Lazy Lasagna Noodles

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Are you looking for the very best lasagna recipe? Well, you’ve arrived! Lazy Lasagna Noodles deal out all the delicious flavors of Italian lasagna….without all the work!

Baking Lazy Lasagna Noodles in the oven is a super quick and easy meal, as well as the very best way to make lasagna for a busy family.

Lazy Lasagna Noodles Recipe

We are big fans of Italian comfort food dishes – tortellini, creamy pesto pasta, stuffed pasta shells with creamy marinara, instant pot ravioli soup…..just to name a few!

And, I do enjoy making lasagna (especially in my cast iron skillet for a bit of a twist) when I have the time, which is not very often. Enter Lazy Lasagna Noodle Casserole – such a life saver.

My family has absolutely fallen in love with this cheesy, easy casserole and I’m excited that I can have it baking in my oven in about 20 minutes. Add a slice of garlic bread and a lettuce salad and dinner’s done!

What to Love About This Recipe –

1. Learn how to make lasagna – the easy way!
2. This will quickly become your lasagna recipe go-to method.
3. It’s super family and budget friendly. $$$$$

What Ingredients Do You Need to Make Lazy Lasagna Noodles? Only 7 Basic Things!

• Ground beef (may substitute any type of ground meat that you prefer, fyi)
• Packaged dry egg noodles (found in the pasta aisle)
• Tomato sauce
• Spaghetti sauce seasoning packet
• Onion powder and garlic powder, optional
• Cream cheese
• Canned evaporated milk
• Mozzarella cheese

Which Tools Are Helpful for Making This Recipe?

A good heavy-duty skillet is always helpful when browning any type of meat, such as the ground beef in this recipe….or when you’re wanting to cook meats such as steak bites or beef bulgogi.

I really like cooking with my 12-inch cast iron skillet since cast iron cooks very evenly and holds the heat well.

How to Make Lazy Lasagna Noodles in 5 Simple Steps

Brown the ground beef with the onion powder and garlic powder, if using. Drain any fats that accumulate, then stir in the tomato sauce and spaghetti seasoning mix.

Spread the cooked egg noodles evenly into a greased 11×7 baking dish.

Combine the softened cream cheese with the evaporated milk; pour this mixture over the egg noodles in the baking dish.

Top the cream cheese layer with the meat sauce; sprinkle the cheese over the top.

Bake the Lazy Lasagna Noodle Casserole in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. Enjoy!

How will I know when this baked casserole is hot all the way through and safe to eat?

To know when a casserole is nicely hot at the center and a safe internal temperature, too, use an instant-read meat thermometer. Insert the thermometer at an angle, right into the center of the casserole.

Watch the thermometer display (whether a dial or digital) until the temperature stops climbing; this will take just a few seconds. When the display halts, this is the finished internal temperature. 

For a hot and bubbly, safe-to-eat casserole, the internal temperature should register 165 degrees F. at the very center.

What is evaporated milk? Where will I find evaporated milk at the grocer?

Evaporated milk is typically found in the baking aisle at your grocer. Do not confuse evaporated milk with sweetened condensed milk, please! Evaporated milk is a condensed milk that makes gravies and sauces (such as in this recipe) very rich in texture. It’s your new secret weapon!!

I find it’s very convenient and smart to always keep a couple of cans of evaporated milk in my pantry since you can use this as a replacement in recipes that call for milk….and you’ve just realize there’s none in the fridge.

The next time you make sausage gravy or cream gravy for the fam, use 1 can evaporated milk (most cans are typically 10-12 oz.) in place of part of the milk that your recipe calls for. You are in for a sweet surprise – your gravy will be rich, thick and extra-creamy.

Why does this recipe call for evaporated milk instead of regular milk? If I don’t have evaporated milk on hand, what can I use instead?

This recipe calls for evaporated milk just to add extra richness and creaminess to the cream cheese mixture that’s added to the noodles. And, yes, if you don’t have evaporated milk on hand (but please do from now on!) feel free to substitute regular milk in this recipe. Just know the cream cheese mixture won’t be quite and rich and yummy.

Which other types of ground meat can be substituted for ground beef in this recipe?

My freezer is often loaded with ground venison since my sons enjoy hunting. I like to combine ground venison with either ground beef or ground pork for many of my favorite recipes that call for ground beef…..such as Fiesta Ground Beef and Noodle Skillet, Instant Pot Tex Mex Pasta with Ground Beef, or Beef Patty Melt Sliders with Secret Sauce.

Or, if your family enjoys ground chicken, ground turkey, or ground bison, feel free to use those meats in this recipe in place of the ground beef.

Can I substitute a jar of marinara sauce in place of the tomato sauce and spaghetti sauce seasoning?

I think this would work just fine, but you will only want to use about 2 cups of the jarred marinara from the typical 28 oz. jar. I always have tomato sauce in my pantry and it’s easy to keep a packet of spaghetti sauce seasoning in my cupboard, so I make the recipe with these two ingredients…..usually. 🙂

What is the best way to soften cream cheese?

The very best way to soften cream cheese is to let it rest at room temperature on your counter for a little while.

However, since most of us (including me!!!) can’t be that organized to remember to do lay out the cream cheese ahead of time, I find it works well to put it into the microwave on the lowest defrosting setting for 60 seconds.

If the cream cheese is very chilled, you may need to use the defrosting setting for a longer period of time.

Breads to serve with this noodle casserole –

• Artichoke Olive Cheese Bread
• Dutch Oven No-Knead Crusty Bread
• Buttered Rosemary Rolls

More Favorite Main Dish Recipes to Enjoy –

• Meatball Sub Casserole
• Cheesy Hash Brown Meatloaf Pie
• Instant Pot Kielbasa Sausage with Potatoes and Green Beans
• Instant Pot Pepperoni Pizza Pasta
• Grandma’s Creamed Chicken and Biscuits