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I have spent this last week visiting my (big) baby boy in Tennessee. I don’t care whether your kid is 8 or 28, making sure they are eating enough good food and getting enough rest is something we moms obsess over. My son told me the other day that I worry more about how much he sleeps than he does. There is some truth in that. On the food front, I am making sure that he is eating right by loading him up with freezer meals. This Lasagna Freezer Meal Recipe is one of his faves!
By the time I am done, he should have a months worth of food in his freezer. I’m secretly hoping that he’ll want me me come stay with him for a week every month after this.
For the most part, I have been making his favorite dishes from childhood which started off with this lasagna freezer meal.
Related Recipes: Freezer Mashed Potatoes and 5 Healthy Slow Cooker Freezer Meals
I used to make my own sauce for lasagna. I have since discovered that some of the stuff that comes in a jar is (almost) just as good as my own, and saves me a whole heck of a lot of time. I used jar sauce for this recipe.
You’re welcome.
Easy Lasagna Freezer Meal Recipe
Recipe yields 4 to 5 (8 inch) square aluminum pans. A perfect meal for 2 or 3 people.
Ingredients:
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 pound Italian sausage
2 (24 ounce) jars marinara sauce
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
15 no-boil lasagna noodles (1-2 packages should be good.)
2 (15 ounce) containers Ricotta
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
5-6 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
Directions:
In a large saucepan or pot, combine ground beef, sausage, onion, salt and garlic powder. Cook on medium-high heat until browned, crumbled and cooked through. Drain off any excess fat. Add marinara sauce, tomato sauce, and Italian seasoning. Stir to combine. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Meanwhile, in a medium size bowl combine the ricotta, Parmesan cheese, and parsley. Stir to combine.
Lightly spray pans with cooking spray. For each pan of lasagna, spread a little sauce into the bottom of each pan. Top with a layer of 2 lasagna noodles. Spoon more sauce over the noodles. Top with dollops of the ricotta cheese mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Repeat.
Bake (thawed) lasagna, covered in foil, on 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking an additional 15 minutes. Enjoy!
Pro tip: I used 8 inch square foil pans which are perfect for 2-3 people. My son can enjoy these with a friend or have leftovers for lunch the next day. He could maybe even share these meals with a future daughter-in-law? Just kidding. I’m not rushing him. Really.
This recipe yields 4 to 5 (8 inch) square baking pans. One to eat and four to enjoy later.
Note: I want to mention that the no-bake lasagna noodles fit perfectly into these square pans. Each layer takes 2 of the no-bake noodles.
Freezer Preparation
To prepare the lasagna for the freezer, allow the lasagnas to cool completely. You don’t want to put something warm into your freezer. First cover in aluminum foil. Repeat with a second layer of foil. Next, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and repeat. I like to write the heating instructions onto a sheet of paper and slip it in-between the layers of plastic wrap.
Also, be sure to write what the dish is… something that I totally forgot to do. He’ll have a surprise!
It’s so nice to have something like this on hand for those days that you just don’t have time to cook. Just pop it out of the freezer, allow it to thaw in the fridge, and bake.
What are your favorite freezer meals?
Easy Lasagna Freezer Meal Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 pound Italian sausage
- 2 (24 ounce) jars marinara sauce
- 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 15 no-boil lasagna noodles (1-2 packages should be good.)
- 2 (15 ounce) containers Ricotta
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- 5-6 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
In a large saucepan or pot, combine ground beef, sausage, onion, salt and garlic powder. Cook on medium-high heat until browned, crumbled and cooked through. Drain off any excess fat. Add marinara sauce, tomato sauce, and Italian seasoning. Stir to combine. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Meanwhile, in a medium size bowl combine the ricotta, Parmesan cheese, and parsley. Stir to combine.
Lightly spray pans with cooking spray. For each pan of lasagna, spread a little sauce into the bottom of each pan. Top with a layer of 2 lasagna noodles. Spoon more sauce over the noodles. Top with dollops of the ricotta cheese mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Repeat.
Bake (thawed) lasagna, covered in foil, on 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking an additional 15 minutes. Enjoy!
Thank you for sharing this! I’ve been looking for an easy lasagna recipe. I bet this would be delicious. Do you suppose I could put some sliced bell peppers in there as well?
You’re welcome. Yes, totally add the sliced peppers. I bet that would be great!
I was just reading your Easy Freezer Lasagna recipe and am not sure if these are to be baked and then frozen or if you can just put them in the freezer after they are assembled. I don’t do many recipes ahead of time and wasn’t sure.
Hi Susan! There is no need to bake then first. Just assemble, freeze and then bake!
How long will lasagna stay good for? in your freezer for
You can safely freeze for up to 2 months.
I love the idea of making it and freezing it. My mom always did that when I was growing up.
I so need to do freezer meals. This looks like a great recipe, love lasagna!
Do you bake these covered with foil?
I keep the foil on until the last 15 minutes. Thanks for asking! I just updated the recipe.
Yum this looks so good! I made a few of these before giving birth to my last baby… Such a great idea! Especially for busy days, pop it in and eat!
I make lasagna al the time I should freeze trays too. Love the no boil noodles!
