This is my husband’s favorite dish. It is simple and inexpensive, so I’m fine with that. I found it in my good old family cookbook. I usually like to beef it up and add a full 1 lb of ground beef or ground turkey. Either way it is great!

Poor Man’s Lasagna

  • 8 oz penne pasta
  • 1/2 lb ground beef or ground turkey (I often use 1 lb.)
  • 16 oz cottage cheese
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1 jar spaghetti sauce (24 oz)
  • shredded cheese

Boil the pasta according to instructions on packaging. Drain the pasta and return it to the pan. While the pasta is still warm, I like to add the cream cheese and cottage cheese to the pan with the pasta. Stir together until well mixed.

Brown the ground meat. I usually add a little Italian seasoning . Drain the meat.

Layer a 9×13 pan with pasta mixture, meat, and pasta sauce. Repeat. Add shredded cheddar cheese on top. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

If there are a lot of leftovers, I often freeze them for a later time. You could also freeze it before baking and it would make a great freezer meal.

More lasagna recipes we’ve posted about:

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