Description
Easy Million Dollar Lasagna is a richly creamy, crowd-pleasing bake featuring savory ground halal beef, a velvety ricotta-sour cream filling, and molten mozzarella layered between tender noodles. This comforting Italian-American classic delivers restaurant-worthy flavor with simple pantry ingredients and steps that anyone can master, from browning the meat to baking to bubbling perfection. Make ahead, reheat beautifully, and enjoy with a crisp salad and garlic bread.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb ground beef (halal)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 jar (24 oz) marinara sauce
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp black pepper
- Salt to taste
- 12 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
- Creamy Layer:
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Topping:
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- In a skillet, cook ground beef with onion and garlic until browned. Drain excess fat.
- Stir in marinara sauce, Italian seasoning, pepper, and salt. Simmer 5 minutes.
- In a bowl, mix ricotta, sour cream, mozzarella, and Parmesan until smooth.
- Assemble lasagna: spread a thin layer of meat sauce, add noodles, spread creamy mixture, then more meat sauce.
- Repeat layers, finishing with meat sauce and mozzarella on top.
- Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes.
- Uncover and bake another 15–20 minutes until bubbly and lightly golden.
- Let rest 10 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Halal beef is used to keep the dish compliant; you can substitute with another preferred ground meat if needed.
- For a lighter version, use part-skim cheese or skim ricotta and reduce the mozzarella by 1 cup.
- Leftovers reheat well in the microwave or oven; refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
- Pair with a green salad and crusty bread for a complete meal.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (1/8 of pan)
- Calories: 540
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 850 mg
- Fat: 29 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg
Keywords: Easy Million Dollar Lasagna, creamy lasagna, halal beef lasagna, Italian-American lasagna, weeknight dinner, crowd-pleasing lasagna, cheesy lasagna, comforting pasta bake