My Meatball Lasagna

With homemade Italian meatballs and a thick cheese layer and sauce, your mouth will be asking for more. For those who don't favor lasagna, this will definitely change your mind. Trust me.

• Preparation Time: 45 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 10 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 55 mins
• Calories: 631 Calories

Ingredients

• ¼ cup butter
• 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 (12 ounce) package lasagna noodles
• 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
• 1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
• 1 (12 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 (12 ounce) container cottage cheese
• 4 slices day-old bread
• 1 (24 ounce) jar prepared spaghetti sauce (such as Prego®)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, or as needed

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Step 2

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain.

Step 3

Soak bread slices in warm water in a bowl for 5 minutes; squeeze bread dry and transfer to a large bowl.

Step 4

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion and garlic in hot butter until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add onion and garlic to bread. Stir 1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning into bread and onions until thoroughly combined. Crumble ground beef into mixture; mix until thoroughly combined. Season with salt and black pepper.

Step 5

Form ground beef mixture into 1-inch meatballs. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Pan-fry meatballs until browned, working in batches if necessary, about 10 minutes, turning often. Set meatballs aside.

Step 6

Combine prepared spaghetti sauce, tomato paste, and Cheddar cheese soup in a bowl. Combine ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, 2 cups mozzarella cheese, and parsley in a separate bowl.

Step 7

Spread 1 cup of sauce mixture into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Layer 1/3 the lasagna noodles over the sauce, overlapping if necessary. Arrange meat balls over noodles. Place 1/3 the lasagna noodles over meat balls, and spread with cheese mixture in an even layer. Top cheese layer with remaining 1/3 the lasagna noodles and spread remaining sauce over top layer of noodles. Sprinkle top with 1 cup mozzarella cheese.

Step 8

Bake lasagna in the preheated oven until casserole is bubbling and the topping is melted, about 1 hour.