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This Lasagna for Two Recipe is a classic lasagna but made for two people in a loaf pan. This is convenient when you want lasagna but don’t want to make a huge amount for tons of people! Serve this with my Aperol Spritz and the Best Caesar Salad.
Everyone knows that I love Italian food. I want Spaghetti and Meatballs for dinner all the time. Tiramisu is my favorite dessert. And please bury me in between the layers of lasagna.
So, don’t get me wrong, I *love* lasagna but I don’t always want to make a huge batch of it because I’m not THAT big of a fan of leftovers. This makes the ideal amount for two people. Will you end up with leftovers? Only a teeny amount. Maybe a slice or two extra.
Ingredients You’ll Need for Lasagna For Two
- Lasagna Sheets – I have made this a few ways: one time with no-boil lasagna sheets and with regular sheets that need to be pre-boiled. The one pictured is with the pre-boiled sheets. Both work great. Obviously the no-boil is just one less step.
- Sofrito – Celery, carrot and yellow onion. This is the base of our bolognese.
- Ricotta – I love to think the ricotta out so it’s a bit more spreadable.
- Mozzarella – You need that to add to the layers of lasagna. We want cheese pulls and flavor.
For the rest of the ingredients, please see the recipe index card below!
How to Make this Lasagna for Two Recipe
This recipe is super easy but here’s how I like to make it:
- Make the bolognese! It’s super simple and classic. It has onion, carrots, celery, garlic, spices, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste that all simmers together for about an one and a half hours. It really marries all the flavors together which is essential to developing a delicious ragu.
- Cook the noodles. I like to cook the noodles. Whenever I cook no-cook lasagna noodles, I find they aren’t as delicious. I always like to cook my noodles a minute or two under so they’re nice and al dente.
- Layer the lasagna. This recipe uses a thinned out ricotta mixture and mozzarella. I like to smear ricotta on, add the sauce and then add a liberal handful of mozzarella. Repeat with the layering.
- Freeze if you like! This is a good place to freeze the lasagna for later, if you like. See below in the *notes* section of the recipe card for detailed instructions.
- Bake it! Cover it with foil and bake it for about 30 minutes, and until the top of the cheese is nicely melted. Remove the foil and place it under the broiler for about 2 minutes, being sure it doesn’t burn. Wait for 10 minutes AND then slice the lasagna for perfect slices.
Recipe Tip
Let it rest before slicing. This recipe is so easy to make. But my one suggestion is to let the lasagna rest for 10 minutes exactly before slicing into it. This is the way you get perfect slices that aren’t slipping and sliding everywhere.
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Lasagna for Two Recipe
Equipment
- 1 loaf pan
Ingredients
To Make the Bolognese:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef , (I used 80%/20%)
- 1/2 yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled
- 1 rib celery , trimmed
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 (28-ounce) crushed tomatoes
- Water
- 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan-Reggiano
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
To Make the Lasagna:
- 3/4 cup fresh ricotta
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- Handful fresh basil leaves, minced
- Pinch kosher salt
- 1/2 pound no-boil lasagna sheets
- 2 cups shredded low-moisture mozzarella
Instructions
To Make the Sauce:
- In a dutch oven or medium pot, set over medium heat, heat the olive oil. When hot, add the ground beef. Mash into small pieces. Meanwhile, in a food processor, add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic cloves. Pulse until finely minced. When the ground beef is mostly cooked, add the onion mixture and cook until translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Next, mix in the oregano and crushed red pepper, along with about 1 teaspoon of salt. Add in the tomato paste and mix. Pour in the crushed tomatoes. Add about 1/2 cup of water to the empty can and swish it around to pick up any leftover sauce.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes. Add about 3/4 cup water (you can eyeball this measurement) to the empty tomato can and swish it around, picking up any leftover tomatoes from the side of the can, and pour it in the pot.
- Bring the sauce to a simmer and then immediately turn the heat down to low. Cover the pot and allow the sauce to simmer and merry for about 1 1/2 hours.
- Uncover the pot, give it a taste test, and adjust the salt according to your liking. Add in the heavy cream and Parmesan-Reggiano. Set aside.
To Assemble the Lasagna:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. To assemble the lasagna, grab your 8 x 5-inch loaf pan. Place two sheets of lasagna pasta on the bottom of the loaf pan, overlapping them slightly. Spread around a thin layer of ricotta mixture. bolognese and a handful of mozzarella. Repeat the layering process until you’ve reached the top. The top layer should be pasta, a few spoonfuls of sauce and a good amount of mozzarella cheese. Cover with a sheet of foil.
