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

Many staples of Italian cuisine are born out of a labor of love ― handmade pastas are meticulously kneaded and and cut, and sauces are slowly simmered for hours. But when you, a home cook, want to slap together an Italian-ish dinner, you don’t necessarily have time for that. Frankly, you may not even have time to boil a pot of lasagna noodles, much less struggle with the slippery ribbons as you lay them out before assembly.

This is where no-boil lasagna noodles come in. In an effort to save our time and energy, the modern food technology gods have created no-boil (sometimes called “oven-ready”) lasagna noodles, which are layered into your dish raw and come out of the oven fully cooked. We did a little research and after asking food scientists and some Italian chefs what they think of the shortcut, the answer is clear: If you’re looking for a reliable alternative to traditional noodles that’s fast and user-friendly, they’re worth it.

But if you’re not a completely confident home cook, you may not trust yourself to replace cooked noodles with no-boil noodles in any old lasagna recipe you find. That’s why we found 12 lasagna recipes that specifically call for no-boil noodles ― they’ve been been tried and tested, and they’ll guarantee a consistent result every time. Go ahead and make life a little easier with these 12 recipes.

1

Pesto Bolognese Lasagna

Give Yourself A Break With These 12 No-Boil Lasagna Recipes (1)

Half Baked Harvest

2

Classic Meat Lasagna

Give Yourself A Break With These 12 No-Boil Lasagna Recipes (2)

Completely Delicious

3

Roasted Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna

Give Yourself A Break With These 12 No-Boil Lasagna Recipes (3)

Half Baked Harvest

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5

The Cheesiest Spinach And Cheese Lasagna

Give Yourself A Break With These 12 No-Boil Lasagna Recipes (5)

Foodie Crush

6

White Pesto Spinach Lasagna

Give Yourself A Break With These 12 No-Boil Lasagna Recipes (6)

Half Baked Harvest

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7

Cheese Brussels Sprouts Lasagna

Give Yourself A Break With These 12 No-Boil Lasagna Recipes (7)

How Sweet Eats

Butternut Squash and Sun-Dried Tomato White Lasagna

Give Yourself A Break With These 12 No-Boil Lasagna Recipes (8)

Half Baked Harvest

9

Simple Caramelized Butternut Squash and Kale Florentine Lasagna

Give Yourself A Break With These 12 No-Boil Lasagna Recipes (9)

Half Baked Harvest

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10

Classic Lasagna

Give Yourself A Break With These 12 No-Boil Lasagna Recipes (10)

Grandbaby Cakes

11

Lasagna Bolognese

Give Yourself A Break With These 12 No-Boil Lasagna Recipes (11)

How Sweet Eats

12

Chicken, Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna

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

Completely Delicious

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Before You Go

Give Yourself A Break With These 12 No-Boil Lasagna Recipes (13)

Cheryl Day's Favorite Holiday Baking Tools

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

FAQs

Do no-boil lasagna noodles really work? ›

No-boil noodles hold a nice texture ― just make sure you don't overcook the dish,” said executive chef Walter Pisano of Tulio in Seattle. “While we always make our pasta from scratch at Tulio, the everyday home cook may not have the time or energy to do that, so I'd recommend they give these no-boil noodles a try.

Can you freeze no-boil lasagna before baking? ›

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.

Can you substitute no-boil lasagna noodles for regular? ›

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.

Can you soak lasagna noodles in hot water instead of boiling them? ›

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.

Do you need to soak no boil lasagna noodles? ›

If you don't want to boil or soak your lasagna noodles, there's always no-boil lasagna noodles. These oven-ready noodles are ready to assemble with no precooking involved, they tend to be thinner and tenderize by absorbing liquid while baking.

Why is my lasagna so runny? ›

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.

Does lasagna have to be covered with foil when baking? ›

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.

What is the difference between oven ready lasagna and regular lasagna? ›

Pre-cooked lasagna pieces that are much thinner than regular lasagna. Because the noodles are pre-cooked, there's no need to boil them first, saving half the preparation time. Sometimes called "weeknight lasagna", Oven Ready Lasagna fits the bill for time-starved cooks.

Can you freeze Barilla no boil lasagna? ›

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.

Why not thaw frozen lasagna before cooking? ›

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.

What happens if you boil no boil lasagna? ›

While you don't need to cook their no-boil noodles for a traditional layered-up lasagna, they advise, "If you are making lasagna roll-ups, you can boil Barilla® Oven-Ready Lasagna for 3-5 minutes, so the sheets become more pliable and can be easily rolled." Ronzoni recommends that their Oven Ready Lasagna noodles be ...

How do you break lasagna noodles? ›

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. Use a skillet with deep sides to ensure there's enough room for everything. The best way to tell if your pasta is al dente in this recipe is to take a bite!

What is a healthier substitute for lasagna noodles? ›

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.

Should you pre soak oven ready lasagna noodles? ›

While you don't need to cook their no-boil noodles for a traditional layered-up lasagna, they advise, "If you are making lasagna roll-ups, you can boil Barilla® Oven-Ready Lasagna for 3-5 minutes, so the sheets become more pliable and can be easily rolled." Ronzoni recommends that their Oven Ready Lasagna noodles be ...

What is different about no-boil lasagna noodles? ›

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 ...

Can you overlap oven ready lasagna noodles? ›

Make sure every inch of the pasta is covered with sauce, she says. And don't overlap the noodles. Most no-boil noodles have ridges or pleats that allow them to expand as they bake. Alternate the direction of the pleats from one layer to the next.

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