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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I wanted to love this – and made it on a rainy spring night. But I didn’t see that you should use 12 of the lasagna noodles – I used an entire 1lb box and it was basically dry noodles with a bit of tomato bites. Maybe consider to put 12 in the actual recipe? Guessing most of us would go this route rather than homemade. I would consider myself an accomplished home cook. I did pair it with your Big Italian salad – WOW, that dressing!
Hi Annie, thanks for the feedback about the noodles. I’m sorry that this didn’t work for you out because of that. I added a note to the recipe that will hopefully keep others from doing the same thing. (Glad you enjoyed the salad, though!)
I’m going to make this tomorrow night for a dinner party and was curious as to whether you could or should use some ricotta in it? Most lasagnas I’ve made have ricotta, so it seems “bare” without it.
Every recipe I have made from your site has been amazing! It’s my go-to cookbook!
Suzanne on Aug. 15, 2018
Hi Suzanne, The beauty of this recipe is that it doesn’t have ricotta, which can become dry and grainy when baked. This is a really light and elegant lasagna. I think you’ll be pleased if you make it as is. 🙂
My go-to Friday night meatless dinner. It is quickly prepared and delicious. The creme fraiche makes this lasagne so creamy it is hard to describe. Thank you!
Oh my goodness….heavenly. Such a lovely lasagna! Nice does not do it justice. Loved this and my meat-loving guys went back for seconds, as did I. YUM. Thank you Jenn!!!!!
Made another double recipe of this. Added ground Italian sausage this time. It was delicious but be careful of over-seasoning, because the sausage adds quite a bit. I had some extra sauce after making the 2 lasagnas that I put out with crusted bread as an impromptu appetizer when the neighbors stopped by for happy hour and it was literally devoured. The sauce that good! I also used the pre-cooked noodles but dipped them in water as someone had suggested and that worked well.
I’m serving this lasagna recipe tonight. I am using oven ready pasta. Should i bake it now and re heat tonight …. or put it all together now and do the whole bake tonight? I don’t want to spoil the texture and flavour. I’m also adding spinach, pre cooked Italian sausage, mushrooms. Thanks Jenn!
Hi Sharon, I think you could get away with either; I’d probably just leave it assembled in the fridge for a few hours and bake right before serving. Hope everyone enjoys!
Jenn, the recipe is a keeper! Thank you for taking the time to answer my question. That recipe … with my additions … filled my glass pan almost to the brim and I was sure it would boil over and make a huge mess in my oven. In fact when the 40 minutes was up it was picture perfect! I just want to say “thank you” once again for sharing what you have learned with your many HUGE fans! When we entertain or take a dish to a gathering I have two words when I’m asked for my recipes … JENN SEGAL!
That is so sweet, Sharon – I’m so happy it turned out well! 😊
Hi Jenn,
Made the “nice” lasagne tonight with fresh lasagne sheets from Wegmans. Really very very good and they worked perfectly. Definitely a keeper.
I made this for a lady from our church who is on a low sodium diet. Consequently, I adjusted the recipe by using no-salt-added tomatoes and half the parmesan cheese. Otherwise, I made it exactly according to the recipe, using the no-boil lasagna for convenience. Even without the salt, it still had a very nice flavor and a lovely, creamy texture. I can’t wait to make it for my husband and myself (with salt included!).
Hi Jenn,
Just wondering if you think I can use the fresh lasagne noodles they sell in my local market, or would it be too dry? Love your recipes and want to try this one later this week.
Hi Susan, I think that’d work well. Please lmk how it turns out!
I made this twice. Both time it was great. I also added a layer of sauteed chopped onion, green, red, yellow peppers, 10 oz. sliced mushrooms and a bag of baby spinach. The spinach will wilt when you cook it. The only problem is I ran out of sauce for the top layer. It might be because I put sauce before I layed down the pasta in each layer. I also used gluten free lasagna pasta.
This was delicious and not too much for someone who tends to have a sensitive tummy! I added ground turkey and used store bought lasagna and it was perfect! My boyfriend who is a super picky eater also loved it, which was great! Will definitely make again 🙂