Who says you can’t have lasagna on a weeknight? Let’s face it making a lasagna takes a whole lotta time. First there’s the sauce to make, the noodles need to be cooked, the cheese filling needs to be prepared and then it all needs to be assembled. Add to that over an hour in the oven to cook, and you will be lucky if you get to eat before midnight.
What if I told you that you could have homemade lasagna for dinner even on a weeknight? And no, I’m not talking about the store bought frozen variety either. These mini lasagnas come together in just a few short minutes and they pack all the flavor of their much more time consuming cousin; everybody’s favorite traditional lasagna.
For those special occasions when you really want to impress and you have plenty of time, try this RECIPE for one of the absolute best traditional Italian lasagna’s you will ever eat.
These mini lasagna’s take just a few quick minutes to prepare and assemble. Plus they bake up in under 30 minutes. While they’re in the oven, toss together a crisp green salad and you can sit down to enjoy a lovely lasagna dinner before the evening news is over.
Nothing pairs better with Lasagna than a crisp green Caesar salad. Try this delicious homemade CAESAR SALAD with these tasty mini lasagnas to round out the perfect Italian weeknight meal.
Start by getting the noodles going. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles al dente according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
Adding a little olive oil to the cooking water will keep the noodles from sticking together when you assemble the lasagnas.
Once you have the noodles cooking, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Spray a mini-loaf tin generously with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large skillet, cook italian sausage until browned, breaking it up into crumbles as it cooks.
Add minced garlic, marinara sauce, sun-dried tomato pesto, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stir to combine and bring the meat sauce to a simmer. Remove from heat.
Once noodles are cooked, drain and cut the cooked lasagna noodles so they fit into the bottom of each mini loaf pan opening.
Top noodles with a scoop of the meat sauce.
Top with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and then a generous amount of shredded Mozzarella cheese. Because let’s face it, we love cheesy, right?
Repeat layers.
Add another lasagna noodle cut to fit each opening. Top with meat sauce, then a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and a final, generous layer of Mozzarella cheese.
Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes at 350° until heated through and cheese is hot and bubbly.
Allow mini-lasagnas to sit for 5-10 minutes to let them set up before removing them with a spatula from the pan. If you remove them immediately they will be soupy and not hold their shape, so try to be patient and give them a few minutes before removing them from the pan. It’s the perfect time to set the table, and toss that salad.
These lovely little mini versions of lasagna were a home run at our house!!! I had a fantastic tasting, hearty Italian meal on the table in under an hour. All made from scratch, (ok the sauce was from a jar) with no complaints from anyone! Just happy, satisfied, smiles all around!!! This recipe will be making an appearance on a regular basis for sure!
Cheesy Mini Lasagna
Equipment
- mini loaf pan
Ingredients
- 1 lb mild Italian sausage
- 8 oz lasagna noodles
- 26 oz jar marinara sauce
- 2 tbsp sun-dried tomato pesto
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 16 oz Mozzarella cheese, shredded
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- non-stick cooking spray
Instructions
- Add a tablespoon olive oil to a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles al dente (6-8 minutes) according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Spray a mini-loaf tin generously with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, cook Italian sausage until browned, breaking it up into crumbles as it cooks.
- Stir in minced garlic, marinara sauce, sun-dried tomato pesto, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Bring sauce to a simmer. Remove from heat.
- Cut cooked lasagna noodles so they fit into each mini loaf pan opening.
- Top noodles with a scoop of the meat sauce.
- Top with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
- Top with a layer of shredded Mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat layers.
- Add another lasagna noodle cut to fit each opening. Top with meat sauce, then Parmesan cheese and a final layer of Mozzarella cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes at 350° until heated through and cheese is hot and bubbly.
- Allow mini-lasagnas to sit for 5-10 minutes to let them set up before removing them with a spatula from the pan.
Did You Make This?
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