the guided , easy directions. Much appreciated. Thanks for all your great recipes and hard work !!