A Nice Cheese Lasagna
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
From cookbook author Julia Turshen, this cheese lasagna is light, simple, and elegant—a fresh take on a classic that’s as effortless as it is delicious!
This cheese lasagna recipe is adapted from Julia Turshen’s cookbook, Small Victories (2016), and it’s one of the simplest, lightest, and most elegant lasagna I’ve ever made. The recipe includes a few “small victories” that make it both easy and delicious: using no-boil noodles that are ready to use, replacing ricotta or béchamel with crème fraîche stirred directly into the tomato sauce for effortless creaminess (I love this cheat—the sauce is so good it’s hard to resist sneaking spoonfuls!), and a high sauce-to-pasta ratio that lets the noodles soak up the sauce’s flavor as they bake. It’s proof that lasagna doesn’t have to be complicated to be absolutely delicious.
“This is a lovely lasagna.”
What You’ll Need To Make Cheese Lasagna
Step-by-Step Instructions
In a large bowl, crush the tomatoes with your hands (this is a messy but fun job—it’s a very good one for children) until they are in bite-size pieces.
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, cook the garlic until it begins to sizzle.
Add the tomatoes and 1 tsp salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let the sauce simmer, stirring every so often, until it is slightly reduced, about 30 minutes.
Whisk the crème fraîche into the sauce and season to taste with salt. Set the sauce aside to cool to room temperature while you conquer the pasta.
Preheat your oven to 400°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Ladle a thin layer of room-temperature sauce onto the bottom of a 9-by-13-in baking dish. Spread the sauce with a spoon to cover the surface of the dish. Add 3 sheets of pasta in a single layer over the sauce.
Spoon over just enough tomato sauce to cover the pasta and then scatter over some of the Parmesan, mozzarella, and basil.
Repeat the layering process until you’ve used up all of your components, ending with sauce and cheese (not naked pasta or basil, both of which would burn if exposed).
Bake the lasagna, uncovered, until it’s gorgeously browned and the edges are bubbling, 35 to 40 minutes. Let it rest at room temperature for 15 minutes before slicing and serving. This lets the pasta fully absorb all of the bubbling sauce, so you don’t end up with soupy slices.
You May Also Like
A Nice Cheese Lasagna
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 2 (28-oz) cans whole peeled tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- Kosher salt
- 1 cup crème fraîche
For Assembling
- 12 no-boil lasagna noodles (I like Barilla)
- 1 cup finely grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1½ cups coarsely grated whole-milk mozzarella cheese
- 2 large handfuls fresh basil leaves torn into small pieces if large
Instructions
For the Sauce
- In a large bowl, crush the tomatoes with your hands (this is a messy but fun job—it’s a very good one for children) until they are in bite-size pieces.
- In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil, add the garlic, and cook, stirring, until it begins to sizzle, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and 1 tsp salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let the sauce simmer, stirring every so often, until it is slightly reduced, about 30 minutes.
- Whisk the crème fraîche into the sauce and season to taste with salt. Set the sauce aside to cool to room temperature while you conquer the pasta.
For the Lasagna
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- Ladle a thin layer of room-temperature sauce onto the bottom of a 9 x 13-in (23 x 33-cm) baking dish. Spread the sauce with a spoon to cover the surface of the dish. Add 3 sheets of pasta in a single layer over the sauce. Spoon over just enough tomato sauce to cover the pasta, and then scatter over some of the Parmesan, mozzarella, and basil. Repeat the layering process until you’ve used up all of your components, ending with sauce and cheese (not naked pasta or basil, both of which would burn if exposed).
- Bake the lasagna, uncovered, until it’s gorgeously browned and the edges are bubbling, 35 to 40 minutes. Let it rest at room temperature for 15 minutes before slicing and serving. This lets the pasta fully absorb all of the bubbling sauce, so you don’t end up with soupy slices.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I just made this tonight and it’s fabulous. It’s my first lasagna–and using the no boil noodles made it all so easy. What do you think about adding mushrooms or spinach?
