Description
We LOVE a good ol’ lasagna night here at the PWWB House, but since most recipes are designed to feed a crowd, making an entire pan of lasagna feels like a big undertaking for our cozy family of two (& results in more leftovers than we know what to do with!).
This small batch lasagna recipe is the perfect solution. It’s assembled in a loaf pan, which fits standard lasagna sheets beautifully & has enough height to build picture-perfect layers of pasta, meat sauce, & cheese.
The meat sauce used here is based on our popular Spicy Italian Sausage & Peppers Pasta, a recipe that was designed to result in restaurant-worthy richness in less than 30 minutes. Feel free to use spicy or mild sausage, or a combination of both to best suit your tastes. While the sauce simmers, you’ll have just enough time to mix up a creamy layer of ricotta cheese & wilted spinach.
While it isn’t necessary, if time permits, I highly suggest assembling the lasagna the day before you plan to serve it. An overnight rest in the refrigerator allows the lasagna to soak up any excess moisture, making it much easier to cut into picture-perfect slices.
This recipe yields 2 very generous portions, though I suggest stretching it out into 3-4 portions with a couple of simple sides. Leftovers reheat & freeze beautifully, & you can never go wrong with garlic bread, roasted broccoli, or a Caesar salad. ♡ Happy cooking!
Ingredients
Scale
- nonstick cooking spray
- Italian sausage meat sauce, below
- spinach ricotta filling, below
- 8 ounces oven-ready lasagna sheets (see Recipe Notes)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
for the Italian sausage meat sauce:
- 1 pound hot or mild Italian sausage
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large bell pepper, diced (approx. ½ cup diced)
- 1 small stalk celery, diced (approx. ¼ cup diced)
- 1 small yellow onion, diced (approx. ½ cup diced)
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¾ cup dry, unoaked white wine
- one 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season
for the spinach ricotta filling:
- 4 ounces fresh spinach (approx. 4 cups packed)
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan
- kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season
Instructions
- Begin the Italian sausage meat sauce – soften the vegetables: Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot & shimmering, add the bell peppers, celery, & onion. Season with ½ teaspoon kosher salt & ground black pepper as desired. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened & fragrant, 4-5 minutes.
- Brown the sausage: Once softened, push the veggies to the outer edges of the skillet & add the Italian sausage to the center, such that it’s surrounded by the veggies. Brown the sausage 5-7, using a wooden spoon to break it into bite-sized crumbles as it cooks.
- Build & simmer the Italian sausage sauce: Add the garlic, oregano, basil, & tomato paste to the skillet, stirring to coat the sausage & vegetable mixture. Cook 2-3 minutes, until fragrant. Deglaze the pan by slowly pouring in the white wine, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits that may have formed on the bottom of the pan. Once the wine is almost completely cooked off, add in the crushed tomatoes. Reduce the heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes until slightly thickened & fragrant. Remove from the heat & set aside for lasagna assembly.
- Prepare the spinach ricotta filling: Meanwhile, as the meat sauce simmers, prepare the spinach ricotta filling. To wilt the spinach, spread it over a large dinner plate & microwave until it’s softened, about 1 minute. (Alternatively, if you do not have a microwave, you can wilt the spinach in a skillet over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes.) Finely chop the wilted spinach, then transfer to a medium bowl with the ricotta & parmesan cheeses. Season with ½ teaspoon salt & ground black pepper as desired, then fold everything together, mixing to combine well. Set aside for lasagna assembly.
- Lasagna for two assembly: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, ensuring a rack is positioned in the center of the oven. Spray a medium piece of foil with nonstick cooking spray & set aside. Spray a 9×5 or 8.5×5 loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place the Italian sausage meat sauce, spinach ricotta filling, shredded mozzarella cheese, & grated parmesan cheese within arm’s reach for assembly.