- Transfer to the oven to bake for 15 to 20 minutes. To get the top layer of cheese all burnt and bubbly, turn on the broiler. Place the lasagna underneath the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, watching it the entire time.
- Garnish with fresh basil.
Notes
- Let it rest before slicing. This recipe is so easy to make. But my one suggestion is to let the lasagna rest for 10 minutes exactly before slicing into it. This is the way you get perfect slices that aren’t slipping and sliding everywhere.
- To Freeze: Lasagna freezes incredibly well. If you’d like to freeze this, I’d suggest assembling it completely, not baking it, wrapping it in a few sheets of plastic wrap (or preparing it in a container that has a freezer-safe lid) and then wrapping it in one sheet of foil. Placing it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, adding 5 to 10 minutes more, than the suggested time above.Â
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published on February 9th, 2015. It has been since updated with new information and formatting.
I love these mini lasagnas. We never go out for Valentine’s Day. We had two horrible experiences and have been staying home ever since. Now it is tradition and we have the best time.
This is so smart to make a smaller lasagna! Though lasagna freezes so well I still make a pan that could serve about 16 people and freeze all the leftovers. It’s great for easy lunches and dinners during the week.
LASAGNA IN A LOAF PAN!!!! YOU ARE A GENIUS!!!! Also post V-Day candy applies to ALL holiday candy! Christmas/halloween/easter – the day OF is usually the best pickins. Don’t ask me how I know that about Christmas, I know I should have better things to do 😉
Oh my gosh! You read my heart and mind. I live alone and I am single so making a big lasagna is a daunting thing. Yet I kept thinking it would go well in a loaf pan (great minds think alike). I just wasn’t sure ratios and now I totally have a recipe for a single person’s decadence. This will be so manageable and MUCH better than the sad freezer lasagna I settled for not too long ago.
Girl, then this recipe is for you! You’ll have just the right amount of leftovers!
What a great idea!!! And even more so when you’re from Germany, because here we don’t pre-cook Lasagna sheets. Which is good on the one hand, because one step less, but on the other makes it hard to arrange them in the pan. They musn’t overlap (or they won’t cook) and they never ever fit the size of the pan 🙂 So while one is trying to cut the dry noodles they happily crack and go flying through the whole kitchen. In the end it never matters because the result tastes just fine, but it still makes me crazy 🙂 So FOR SURE I will try using a loaf pan. Thinking about it’s format it might just work perfectly!
And PS: I’m almost sure there is no difference between German and US Lasagna sheets, so I’m sure you could do yours without precooking and I could do mine with.. So where the hell does this “cultural difference” come from???
That’s so interesting re: the lasagna sheets in Germany. Here we do have no-boil lasagna sheets but I never tend to use them. I find that I prefer being able to boil them. Does the label so “no-boil”?
Yes, it explicitly says “no boil”. I will have to ask my husband to bring a package of lasagna noodles from the USA so we can compare ingredients.
I believe they’ll turn out exactly the same, with only difference being the cooking time for the assembled lasagna. Ours needs a rather runny sauce so the pasta can soak it up, and it also takes a good while in the oven (at least 40 minutes).
I don’t hate Val’s Day. What’s so bad about expressing your affection? But I, too, have been extolling the virtues of the loaf pan lately. There are several different sizes available and I think I have at least three different ones. (Don’t judge – I worked at Michael’s.) You can make different kinds of breads using the frozen balls of dough, such as Cinnamon-Pecan Bread, Garlic Bread, Cheesy Bread, but bake them in a loaf pan instead of a Bundt pan and you have fewer leftovers. When your children leave home and there’s just the two of you it’s difficult to make good eats, like lasagna, without having leftovers for days and days. Thanks for this idea!
I 100% agree with you on what makes the best valentine’s day and love this recipe! I never thought to make lasagna in a loaf pan before. xoxoxo
Totally with you on Valentine’s day. It can be so annoying. I love your guide to having the perfect one though. This lasagna looks delicious!
Hahaha! This made me laugh “DIEDIEDIEDIE.” The loaf pan is a brilliant idea for lasagna! Thanks so much for sharing- hope your holiday is filled with this yummy lasagna, half-priced candy and rebellion against Hallmark 😉
Thanks Minna! xo
I fully support your step 3! I hate spending more than necessary on candy ( esp. if it is not chocolate)
I think breakfast in bed with homemade breads or a loving dinner with delicious lasagna is all you need for the 14th. Thank you for sizing it down too!