A Nice Cheese Lasagna
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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.
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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.
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Our absolute favorite lasagna recipe! As a shortcut, I use Trader Joe’s no boil lasagna noodles. Perfect every time:)
I just adore this lasagna! Aside from being super easy, it is lighter than traditional versions and it’s super delicious. I’ve made it several times, both with the recipe’s sauce and jarred Rao’s marinara, which is perfect on a weeknight. Yum!
This lasagna is incredible. It’s so light but still fulfilling like traditional lasagna. Every time I make it for company, they are always asking for the recipe. To get a couple extra servings of veggies I’ll slice zucchini thinly and layer it along with shredded carrots. You can hardly even taste them but it gives it a little extra.
Thank you, Jen, making this recipe much easier than it was written! The oven ready noodles are a must. I made a few mistakes along the way, but the dish came out great, but I know it will come out better next time. I ran out of sauce so I didn’t use enough noodles so it was a little flat. My error, not the recipe. Great dish, very tasty! Will try it again.
What is the name of a good Italian sausage.
I usually buy Premio brand, but whatever your store carries should be fine. 🙂
Hi Jenn,
Thank you for this amazing recipe. Everyone loved this lasagna, so light and delicious. We will be making this often. Thank you for all the wonderful recipes. You have helped us so much during this pandemic and brought joy to cooking because your recipes work and make the effort worthwhile.
❤️
Can i substitute heavy cream for creme fraiche? Thx
Hi Tricia, If you have heavy cream. You easily make your own creme fraiche. See how here. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
Absolutely delicious lasagna! My family loves this! Thank you Jen!
This was phenomenal! So light and delicious. Love that it didn’t have the gritty feel (from the ricotta) that you typically find in a lasagna. I would actually characterize it less as a lasagna and more as just a simple, delicious pasta dish. Almost reminded me of a pappardelle in a silky tomato sauce. Will definitely be making this recipe again!
I love this recipe! It’s become a staple in our house. I do add meat though (usually a pound of ground beef and a pound of hot Italian sausage). While the sauce is reducing I brown the meat and then throw it in the tomato sauce with the creme freche once everything is done (you can also used plant based meat which works just as well – but it does absorb more sauce so you have to add an extra can of tomatoes when youre making the sauce). Thanks so much for this recipe Jen!