Cream Cheese Lasagna is the ultimate rich and creamy comfort food! It has layers of tender lasagna noodles, a hearty tomato meat sauce, pepperoni, and a creamy four-cheese filling. The cream cheese makes every bite incredibly rich, creamy, and delicious. Just the way a lasagna should be.
A block of cream cheese not only adds insane creaminess, but wonderful flavor too. A little more tang than just a combination of ricotta and mozzarella. You won’t find a creamier lasagna than this one.
And a few pepperoni slices in addition to 2 pounds of ground beef make this a meat lovers lasagna.
Love lasagna as much as I do? Be sure to try Pizza Lasagna, Skillet Lasagna, Crescent Lasagna, White Seafood Lasagna, and Chicken Bacon & Ranch Lasagna.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s incredibly creamy. Cream cheese adds a richness and silky texture that makes this lasagna extra special.
- It’s loaded with meat. Two pounds of ground beef plus pepperoni make this a seriously hearty, meat-lover’s lasagna.
- Four kinds of cheese! Cream cheese, cottage cheese or ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan give it plenty of cheesy goodness.
- The sauce is thick and flavorful. Tomato paste, diced tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, and tomato sauce create a rich sauce that holds up beautifully between the layers.
- It’s perfect for a crowd. A 9×13-inch pan makes 12 servings and is perfect for family dinners, potlucks, and gatherings.
- It’s make-ahead friendly. You can assemble the lasagna up to 24 hours ahead, making it a great choice when you’re entertaining.
How To Serve
because this recipe makes a large 9×13-inch pan, it’s perfect for feeding a crowd or having plenty of leftovers for another meal. I love to serve this lasagna with a green salad with Creamy Italian Dressing and Pepperoncini Garlic Bread. It’s a great family meal.
What Makes Cream Cheese Lasagna Different?
Traditional lasagna usually has a ricotta-based cheese layer. This recipe uses cream cheese along with cottage cheese or ricotta to make the filling extra creamy.
The cream cheese also adds a subtle tang that balances the richness of the meat and cheese. If you’re not normally a fan of cottage cheese in lasagna, don’t worry. Once it’s combined with the cream cheese, eggs, and other ingredients, it creates a smooth, creamy filling.
A full can of tomato paste, a can of diced tomatoes, a can of stewed tomatoes, and a can of tomato sauce makes for a full-flavored tomato sauce that really stays thick and stands up to the flavor of all the cheese.
And then there’s the pepperoni. Just a small amount adds a delicious savory flavor that reminds me of a really good pizza.
Lasagna takes a little time to prepare and bake, but it makes a huge amount. This lasagna is easily 2 meals for a family of four.
Cream Cheese Lasagna Recipe Tips
Cook the noodles just until tender. You don’t want them overly soft since they will continue cooking in the oven.
Italian sausage can be used instead of ground beef.
I actually like to use cottage cheese in this recipe, but you can use ricotta cheese instead. If you’ve never tried cottage cheese in lasagna, give it a try. This is coming from someone who doesn’t really like cottage cheese. For some reason it just works in lasagna.
Want it spicy? Add 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes to the meat sauce. You can also use hot Italian sausage in place of some or all of the ground beef.
Let it rest before slicing. Give the lasagna at least 10 minutes after baking. If you cut into it immediately, the layers are more likely to slide apart.
Make In Advance
This lasagna can be assembled up to 24 hours in advance and the meat sauce can be made up to 48 hours in advance.
Storage and Freezing
Leftovers will keep for 4 to 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator and can be reheated in the microwave. This lasagna freezes really well. For best results, assemble the lasagna in a freezer-safe baking dish but don’t bake it. Wrap it tightly with plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking.
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- Italian Sausage Rigatoni with Spicy Cream Sauce
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Cream Cheese Lasagna
Equipment
Ingredients
Sauce
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes, undrained
- 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Remaining Ingredients
- 9 lasagna noodles
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup pepperoni slices
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and break it apart with a wooden spoon. Once you have it in small chunks, add the onion.Continue to cook, crumbling the beef more as it cooks, until beef is no longer pink.Drain off any grease.
- Place skillet back over medium-high heat and add garlic. Cook 1 minute.
- Add remaining sauce ingredients. Turn heat down to maintain a simmer. Simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While sauce is simmering, cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain.
- In a medium bowl, stir together cream cheese, cottage or ricotta cheese and eggs until smooth.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.
- Spread about 3/4 cup of sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange 3 noodles on top of the sauce.
- Spread 1/3 of the cream cheese mixture on top of the noodles. Sprinkle with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.Spread a little less than half the remaining sauce over the cheese.Scatter the pepperoni slices evenly on top.
- Do another layer of noodles, cream cheese mixture (use half of the remaining), and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.Top with sauce, leaving about 1/3 a cup of sauce to use for the top.
- Place the final layer of noodles on, spread with cream cheese mixture and the remaining 1/3 cup of sauce.Sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella cheese on top along with the Parmesan cheese.
- Cover with foil. (Spray the underside of the foil with cooking spray so that it does not stick to the cheese.)Bake for 45 minutes.Uncover and bake another 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle with parsley. Let sit for 10 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
You rate a recipe without even making it because you think it looks good. That’s ridiculous. Make it first, try it and then rate it.
Sounds extremely good
Anything and everything is good with cream cheese a must try ☺️
It’s so Yummyyy !!!
I wanna go to the market and buy the ingredients. I really can’t wait to make this recipe.
thanks for sharing this recipes, and inspiring me. Thankss 🙂
These are the ingredients (except for the pepperoni) that I have been making my lasagna with for many years. However, I’ve never mixed the cream cheese and cottage cheese together. I make them each their own layer. I get to use more cream cheese this way which is so rich and yummy!! Y’all really need to try this lasagna …. you will love it!!🥰♥️