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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Hi Jenn, unfortunately, I don’t happen to have crème fraiche or cream cheese on hand right now. I do, however, have mascarpone, would this work? Thank you, looking forward to trying this.
Hi Rose, I think you can get away with using mascarpone here. Hope you enjoy!
Made this for a quiet NYE at home and my husband said it was the best lasagna he’s ever had! Quite the compliment…and it was so much easier to make than traditional recipes. Now planning to try this next Christmas Eve for the family!
Intentionally chose this lasagne because it looked easy and delicious enough to accompany a xmas steak dinner without having to spend hours. It did not disappoint! Only change was I doubled the garlic. Simple, easy, and yummy. This is a recipe I’ll definitely be saving for the future.
Hi Jenn,
Can this lasagna be assembled the day before refrigerate it then bake the next day?
Thanks
Janelle
Have a great thanksgiving and happy holidays
Hi Janelle, Happy Thanksgiving! I’ve never assembled this a day ahead but I think it will work. Hope you enjoy!
Loved this… simple like a Margherita pizza! We served as a side with prime ribeye’s on Fathers Day. Big hit.
Do you think it would work to assemble the lasagna on Tuesday evening, refrigerate, and bake it on Wednesday evening?
Hi Jacquie, I’ve never assembled this a day ahead but I think it will work. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
I found some gluten free no boil noodles at Whole Foods and they worked great in this recipe! I’m so glad – I’ve been craving lasagna for quite a while!
It looks like you’ve double up the pasta in your photo but I’m probably wrong. Would that work if I added a bit more sauce? I loved this recipe, especially since it’s made without the grainy texture of ricotta cheese. I think another 3 pieces of pasta would make it perfect.
Glad you liked it! If you add more sauce, I think it should work. 🙂
Hi Jenn. I plan on making this this weekend & there is an Italian deli that makes homemade lasagna noodles. I was wondering about how many layers of lasagna this makes so that I can calculate how many sheets to buy. Can’t wait to make it. Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing such great recipes! Btw my husband brags to everyone how great the recipes are that I cook from your site.
Hi Dana, so glad you and your husband like the recipes! You’ll need 15 lasagna noodles. Hope you enjoy!
I love this recipe! It has been a huge hit with family and friends. Admittedly, I do add….a layer of cooked, chopped spinach & a layer of cooked mixed mushrooms, & extra cheese. I think a bit of hot Italian sausage in the sauce would bring it up another level…but I have yet to try it as typically I am making this when we have vegetarian guests.
I’ve tried several of your recipes and will always check your website when looking for something specific. Thank you!