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This homemade kale lasagna with cottage cheese uses no-boil noodles to cut down on prep time, and the popular protein-packed cheese for a twist on the classic ricotta filling.
Lasagna has a lot going for it: it’s comforting, but at the same time elegant. It’s substantial, yet also pretty economical. It can have meat or easily go without. Basically, it’s the perfect versatile entrée to serve for guests or enjoy on a cozy night in (thank you, Italy!).
Maybe you already have your own own favorite recipe for this dish. But might I introduce to you, my favorite lasagna with cottage cheese? After loads of research and lots of lasagna eating, Alex and I created a seriously flavorful lasagna featuring leafy greens and protein packed cheese. It takes a little over an hour to make, but it’s well worth the effort!
Tips for this lasagna with cottage cheese
If you’re hesitant to add kale to your lasagna, I urge you to try this recipe! The kale is boiled first and then doused in cold water to prevent it from cooking further.
Since kale is a fairly tough leafy green, boiling it first ensures that no chewy bits make their way into your lasagna. After you’ve boiled the kale, make sure to wring out all the water so your lasagna isn’t too wet.
The earthy flavor of the kale is complemented by spicy red pepper flakes, creamy cottage cheese, and gooey mozzarella, making this dish hard to resist. You can dial back the spice to taste.
You’ll also make your own tomato sauce using crushed tomatoes, garlic and herbs. Of course, if all of this still hasn’t convinced you to make this spicy kale lasagna, feel free to use spinach or another leafy green instead!
Tip: use no boil noodles
To cut down on the prep time for this kale lasagna, use no-boil noodles instead of regular noodles. They’re a little strange to use at first, but once you’ve tasted the final dish you’ll be amazed you’ve never tried no-boil noodles before!
The noodles are specially formulated to re-hydrate while they’re baked in the tomato sauce. Because of that: do not use standard lasagna noodles for this recipe! You’ll risk ending up with a watery pan.
Sides to pair with lasagna
You’re welcome to sneak some extra veggies into this kale lasagna, but I really don’t think anything extra is needed here. The combination of cheese, kale, and tomatoes is simple but satisfying, and the layers of noodles will certainly fill you up.
What’s the best side to serve with lasagna? I think it’s the simplest old standard: a green salad! And don’t forget to pour yourself a glass of wine! Here are a few easy salads we’d recommend:
- Try my favorite chopped salad that stars crisp veggies, pepperoncini, and a tangy Italian dressing.
- Go for a simple arugula salad with lemon and Parmesan.
- Try apple salad or strawberry salad covered in a zingy balsamic vinaigrette.
Dietary notes
This kale lasagna recipe is vegetarian. For gluten free, use gluten free noodles.
Kale Lasagna with Cottage Cheese
This homemade kale lasagna uses no-boil noodles to cut down on prep time, and cottage cheese for a twist on the classic ricotta filling.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pounds kale (around 3 bunches)
- 3 garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (see Notes*)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (with herbs if possible)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 4 cups cottage cheese
- ¾ cup Parmesan cheese, divided
- 2 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 pound no-boil whole wheat lasagna noodles (or noodles cooked according to the package instructions)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Prepare the kale: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Roughly chop the kale. Boil the kale leaves for 2 minutes, then drain and rinse under cold water until cool enough to handle. Using a towel, wring out as much water as possible from the kale. Chop it and season with kosher salt and pepper.
- Make the tomato sauce: Meanwhile, mince the garlic. In a cold saucepan, combine garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes (or less depending on your spice tolerance), and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to medium high heat, stirring as the mixture heats up. Saute for about 30 seconds, then add the crushed tomatoes. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice.
- Make the filling: Strain out all liquid from the cottage cheese (squeeze it in a strainer). Add ½ cup Parmesan cheese, 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper.
- Assemble the lasagna: Place a thin layer of tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9” x 13” baking dish. Cover the sauce with a layer of noodles, then half of the cheese mixture, half of the kale, and half of the remaining sauce. Add another layer of noodles, the remaining cheese, and the remaining kale. Top with the remaining noodles, then the remaining sauce. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup Parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 45 minutes, until bubbly and browned. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Using 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes makes a spicy version; you can use ½ teaspoon for a mild version or omit entirely if you prefer a mild lasagna.
Recipe adapted from Vegetarian Times
Great recipe! After boiling and draining the liquid from the kale I sautéed the kale with some garlic and additional spices for added flavor. This will be a new family favorite!! Thank you
Why don’t you people comment on the actual results of the recipe instead of how it looks? That would be the most helpful for intrigued but unsure prospective cooks like me.
Yum! It was a hit, just the right amount of spice and I had no issues with it being watery & I made the recipe exactly as written. The texture was perfect and the top was toasty which made it so good! Thanks, another great one that will be on repeat from you guys!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed :)
I absolutely loved the outcome. This was fresh and healthy tasting. I liked how it came out crunchy on the top and so did everyone else. I accidentally left it in a little longer and the cheese was browned on top. Yum! The only thing I changed was cutting the red pepper to half and I used a full three bunches of curly kale, and I removed the big ribs of the kale first. I’ll be making this again for Christmas. Thank you for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed this, Suzanne! It would be absolutely perfect for Christmas. What a great idea! Thanks for making it!
I’ve prepared the filling tonight (I added the kale to the cheese mix for an easier assembly tomorrow). It tastes wonderful. I have a question on the Parmesan cheese amount. It calls for 3/4 cup. It didn’t say divide, so that is the amount I put in the filling (the Mozzerella didn’t state to divide, but I had read the instructions first and caught that). The final step says to sprinkle the remaining 1 cup Mozzerella and another 1/4 cup Parmesan on top. My question is then, should it be a total of 1 cup Parmesan, or 3/4 cup, divided. I realize this is an old thread, but I hope to get the answer. I don’t want to over Parm my lasagna ;) tomorrow if I should just omit the additional 1/4 cup to the top. This is looking to be a wonderful dish so far! Thanks
Great question! I’ve updated the recipe to address what you noted — divided for both Parmesan & mozzarella. It should be 3/4 cup total Parmesan, so I’ve fixed to state 1/2 cup in the filling. However, over-Parming your lasagna would be a good thing! :) It will taste great. I’d still top with the 1/4 cup Parmesan — it will taste even better. Hope you enjoy!!!!
Great recipe! I just tried it out this weekend and absolutely love the flavours and the little kick the lasagne gets with the pepper flakes. Recommendable recipe and worth making many more times… Thanks for sharing this recipe!
You are so welcome! So glad you enjoyed it.