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- Layer 1: Spread about ¼ cup of the meat sauce over the bottom of the loaf pan – just enough to coat the bottom & prevent sticking. Place a lasagna sheet over top, breaking the pasta as needed to ensure it fits in the pan. Spoon ¼ of the remaining Italian sausage over top, spreading it into an even layer.
- Layer 2: Place a lasagna sheet over top Layer 1. Spoon about ⅓ of the spinach ricotta filling over top, spreading it into an even layer.
- Layers 3-7: Repeat Layers 1-2, creating alternating layers with the remaining meat sauce & spinach ricotta filling, each separated by a lasagna sheet. You should have 4 layers of meat sauce & 3 layers of ricotta. Nestle one last lasagna sheet over top, finish the lasagna with a sprinkling of the shredded mozzarella & grated parmesan cheeses. Cover the lasagna with the prepared foil, taking care to avoid pressing it against the cheesy top.
- Bake the lasagna for two: Place the loaf pan on top of a small baking sheet, then transfer to the preheated oven & bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the small batch lasagna is bubbling and the cheeses appear well melted. Carefully remove the foil & turn the oven’s broiler on high. Broil the lasagna on the center rack for about 5-10 minutes, keeping a close eye on it as it broiled to make sure it doesn’t burn, until it’s as bubbly & golden brown as you like.
- Rest, slice, & serve: Carefully remove the lasagna from the oven. Set aside to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing into individual pieces & serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- Ingredient & Equipment Notes:
- Lasagna: This small batch lasagna recipe was tested & developed using oven-ready lasagna sheets – Creamette & Barilla are widely available brands that works great here! Lasagna sheets are slightly wider than standard lasagna noodles, so they fit into the loaf pan really well without needing to break pieces to create an even layer. Oven-ready lasagna also comes with the benefit of not requiring boiling prior to assembly. If you prefer to use fresh pasta – go for it! You can make homemade pasta sheets with just a couple of staple ingredients. Many conventional grocery stores also carry fresh pasta sheets these days – look for them near other refrigerated pastas. If you’re working with fresh pasta, you also do not need to boil the noodles ahead of time – just assemble as detailed in Step 5 of Recipe Notes, above.
- Baking dish: This small batch lasagna recipe was tested & developed using an 8.5×5 loaf pan roughly 3 inches in depth, though a standard 9×5 loaf pan will work wonderfully too.
- Make-Ahead Small Batch Lasagna: Since there are a couple of different components involved in this small batch lasagna recipe, prepping it ahead of time is a great option for weeknight cooking or an effortless date night. There are 2 make-ahead approaches you can take depending on the amount of time you have to prep:
- Make-Ahead Approach #1 – Prepping components in advance. If you prefer to prep individual components & assemble the lasagna later, this approach is for you. Simmer the meat sauce (Steps 1-3) & prepare the spinach ricotta filling (Step 4). Store in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, until you’d like to assemble & bake your small batch lasagna.
- Make-Ahead Approach #2 – Assemble the lasagna in advance. Assemble the small batch lasagna in full (Steps 1-5), then store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. As a bonus, the lasagna soaks up any excess liquid as it sits, making it much easier to slice & serve picture-perfect pieces! At dinnertime, simply preheat & bake according to Step 6, noting you may have to add 5-10 minutes of baking time to ensure the lasagna warms through.
- Storage, Reheating, & Freezing:
- Storage & Reheating: This small batch lasagna recipe yields 2 very generous portions or up to 4 smaller portions. Leftovers store incredibly well – the flavors of the sauce richen even more with time. Allow the lasagna to cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container & store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
- Freezer Instructions: Leftover small batch lasagna is also very freezer-friendly. Transfer cooled leftovers to a freezer container or divide between multiple freezer containers for smaller portions – these are my absolute favorite freezer containers! – & freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, place the frozen lasagna in the refrigerator overnight or submerge the freezer container in room temperature water for a quicker thaw. Easily reheat in the microwave until warmed through.