Hi Sarah, In the book Julia suggests adding cooked spinach, broccoli rabe, mushrooms, or cubes of butternut squash (or a combination of vegetables) to each layer for a more substantial vegetarian lasagna. Would love to know how it turns out if you try it that way!
Hi Jenn,
I made this lasagna last night and I could not wait for lunchtime to eat the leftovers! Delish! I made two small additions…1/4 cup of white wine to the sauce while simmering and I sliced some sweet Italian chicken sausage (fully cooked) into very small pieces and added it after the sauce cooled…so easy and my family absolutely loved it!
I made this, adding a combination of cooked mushrooms, frozen spinach and broccoli to each layer. Was absolutely delicious!
Hi Jenn!
I make my own meat based sauce and freeze it in serving sizes. Can I just thaw it and add the creme fraiche rather than make new sauce?
I love receiving your e-mails. Any recipe I’ve tried has worked well. I kind of regard you as my personal recipe reviewer and tester, which is a huge time saver for me!
Thank you!
Hi Paddy, So glad you’re enjoying the newsletter! To answer your question, lasagna can be either soupy or dry without the exact right amount of sauce, and unfortunately I don’t know how much to tell you to use. I’d probably play it safe and make the sauce from scratch, just to be sure the lasagna is the right consistency and the noodles cook properly. Sorry!
Could we add meat to this? (i.e. turkey)
Yes, you’d brown it in the oil with the garlic and then add the tomatoes; then just continue as directed.
awesome! Thank you! 🙂
I LOVE this lasagna – her book is fabulous, and I’ve made the lasagna 3x. You *have* to make the pasta! It makes the dish and is really a game-changer. It’s very easy, and I actually prefer it hand-rolled. Try it!
Question: I live 100 miles from a good grocery store – is there an okay sub for creme frache?? Love your recipes!
Hi Sandy, I think you could get away with sour cream or you could try making your own creme fraiche – it’s easy.
why about using crema mexicana, or the yogurt-based product kefir, which looks like sour cream dip? I’ve used both in creamy soups, tacos, chicken tikka, but they are a bit more tart than creme fraiche…
I’ve tried sour cream (worked well) but can’t say for sure about the others. If you try it, please report back :).
Ok, finally a lasagna recipe that looks easy! As mentioned by others, I don’t like ricotta in lasagna, so definitely trying this! Would I need to make any adjustments if I were to add, say 1/2 Ib ground beef? Thanks!
Hi Yvonne, In the book Julia suggests browning 8 oz each ground beef and sweet Italian sausage meat in the oil with the garlic and then add the tomatoes. Then just continue as directed.
Sounds delicious and simple to make! From your recipes, which sides/soup/salad would you choose? I’m hosting a dinner for four and think this would be great – I’m a newbie for cooking and find all your recipes wonderful!
Hi Sandy, If you click on the “pair with” tab above (next to print), I’ve added some suggestions. Hope you enjoy!
If you were to add meat (ground turkey or beef or mixed), when would be the best time?
Hi George, Julia actually gives instructions for a meat lasagna in the book. She says to brown 8 oz each ground beef and sweet Italian sausage meat in the oil with the garlic and then add the tomatoes. Continue as directed. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Answers my question perfectly! Thanks.
Can’t wait to make.
This cheat is absolutely brilliant! Thank you for this. I detest lasagna with ricotta (usually people sub with cottage cheese), and neither the ricotta or cottage cheese is drained. My preference is to make a beschamel but can be another time consuming step. Therefore mixing in the creme fraiche is such a time saver, and makes for a lovely unctuous sauce. I love this recipe but personally prefer to use canned San Marzano tomatoes. Thanks again.
Trying this this week! I’ve used sour cream in place of Ricotta or Bechamel for years, but I’ve never mixed it into the tomato sauce. Excited to try homemade noodles too–I usually use no boil.