Goat Cheese Lasagna
This goat cheese lasagna is an unusual and deliciously rich choice for a fancy dinner night. Made with creamy goat cheese and a homemade Italian sausage sauce, it is a unique twist on your traditional lasagna.
Table of contents
I often make this goat cheese lasagna when I am in the mood for something just a little bit different. It is rich and creamy and perfect for a date night in.
This is also a good alternative to traditional lasagna because I know for those with lactose intolerance that goat cheese can be easier to tolerate. Pair this with a delicious salad and 90 Minute Whole Wheat Parmesan Rosemary Bread Rolls for a fantastic all around dinner.
Our preference is to use a homemade spaghetti sauce because it is thicker and our absolute favorite. My mom has been making this sauce all of my life and I have never found a better tasting spaghetti sauce. I know many people who claimed they didn’t like spaghetti until they had my mom’s spaghetti. It’s definitely a winner.
This spaghetti sauce recipe makes way more sauce than you will need for the lasagna. Often times I’ll freeze it for a quick dinner later or keep it to use with ravioli or stuffed pasta shells later in the week.
What does goat cheese taste like?
If you’ve never tasted goat cheese I must warn you it’s definitely different. It’s one of those cheeses that is an acquired taste if it’s eaten by itself. It has a creamy tart taste with kind of a savory, earthy flavor.
The reason I love this recipe is the way the sauce balances out the cheese. They are both extremely rich and heavy so one square of lasagna goes a long way.
Ingredients
Shopping list:
- Goat cheese
- Spaghetti sauce, I always use my homemade version but you can of course use whatever you want
- Parmesan cheese
- Milk
Pantry staples:
- Lasagna noodles
- Dried herbs: basil, parsley, oregano
Substitutions:
I have gotten some questions about what to substitute for Parmesan cheese but Parmesan cheese is also very low in lactose. If it is still a concern, there are dairy free Parmesan cheese substitutes.
If you would like you can make the spaghetti sauce recipe above with Hot Italian Sausage. Due to the very rich flavor of the goat cheese you can use a stronger flavor like this and the goat cheese won’t get lost.
Of course, if you want this to be vegetarian, leave out the meat and add lots of delicious veggies like sautéed mushrooms and spinach. You could also add cooked, thinly sliced veggies like butternut squash, eggplant, or zucchini.
How to make this
Assemble lasagna by layering ingredients in following order:
- Spaghetti sauce
- Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese
- Noodles, overlap noodles by ½ inch
- Herb goat cheese mixture
- Cooked vegetables
Repeat from step 1 until you have at least 3 layers.
Other recipes you might like
- Easy One Pot Lasagna Pasta
- Apple Bacon and Goat Cheese Salad
- Lemon Pesto Spaghetti with Italian Meatballs
Top Tips
I like to make this in a loaf pan because it is easier to build up the layers and to slice once cooked. Make sure you allow the lasagna to cool for about 10-15 minutes before slicing so it doesn’t slide all over the place.
Can this be frozen for later?
If you would like to freeze this for later, I would use a disposable aluminum pan to make the lasagna. Assemble the lasagna and instead of cooking, cover it well with foil and place in the freezer. There are lots of great tips in this article here on freezing lasagnas.
Cooking with kids
Since there are lots of different parts to this dish, I like to make the sauce ahead of time before inviting my children to come help me assemble the lasagna. Kids can help to make the goat cheese mixture and then assemble the layers of the lasagna.
See here for more tips on cooking with kids!
Recipe
Ingredients
- 5-6 cups spaghetti sauce
- 1 16 ounce box lasagna noodles
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 2 11 ounce logs of fresh goat cheese
- ¼ cup heavy cream or milk
- Grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°. Grease a 8 by 8 inch dish or 2 9 by 5 inch loaf pans.
- Process goat cheese, herbs, and spinach in a food processor or bowl, adding cream or milk as needed to make mixture spreadable.
- Assemble lasagna by layering ingredients in following order: spaghetti sauce, grated Parmesan cheese, noodles (overlap noodles by ½ inch), herb goat cheese mixture. Repeat starting again with the first layer.
- Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake until bubbly on top (20-30 minutes for cooked pasta, 45-50 minutes for dry pasta). Remove foil for the last 15 minutes of baking.
- Remove from oven and let stand for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Jade, in step 2 of this recipe, you say to process spinach along with the other ingredients, but there is no spinach listed in the recipe ingredients, so the quantity to be used here is missing.
Would love to know how much to use in this step, thanks!
That was a mistake in the recipe text. Go ahead and disregard the spinach. If you would like to add some chopped cooked spinach to the cheese mix you can. Make sure to drain it well before adding. I usually eyeball the amount when I do it that way so I don’t have an exact amount. Best of luck!
Looks so yummy! This goat cheese lasagna is perfect for a weekend dinner. Thanks for sharing. I have pinned & shared your recipe with my friends.
We’ve been dairy free for a while, so we haven’t been able to eat lasagna in years, but we’ve found we can eat goat cheese. Do you think we could make this recipe with coconut milk and goat cheese and leave out the Parmesan cheese?
I don’t see why not. I would add just a little coconut milk at a time to get something just spreadable. Since Parmesan cheese is a hard cheese I do know that the lactose levels are lower like goat cheese so you might be able to have that too. Jusy FYI. Let me know how it goes!