Best & Easy No Egg Lasagna Recipe with Ricotta

October 25, 2023
Anna Dykeman

Picture this: As the golden sun sets, casting a warm glow through the kitchen window, there’s an alluring scent wafting in the air – a tantalizing blend of aromatic herbs and simmering tomatoes that promises a hearty, soul-satisfying meal. The smooth, velvety texture of rich ricotta, layered between perfectly al dente lasagna sheets, provides a comforting, melt-in-your-mouth sensation.

Each bite has a sweet tang of tomatoes harmoniously melds with the creamy cheese, while occasional bursts of fresh vegetables add a delightful crunch. The gentle hum of the oven and the soft sizzle of the sauce on the stove play a lullaby to the senses – now, did I make you hungry? I hope so!

The best part about this recipe is that you can customize it based on your needs, so, whether you’re vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, or really just egg-free – you can make this recipe exactly how you need it.

Tip: This makes a fantastic Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner dish!

How to Make No Egg Lasagna?

Wait, you can actually make a no egg lasagna? Yes, you sure can! In this traditional lasagna recipe we will adjust one of your favorite Italian dishes to your dietary needs! – careful, this recipe will quickly become the ultimate comfort foods!

Lasagna Ingredients:

12 lasagna noodles (store-bought)
3 cups ricotta or cottage cheese (to replace the typical egg and ricotta mixture)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 cups marinara sauce (homemade or store-bought)

Optional Ingredients for a vegetable sauce:

2 cups fresh spinach (optional)
1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
1 bell pepper, sliced (optional)
1 zucchini, sliced (optional)

For the Meat Sauce (optional):

1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups marinara sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tsp dried or fresh basil
1 tsp dried oregano

Alternative Ingredients if you don’t have something on hand:

Ricotta cheese – Cottage cheese, Soft tofu, vegan ricotta cheese, or part-skim ricotta
Mozzarella cheese – Provolone, dairy-free cheese, vegan mozzarella shreds
Ground beef – Ground turkey, ground chicken, or Italian sausage
Vegan protein – Lentils or finely chopped mushrooms
Tomato sauce – Store-bought marinara sauce or crushed tomatoes with added herbs
Lasagna noodles – Homemade lasagna noodles (recipe below), no-boil lasagna sheets, thinly sliced zucchini or eggplant for a low-carb
Parmesan cheese – Asiago, Pecorino Romano, nutritional yeast (dairy-free)
Fresh herbs (like basil or fresh parsley) – Dried herbs

Feel free to experiment with ingredients! Sometimes the best recipes are made through experimentation!

Homemade Lasagna Recipe With No Egg

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C)

Step 2: Boil lasagna noodles according to the package instructions. Once cooked, lay them flat on a clean dish towel to avoid sticking.

Alternatively: If you use homemade lasagna noodles, no need to cook them – the sauce inside the lasagna will cook them.

Step 3: In a large skillet, sauté onions until translucent on medium heat, then add the minced garlic and cook for another minute.

Step 4: Add the ground meat, breaking it apart with a spatula, and cook until it’s fully browned. Once done, pour in the marinara sauce, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper and let it simmer for 10 minutes.

Tip: The longer you let it simmer, the more delicious it will be – so you can even let it simmer for a few hours in a slow cooker for the best flavor! If the sauce gets too thick, use some water to thin it.

Step 5: In a 9×13 inch pan, spread a layer of marinara sauce. First, lay down 3 lasagna noodles and spread ricotta or cottage cheese layers over the noodles – depending on the size of your glass baking dish, you may have to adjust your sauce and layers a bit!

If using vegetables, add a layer of your chosen veggies (spinach, mushrooms, bell pepper, zucchini).

If using meat sauce, spread a layer over the cheese.

Then, repeat these layers, finishing with a final layer of lasagna noodles.

Step 6: Once you’ve done all your layers, top of the noodles with remaining marinara sauce and sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan cheese on top.

Step 7: Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, remove the foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown.That’s it! Once baked, let the lasagna sit for about 10 minutes at room temperature before cutting and serving.

Homemade Lasagna Noodle Recipe with No Egg

Don’t like the store-bought version? No worries, me neither! This is a traditional lasagna noodle recipe that I adjusted to make it egg-free.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour (or whole wheat flour for a heartier texture)
3/4 cup water (you may need a little more or less, depending on the consistency)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

Alternative ingredients:

Flour – Whole wheat flour or Gluten-free flour blend
Olive Oil – Avocado oil, grapeseed oil, ghee
Water – bone broth or vegetable broth

How to make it:

Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt. Then make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the olive oil and start adding the water little by little.

Step 2: Mix with a fork or your hands slowly from the outside into the circle, so everything is slowly incorporated – all until the dough starts to come together.

Step 3: Once you’ve kneaded it enough and the flour is completely incorporated transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it for about 8-10 minutes or until it becomes smooth and elastic – if it feels too dry, add a bit more water, if it feels too wet, sprinkle a bit more flour.

Step 4: Shape the dough into a ball and wrap it in a plastic wrap – let it rest for about 30-60+ minutes.

Step 5: This step is a bit trickier, so you can either roll it out into one giant flat sheet or you cut the dough into four equal parts – cutting it into smaller parts will make it easier to handle.

Step 6: So, whether you cut it or not, the process will be the same. On a floured surface, roll out each portion into a thin sheet using a rolling pin – aim for about 1/16 inches. Whenever you roll, make sure you have enough flour on it, you will know if you have enough by checking your dough if it’s too sticky – at that point just sprinkle some flour over it.

Tip: If you have a pasta machine, you can use it to achieve uniformly thin sheets.

Step 7: Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut the rolled dough into lasagna noodle-sized rectangles, typically around 3×13 inches – or whatever fits your baking form. You want to have a total of 3-4 layers in your lasagna, so depending on the size of your baking form, you need to adjust it.

Next, you can either boil the lasagna sheets or if you have a good amount of sauce, you won’t have to boil them first.

After this, refer to the instructions above on how to assemble the lasagna.

Tip: If you’re not using the noodles immediately, hang them to dry or place them on a baking sheet, ensuring they’re not overlapping. Once dried, you can store them in an airtight container and freeze them.

Expert Tips for the Lasagna Making Process

Here are some tips that can help you make this easy lasagna recipe even easier!

For Layering:

Start with a thin layer of sauce at the bottom of your baking dish. This helps prevent sticking and adds flavor to the base.
Layer your ingredients thinly. Thick layers can lead to a soupy lasagna, while thin layers provide a more cohesive, sliceable dish.

For Cheese:

When you’re layering the cheese, make sure to have it distributed evenly so it won’t get dry on those ends – you also don’t want the pasta to swim in the sauces and cheeses though either.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Got questions? No worries, we’ve got the answers!

How do you prevent lasagna from getting soggy?

To avoid a soggy lasagna, make sure your sauce isn’t too thin – you want to have a sauce, not a soup. Also, if you’re using vegetables like zucchini or mushrooms, sauté them first to release excess moisture.

Can I make lasagna ahead of time and bake it later?

Absolutely! In fact, it may even taste better than on the day you were making it. Italian food is known to be amazing when it comes to just letting it sit in the fridge for a while for the flavors to meld together.

So, you can assemble the lasagna, cover it tightly, and refrigerate the unbaked lasagna for a day before baking. If you’re freezing it, you can store it for up to three months – just remember to adjust baking time if you’re cooking from chilled or frozen.