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
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!
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- Two 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 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.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 390
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated fat: 9g
- Carbohydrates: 37g
- Sugar: 7g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 17g
- Sodium: 711mg
- Cholesterol: 41mg
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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Howdy Jenn,
I live in western Pa., near Pittsburgh. My next door neighbor was an older Italian
woman that made the most amazingly light lasagna. I went looking for a similar recipe. This recipe nailed it. I don’t think she used creme fraiche, but what an awesome addition. Since finding this recipe we have made it a half dozen times. We do add a bit more garlic and cheese and use cream cheese instead of creme fresh as it wasn’t available nearby. Just took the sauce off the heat before whisking in. After seeing you use oven ready noodles I will never boil them again, just as good, and so mush easier. Thanks for an awesome recipe.
One of my favorite dishes to make and eat. I do cheat sometimes by using dried Basil instead of fresh. Not as good but in a pinch works. One of those dishes that you can always have items on hand in pantry.
This is hands down the best lasagna I have ever had! Plus, it is simple to make!
I would like to make this delicious lasagna but would like to add cooked spinach and sautéed mushrooms to it. Would I just add these 2 ingredients to the red sauce? Sandra
Hi Sandra, In the cookbook that the dish comes from, the author suggests evenly dividing any cooked veggies you’d like to use (like spinach or mushrooms) and adding them to each layer. Please LMK how it turns out!
This recipe is easy, the lasagna is creamy yet delightfully fresh tasting, and it doesn’t have the heaviness of the usual lasagna meal. I’m not a pasta fan but this has definitely become a favorite meal. Delicious!
Simple and delicious. This is in our regular rotation and never disappoints.
I’ve made this several times and it is fabulous. Simple and so good. Made my own creme fraiche. Also simple and so good. Would like to make this for a friend coming hime from hospital. Wondering if it can be frozen. If so, before or after baking?
So glad you like it! I prefer to freeze lasagna unbaked — it holds up better — but it’s fine to freeze a baked lasagna, too. Hope your friend enjoys!
My son, home from college, and I made this lasagna during the holidays season. It came together beautifully and tasted delicious. With some French bread and a salad, it was the perfect Sunday meal. The best part, though, is the memory of cooking together.
This is an easy recipe resulting in a lovely, light lasagna. I have made it many times.
This is my new go to recipe for lasagna! So much less work than my previous veggie lasagna. The creme fraiche in the sauce is genius. I added thinly sliced zucchini between the layers for some extra veg and served with simple green salad. YUMMO