Cheese Curd Lasagna

Cheese Curd Lasagna! I’m a huge fan of cheese in all its forms, so when I saw that Beecher’s (a local Seattle cheese company) came out with a cheese curd lasagna, I decided to try making a version at home using my go-to lasagna recipe. The verdict: Amazing!! I’m completely sold. I may never go back to the original way.

If you don’t have access to Beecher’s cheese, look for any cheese curds that are available locally in your area. It’s a fun twist on a traditional recipe.

Beecher’s Cheese

If you are ever in Seattle you should definitely save a little time to visit Pike Place Market and the Beecher’s Cheese company. You can buy macaroni and cheese, lasagna, and lots of varieties of cheese and crackers to take home with you. You can even watch the cheese being made through the large glass windows in the storefront.

Lasagna

This is my all-time favorite lasagna recipe. I spent an embarrassing amount of time getting the right ratio of sauce to pasta, to cheese, to meat. More detailed instructions are available on the original recipe I posted, but the recipe for the Cheese Curd Lasagna variation is posted below. Enjoy!!

Cheese Curd Lasagna

Meat Sauce:
16 ounces ground beef, 80/85% fat
1/2 onion, chopped (or 1/4 teaspoon onion powder)
2 large garlic cloves, minced (or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder)
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 28 ounce can puréed or crushed tomatoes (puréed tomatoes for a smoother consistency and crushed for a slightly chunkier sauce)
2 cups water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Cheese Layer:
1 (24 ounce) package cottage cheese
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
8 ounces shredded mozzarella
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 large egg, beaten
8 ounces cheese curd

Noodles:
Lasagna noodles, cooked and drained

Directions:

Meat Sauce:
Put ground beef and onion in the bottom of a large sauté pan (big enough to simmer all of the sauce). Brown over medium heat and drain all but 2 tablespoons of the grease. Add garlic, tomato paste, oregano, thyme, basil, and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute). Add canned tomatoes, water, salt, pepper, and sugar. Partially cover and simmer over low heat until the sauce has slightly thickened, about 30 minutes.

Cheese Mixture:
Combine cottage cheese, parsley, 1/4 cup Parmesan, mozzarella, salt, pepper, egg. Set aside.

Boil noodles, a la dente.

Preheat oven to 375 F

Assemble the lasagna:
Ladle a large scoop of sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Spread evenly. Arrange 5 noodles over the sauce, overlapping a little. Spoon half of the cheese mixture and spread. Drizzle 1 cup of sauce over the cheese. And repeat: noodles, cheese, sauce. Arrange remaining noodles over top, spread with remaining sauce and sprinkle with cheese curds and Parmesan.

Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted. Let sit 15 minutes before serving. Serve with crusty bread and salad.