7 Different Ways To Make Lasagna

If there's one thing we empathize with Garfield about (aside from his love of long naps and hatred of Mondays...okay, maybe we have more in common with the orange cartoon cat than we thought we did!) it's his love of lasagna. Layers of tender pasta smothered in sauce and cheese sounds about as close as we can get to heaven on earth. 

But did you know that there are nearly as many lasagnas out there as there are cooks who make it? From beefy Bolognese lasagnas to vegetarian versions made with spinach or mushrooms to lasagna without any pasta and lasagna you can eat for breakfast, we've got all iterations on lock. Choose your favorite and take it for a spin! And while you're at it, consider doubling down and making two lasagnas at once: This baked pasta is one dish that freezes super well for a make-ahead meal future you will thank you for.

If you're just beginning your lasagna-making journey, this recipe is an excellent place to start. Reliable, easy, and picture-perfect, it's exactly what most of us imagine when we think "lasagna." 

Ground turkey or beef is sautéed in oil before being stirred into a jar of your favorite pasta sauce and seasoned with fresh herbs. The flavorful mixture is layered with no-cook lasagna noodles and strained ricotta for a rich pasta bake that's only improved with a topping of gooey mozzarella and flavorful parmesan. An hour later, it's ready to dig into and enjoy.

Five ingredients and 30 minutes are all you need to make this unique spin on lasagna a reality. Browned ground beef, thawed frozen spinach, mozzarella, and a jar of store-bought marinara sauce are layered, Inception-style, with frozen cheese ravioli. The resulting pasta-within-a-pasta bakes up in just half an hour, the perfect dinner for nights when you're busy but still want to put something homey and comforting on the table.

On busy evenings, it's so easy to resort to ordering a delivery pizza and calling it a day. But once you've got this 20-minute lasagna in your repertoire, those frantic calls will be a thing of the past! A savory combo of ground beef, no-cook noodles, ready-made tomato sauce, and a few aromatics like onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning make this lasagna a no-brainer. Add some ricotta and shredded mozzarella cheese, and dinner is served.

Just because you're avoiding gluten doesn't mean you can't dig into a hearty portion of lasagna! In this keto lasagna recipe, herb-brushed eggplant slices are baked until golden brown and meltingly tender to stand in for the more traditional noodles. Layered with a richly flavored homemade tomato sauce, ground beef, loads of aromatic fresh herbs, and three kinds of melty, gooey cheese, they'll make you say, "Pasta who?"

Spaghetti squash, ground turkey, and cottage cheese unite in this flavorful casserole with all of the flavor of a lasagna sans the fat and carbs. Spaghetti squash roasts up slightly sweet and ready to shred into noodles like magic. A fennel-scented marinara sauce coats the browned ground turkey, which is layered with the squash and a mix of cottage cheese, gooey mozzarella, and egg. The finished casserole bakes up a real treat all diners can love.

It's hard to imagine ever getting bored of lasagna, but this unique presentation might have you changing things up. Lasagna roll-ups require a bit more effort than the traditional layered pasta dish, but once they're made, they make serving individual portions prettier (and a cinch). To make them, par-boiled lasagna noodles are wrapped around a beef-and-spinach seasoned mix of ricotta and Greek yogurt. Then topped with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese, they bake up beautifully.

Lasagna is a dinnertime staple and leftovers can easily be reheated for lunch, but we'd never even considered having lasagna for breakfast until now. This breakfast lasagna changed our mind and will surely change yours too! Roasted roma tomatoes and pancetta or bacon are layered over, not noodles, but canned biscuits. Sandwiched with mushrooms, spinach, and two kinds of cheese, this "lasagna" bakes up gooey and delicious: the perfect brunch to feed a crowd.