When it comes to Christmas dinner, I want to be able to make something that my family enjoys but that also doesn't require me to spend hours in my kitchen cooking and cleaning up. I want to be able to join in on all of the fun and make memories with my family on Christmas, like setting up this giant inflatable snowman that makes us all laugh! We used to do a traditional Christmas Dinner with ham, cheesy broccoli, scalloped potatoes and a spinach salad with a hot bacon dressing recipe. Years ago we switched it to be lasagna (spelled lasagne in the UK) and it makes the day so much more enjoyable. I serve it with Caesar Salad and garlic bread and it's easy and delicious!
Simple Lasagna Ingredients
When it comes to my lasagna, I've made it the same for many years and my children will know if I change it up or try something different. For that reason, I use the same brand and sauce and noodles. This ensures that when they taste it, it tastes exactly like what they are expecting. One tip is that you do not need to pre-cook the noodles. Even if you buy regular lasagna, as long as you use enough sauce, they will get soft in the oven.
You can store any leftover mozzarella cheese in a glass jar in your refrigerator. It will stay fresh in a jar with a metal lid for up to two months in your refrigerator.
Another great thing about this meal is that you can make it for less than $30. This is so much less than what I used to spend on my traditional Christmas dinner. It allows us to have a meal we enjoy and stay in our grocery budget.
Preparing the Lasagna
- The first step in making my lasagna is mixing together the ricotta cheese with the seasonings and parmesan cheese. I do this in a large bowl or measuring cup.
- Once it is all mixed together I start layering the ingredients in the pan. I use a large baking dish. You want to make sure you start with sauce at the bottom, then layer it with noodles, sauce, the cheese mixture, and repeat. The layers do not need to be perfect, once they all bake together you will not notice any imperfections.
- I top the lasagna with cheese to make a delicious cheesy layer at the top!
Lasagna Recipe Modifications
You'll notice that there isn't any meat in this lasagna because that is a preference for someone in our family. You could easily add ground beef, turkey, or sausage, whatever your family enjoys to this classic recipe and make it the same way.
What does your family make on Christmas? We also have homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and you can find that recipe here. I'd love to hear what you enjoy, share it in a comment below!
Classic Homemade Lasagna
Ingredients
- 32 oz ricotta cheese
- 1 cup parmesan cheese ½ cup in ricotta mixture and ½ cup on top
- 1 T garlic and herb seasoning
- 1 T italian seasoning
- 32 oz marinara sauce
- 6 cups mozzarella cheese
- 1 box lasagna noodles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Place ricotta cheese in a large bowl
- Add ½ cup parmesan cheese
- Add italian seasoning and garlic and herb seasoning
- Mix well
- Add marinara sauce to the bottom of the baking pan
- Layer noodles, sauce, and cheese mixture
- Add layers until the pan is full
- Top with ½ cup parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese
- Cover with foil
- Bake for 40 minutes
- Remove foil for last 5 minutes to allow the cheese to get golden brown
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