Holiday Lasagna

This make-ahead Holiday Lasagna is stacked with savory ingredients and baked to bubbly and cheesy goodness, making it a winner for any seasonal celebration. Feed a crowd with this pasta meal that’s perfect for serving at Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s.

Keep it stress-free this season with this pantry staple lasagna recipe that will get you through the holiday celebrations with its easy make-ahead assembly. That leaves you plenty of time to enjoy family and friends while this layered casserole bakes away savory deliciousness.

Full of Italian sausage, marinara sauce, and cheeses, your only time at the stove will be to brown the sausage and stir in the sauce. You don’t even need to boil the lasagna noodles! By making this ahead of time, the uncooked lasagna noodles have time to soften and absorb any liquid from the other ingredients during their session in the fridge. When baked, the noodles become tender with no extra work on your part.

And what goes well with lasagna? Cheesy garlic bread! While the baked lasagna is resting before you cut and serve it, make the garlic bread. If the amazing smell of the lasagna baking didn’t have them lining up impatiently waiting for dinner to be served, the aroma of baked garlic bread certainly will!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Minimal prep work.
• No boiling is needed for the lasagna noodles.
• Easy layering assembly of pantry-staple ingredients.
• Perfect for meal planning.
• This lasagna is freezer-friendly for the holidays and beyond.
• It’s customizable so you can switch out ingredients and make a different version every time!

Ingredients Needed

• Sausage – I like Italian sausage, but feel free to use your favorite. You can also use ground beef or turkey.
• Spaghetti Sauce – use your favorite jarred brand
• Ricotta Cheese – gets mixed with eggs and Parmesan cheese for one of the cheesy layers.
• Eggs – mixed with ricotta and Parmesan cheese for one of the layers.
• Parmesan Cheese – is mixed with ricotta cheese and eggs for a cheesy layer.
• Lasagna Noodles – use the regular version, not the no-boil version.
• Mozzarella Cheese – I like to use shredded, but you can also slice mozzarella balls and layer those instead.
• Bell Peppers – sliced
• Parsley – for garnish

How To Make Holiday Lasagna

Note: This is a summary of the recipe steps. For complete instructions, see the recipe card down below.

1. In a large skillet or saucepan, brown the sausage and then drain off the grease.
2. Pour in the spaghetti sauce and stir to combine with the sausage mixture. Remove from the heat and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl combine the ricotta and Parmesan cheeses with the 2 eggs and stir until well mixed.
4. In a 9 x 13 baking dish, spoon in a little of the sauce mixture and spread to cover the bottom of the dish.
5. Add a layer of the UNCOOKED noodles to the bottom of the dish.
6. Spoon half of the ricotta mixture over the noodles making sure each noodle is covered.
7. Next sprinkle over half the pre-shredded mozzarella cheese.
8. Spoon over half the sauce and spread over the cheese layer.
9. Start the layering process over again by adding another layer of uncooked noodles and repeating the additional layers.
10. On top of your final layer of mozzarella, add the slices of bell pepper.
11. Cover the pan with a lightly greased piece of foil and refrigerate for 3 hours or up to 24 hours.
12. When you are ready to bake the lasagna, place it, covered, in a preheated 350-degree oven for 30 minutes. Uncover it and bake for another 30 minutes.
13. Let the lasagna rest for 10 minutes before cutting into it. Garnish with parsley before serving.

Pro Tips

• Use regular lasagna noodles, not the no-boil type. The regular noodles will bake perfectly whereas the no-boil type will be a shreddable mess. Go with the old-school regular noodles here!
• Consider making two lasagnas – one for now and one to freeze. Just double the recipe and you’ll have one waiting in the wings (of your freezer) when you need it.
• Make sure you use non-stick foil to cover the top of the lasagna, or lightly grease a regular piece so that the cheese doesn’t stick when covered.

Variations

• Meat – almost any meat can be used for this easy recipe. Ground beef or turkey, and any version of sausage. You can also combine both meat and sausage.
• Meatless – You can leave out the meat altogether and sub in sauteed veggies of your choice and mix them with the spaghetti sauce.
• Cheeses – the ricotta cheese can be replaced with cottage cheese, although the texture will be a little different.
• Bell Peppers – keep the red and green theme going by substituting sun-dried tomatoes and spinach instead of using bell peppers.

Storage

Because this is a make-ahead lasagna, it will need to be refrigerated or frozen before being baked.

• For refrigerator: the assembled lasagna will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge before being baked
• For the freezer: the assembled and tightly wrapped lasagna will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months before needing to be thawed overnight in the fridge before being baked.

More Lasagna Recipes

Lasagna Ravioli

Easy Lasagna

Pierogi Lasagna

Easy Lasagna Soup

Easy Skillet Lasagna

Alfredo Chicken Lasagna Rollups