Aunt Betty’s Comfort Kitchen · Nutritious and Economical

Lasagna

A weeknight lasagna built on a good jar of sauce — browned beef with pepper and onion, two cheeses, and noodles layered and baked until bubbly. Honest, economical comfort food.

20 min prep 45 min bake

Effort ●●○○ Time ●●○○ Some Doing

Servingsamounts scale to match

Units

Ingredients

Brown the meat and veg, simmer the jarred sauce, then layer and bake. A jar of good marinara is the shortcut — brown the chuck with the pepper and onion, simmer it into the sauce, and layer with the two cheeses. End with cheese on top so it browns, and rest it before cutting.

Easier, if you like

No-boil noodles skip the boiling step — just add a splash more sauce or water so they have liquid to absorb.
Pre-shredded cheese and a jar of sauce make this a true pantry weeknight bake.

Method

Cook's notes

The jar of sauce is the economical shortcut — doctor it with a little garlic, Italian herbs, or a pinch of sugar if you like.

Rest before cutting or the layers slide apart; 10–15 minutes makes clean squares.

For a richer lasagna, add a ricotta layer (15 oz ricotta mixed with 1 egg) between the noodles and sauce.

Assembles and freezes well — build it ahead and bake from the fridge (add ~10 minutes).

Easy to make gluten-free or vegetarian

Gluten-free: use gluten-free lasagna noodles (and check the jarred sauce).

Vegetarian: skip the chuck and use sautéed mushrooms and zucchini, or a meatless crumble, in the sauce.