Easy Lasagna With Jarred Sauce
Published 2026-10-29
Homemade lasagna feels like a project, but using a good jar of pasta sauce cuts the work down to an easy evening. You still get tender noodles, creamy ricotta, melted mozzarella and a rich meat or vegetable sauce. This guide walks through the shopping list, layering order and baking tips for a standard nine by thirteen inch pan that feeds a family with leftovers.
Shopping list
You will need about twelve lasagna noodles, two jars of pasta sauce or one large jar, around one pound of ground beef or Italian sausage if you want meat, a fifteen ounce container of ricotta, one egg, two to three cups of shredded mozzarella, grated parmesan, and dried basil or Italian seasoning. Classic noodles need boiling; oven-ready noodles go straight into the pan but need enough sauce to soften.
Layering order
Brown the meat, drain it and stir in the sauce. Mix the ricotta with the egg, a handful of parmesan and seasoning. Spread a thin layer of sauce in the pan so the noodles do not stick. Then layer noodles, ricotta mixture, mozzarella and sauce, and repeat about three times. Finish with noodles, sauce, plenty of mozzarella and parmesan on top.
Baking
Cover the pan with foil, ideally tented so it does not touch the cheese, and bake at about 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 15 to 25 minutes until bubbling and lightly browned. Let the lasagna rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing so the layers hold together.
Tips and variations
For more flavor, simmer the jarred sauce with garlic and a pinch of red pepper flakes for ten minutes. Add spinach or sliced mushrooms for a vegetable lasagna. Lasagna can be assembled a day ahead and refrigerated, or frozen before baking. Cut leftovers into portions and reheat individually for easy lunches.
