Give Yourself A Break With These 12 No-Boil Lasagna Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Is there a trick to using no-boil lasagna noodles? ›

Skip Boiling and Soak Noodles Instead to Make Lasagna Prep Quick and Easy. Her genius hack is to briefly soak your regular lasagna sheets in hot water. This softens them slightly, completely omitting the need to boil.

“When the no-boil noodle sheets are layered in between wet ingredients like sauce and ricotta cheese and then baked, they act like a sponge. The dried pasta begins to absorb the water from the surrounding ingredients, rehydrating and softening to a sturdy yet tender texture over time.”

You can use traditional lasagna noodles, but it's better and far easier to use no-boil noodles, as in this easy lasagna recipe. Frozen lasagna takes longer to bake than one that is made fresh, and all that extra oven time can wreak havoc on regular noodles. No-boil noodles can be simply layered into lasagna and frozen.

I have had great success just simply substituting out the traditional and in with the no-boil, without any modification to the recipe. Usually I end up letting the dish sit for a while (5 minutes or so), and the liquid ends up starting to soak in at that point.

Soak—Instead of Boil—Lasagna Noodles

And since they're soaked, they'll cook faster in the oven than if you used noodles that were completely dry," writes Prakash. "Plus, the soaking doesn't add any more time to the recipe because it's done while the sauce simmers."

Soak the lasagne sheets in a single layer in boiling water for 5 mins. (Although the packet says no pre-cook, I find soaking improves the texture.) Drain well. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.

The sauce could be too watery. The noodles can be holding on to water. The vegetables are releasing excess moisture. If you are using ricotta be careful of the moisture it can add.

The best type of pasta for lasagna is usually flat sheets of lasagna noodles. These can be either oven-ready (no-boil) or traditional boiled lasagna noodles. The flat shape and wide surface area make them ideal for layering with sauce, cheese, and other ingredients in a lasagna dish.

If uncovered, the prolonged exposure to heat will quickly dry out your lasagna, no matter how much sauce you've added. Make sure to always add a layer of tin foil over your baking dish, which will trap the moisture inside while still allowing the dish to cook properly.

To freeze Lasagne, we recommend that you do not bake it before freezing. You may assemble the Lasagne in a freezer safe/oven safe container, cover tightly and freeze. When you are ready to bake the Lasagne, defrost it in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

Why can't you freeze lasagna? ›

That crunchy, caramelized crust that appears on top of a baked lasagna is arguably one of its most appealing qualities. Unfortunately, when you bake, freeze, and then rebake it, that crust won't be fresh, brand new, and sizzling the way it will if it's only been frozen, then baked once.

You can absolutely cook this from frozen, but be keep it covered in foil and cook it longer than one hour. Keep it covered to ensure the top layer doesn't dry out. To test if the lasagna is fully cooked in the middle, insert a thin knife, leave it for 2 seconds, and then pull it out and touch it.

Break the lasagna noodles by just snapping them with your hands, or put them in a bag and give it a few whacks with a rolling pin or wood spoon.

Zucchini noodles, also known as zoodles, are thin and have a slightly crunchy texture when cooked, making them a great substitute for lasagna. Eggplant - Similar to zucchini, sliced eggplant can also be used in place of lasagna noodles.

The main problem people have with a no boil lasagna recipe is that their noodles get tough on the outer edges. This is because there isn't enough moisture for the noodles and this can be remedied quite simply. Add an extra cup of water to your sauce (or make extra sauce) to help soften the noodles while baking.

For those of you that just can't see how this no-boil-regular-noodle-pasta-thing is going to work you can soothe your nerves by adding a 1/4 cup water (pour it down the sides) to the lasagna. I've made this type of no-boil lasagna with and without the extra water, and it really does not need it.

Which is why no-boil noodles are such a boon. They're thinner than regular lasagna noodles, precooked and then dried, so they can soften during baking with just the moisture from the sauce. Put the dried noodles in the casserole and voila! They cook while the casserole cooks ...

The lasagne will expand to the edges of the pan during baking. Top with filling or sauce as directed in your recipe on every layer, spreading each to the edges of the pan to seal in and cook the lasagne during baking.