The Easiest No Boil Lasagna Recipe

When it comes to crafting or DIY, I have a very strict rubric before I dig in. Number one, a project must be quick and easy to do. Number two, it must be inexpensive to construct and number three, and probably most important, it can not look like crap.

Let's face it, no one wants to fill their home with decor that looks like it was thrown together from cheap materials.

Of course, if the food tastes bad, no one wants to eat it, it's a giant waste. So again, over the years, I've come up with my own set of cheats to get me in and out of the kitchen as fast as possible. Well, not out - out of the kitchen. I love that room.

I just want out of the meal prep. Fast.

A while back I was reading my friend Debbie's blog. She's an amazing gardener and chef and I follow her in hopes that some of her fabulous talent will rub off on me - a girl can dream can't she?

Well, anyway, one day, I caught her recipe for an easy tomato sauce and I was hooked. I used it all the time. It was my go to. No more boiling tomatoes and peeling them blah, blah...just bake and blend. A fabulous cheat, wouldn't you say?


And then.

I was rushing to make a lasagna and I realized I didn't even have enough time for the quick sauce recipe, so I cheated even further. My own version was no bake, just blend...once it was thrown in the oven and baked, it tasted the same.


I use the Barilla brand of no-boil lasagna and in about 40 minutes (most of it baking time), I have a delicious meal my whole family loves and enough leftovers for few days. Bingo. Now that's my kind of recipe.

Easiest No Boil Lasagna And Sauce

My instructions tend to be more guidelines than recipes, but you'll get the idea.


1. I start by washing the tomatoes. Next, I chop them up and toss them into the blender with some onions, garlic, a dash of olive oil and oregano. Then I hit blend.

2. I line the bottom of a baking dish with some of the sauce, lay down three strips of lasagna and layer on a mixture of ricotta and mozzarella. I add more sauce and then top it all off with another three strips of lasagna and even more sauce.

3. I repeat this layering process several more times, until I get to the top of the pan. I end with sauce and a sprinkling of mozzarella and parmesan cheese. I cover it and bake it according to the directions on the box.

A few tips from this cheating chef:

I have tried other brands of no boil lasagna and they weren't great. They were too thick and you could tell that they weren't boiled. Ick.

Also, be generous with your sauce. The lasagna strips get soft in the oven by soaking up the moisture from it. Skimpy sauce equals crunchy pasta and that is no good.

I have vegetarians to deal with, so I don't add meat. You could, just fry up some chop meat or sausage and layer it on before the cheese.

Now, if you think this recipe is only for quick family dinners or for someone who doesn't know real Italian food, I beg to differ.

I'm a Sicilian girl. My parents are first generation Americans, my grandparents came over from Italy in the 1920's, they spoke Italian and we ate nothing but the most unbelievable food. There was never a jar of sauce in my home.

Everything was from scratch and everything was fantastic.

Is my lasagna fantastic? Well, you have to remember that I made it, so I would have to say no.

However, I have served it on a few holidays and no one has objected. It's passed muster with a very picky, very opinionated and very loud crowd. And there were no leftovers.


Of course, I may have omitted the fact that I cheated.

Not that I was hiding anything.

It just didn't come up.

Although, I think they may all know now.

But that's just a guess.

What's your favorite cooking cheat?