What a great idea! We love lasagna and could eat it all the time!
Lasagna is a great freezer make ahead dinner idea. You can freeze it for quite awhile and when you bake it you’d never know it was frozen previously.
I need to do more quick freezer meals like this for my family. It’s nice to have something homemade instead of store bought.
This is such a great idea for many different situations. I am going to make up some of these for my family and for a family friend. Thanks for this recipe.
I love lasagna with a passion, this seems like a great recipe!
Great idea I will have to do this for when we are really busy and I do not want to spend the few hours of the evening left cooking.Would be good to do at the weekend ready for the week ahead.
Love
I too used to make my own sauce for lasagna, but like you realized that the bottled stuff works great too. I still pull out my old recipe from time to time. 😉 This recipe looks fab and with all the new babies arriving in the upcoming months, I think I’ll be using it to take these new moms and dads a nice easy dinner. They’ll be busy enough. 😉
I actually make these quite a bit. When I make up lasagna I always make up one or two extras to freeze. The family loves them and it makes for a nice meal all it needs to do is heat through and I add more cheese on the top while it bakes.
I am obsessed with freezer meals right now! I can’t wait to try this one for my family. They LOVE lasagna and so do I. Thank you for sharing! PINNED!
Where do you find no bake noodles?
Hi Judy, they are no-boil noodles. 🙂
This looks so yummy! Thanks so much for sharing at the Wildly Original link party!
<3 Christina @ I Gotta Create!
sounds yummy! I can’t wait to try it. Would you mind telling me what kind of marinara sauce you used? Thanks
For this batch I used Classico Sweet Basil sauce.
Just a quick question, is it possible to heat from frozen even if the cooking time is a bit longer?
Hi Shari! Yes, you can cook from frozen. Just plan to double your cooking time.
I love this concept! I can better control the salt and ingredients rather than purchasing frozen premade ones.
Great idea and so easy do put together. I can’t wait to try this and wow my family. Thank you for sharing.
Can anyone tell me how meny noodles for each pan is it just 2 layers for each pan thank you
Using the shallow square pans, there are 2 layers, each with 2 no-bake noodles. Hope that helps!
I’m confused, is it No Bake Noodles or No Boil Noodles? In another reply you say No Bake which is it.
I use the no-boil noodles. You can use whichever you prefer, just adjust accordingly. I hope you enjoy!
This sounds delicious!
I do have a question though..
do you bake it first then let it cool and freeze it? Or can it be frozen without baking?
I freeze them without baking and they turn out great. One less step!
How long would you cook this and at what time if you decide not to freeze it?
Thanks1
I would stick to close to the same amount of time, since the frozen lasagnas are thawed before cooking.
would not let me pin it for future cooking 🙁
Sorry to hear that, Kay. Wonder if it might have been a temporary Pinterest glitch?
What if I’m not using the no boil noodles ??
It should be fine. Just make sure you boil them to al dente, in advance.
to thaw the lasagna do you just set it out of the freezer for the morning or do you place it in the fridge?
You’ll want to pull it out the day before and thaw it in the fridge.
You may want to edit you recipe. 15 no bake pasta noodles is not enough for 5 pans. It would only be enough for 3 pans with 2 layers if that’s how many layers you are doing. But 5 pans with double layers would need 20 noodles. Otherwise recipe is great and instructions through
I love this idea. I will always have something to make at short notice. Thank you!
Quick question I have a big family would you change the cooking time if I cooked 2 at a time or even a larger one. I am looking for a frst-time freezer meal and this is perfect.
How long can this be frozen (days, weeks, etc.)
Thanks!
I wouldn’t freeze this for more than 1 to 2 months.
Have you ever tried making this recipe using cottage cheese instead of ricotta cheese?
Not this particular recipe, but I have in others. I think it would be fine.
Are those noodles sheets or the conventional ones (like 2″ across)?
What is the difference in no-boil noodles and regular lasagna noodles? purchased regular lasagna noodles in error. To get the best flavor should I just purchase the no-boil noodles or do you have a suggestion. I don’t like pasta to overpower the dish. This is my first time making lasagna. I am diabetic and have to restrict my sodium and carbs.Please respond ASAP.
Hi Joyce, you can use either boil or no-boil noodles. I often use the no-boil for the simplicity, but if you use regular noodles and boil them first it should be just fine. Enjoy!
Are there gluten free lasagna noodles, & do you think this recipe would work with them?
I know in some lasagna recipes you add an egg to the filling.
with the ingredients listed above,how many pans will that make???
This is a great idea for busy nights. Thanks for the recipe!
This Lasagna looks delicious. This meal prep idea is great for back to school to save time on dinner,
Oh this is one thing I really want to start…is freezing meals for those busy school night. Lasagna is one of my families favorites…I have to try this!
Perfect Recipe- also would be great as a gift for busy households
I love how easy this is. It’s a meal that the whole family would love!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was so good! Very happy that I have an extra pan (or two or three) that I can bring to some friends who have just had a baby!
do you use two jars of marinara sauce so total of 48 ounces? or two jars equaling 24 ounces??
You’ll use 2 jars, equaling 48 ounces. I hope you enjoy this recipe!