Personal Sized Freezer Lasagnas – Enjoy Now Or Freeze For Later

Enjoy all the same comforts and flavors of a hot and bubbly traditional pan of homemade lasagnas but by making personal sized freezer ones instead!

Simply cook and assemble all of the ingredients once and you are left with 12 perfectly sized mini lasagnas to bake whenever you want! They are great for delivering to family and friends, or to keep for yourself whenever the craving for a home-cooked meal arises.

Not everyone in our household is a big fan of lasagna. My husband and son can take it or leave it. My daughter and I, however, consider lasagna to be one of our absolute favorites!

Unfortunately, when I make a huge pan of traditional lasagna, she and I are stuck with days’ worth of leftovers. By the time the pan is done, we are so sick of eating it and ready to move on to something else!

So, to allow us to be able to still enjoy homemade lasagna, we like to make and assemble these personal sized freezer lasagna instead. They are the perfect size to satisfy our lasagna cravings whenever the mood hits. No leftovers required!

How To Make Personal Sized Freezer Lasagnas

*Scroll down to the bottom of this post to see the full recipe, including exact measurements and amounts. You can also print out the instructions. I go into a bit more detail about the recipe here first, just in case you need it.

Special Equipment Needed

Besides your typical cooking products like a large mixing bowl and a 4.5 quart or larger Dutch Oven, the only special “equipment” you need for these mini freezer lasagnas are mini loaf pans.

The foil loaf pans we purchase come in a three-pack and measure 5 3/4″ x 3 1/4″ x 2″. They are non-stick and are the perfect size for a good serving of lasagna. You can purchase bulk pans online for cheap, but ensure that the pans are of similar size and can hold up to freezing and thawing.

You will also need a bit of plastic wrap and some quart or gallon-sized freezer-safe ziplock bags. One lasagna fits perfectly in a quart-size bag. You can also wrap the lasagnas tightly in foil if you prefer not to use plastic.

Ingredients For Personal Sized Freezer Lasagnas

Don’t let the long list of ingredients intimidate you. Most are just basic seasonings that you likely already have in your pantry. And keep in mind that this is to make a bulk batch of mini lasagnas, so it will be a decent amount up front.

We like to use our homemade pasta sauce for this recipe. The flavors of the garden tomatoes along with the spices really take this recipe over the top. Feel free to use store-bought sauces though if you don’t have any homemade on hand.

Also, please know that you are more than welcome to swap out the ricotta for all cottage cheese or vice versa. It seems like some people have rather strong opinions about ricotta cheese.

My daughter and I both really like ricotta, so we include it in this recipe. I’ve also made these lasagnas using only cottage cheese and the result is still tasty. Like I always say, you do you!

For the mini lasagnas, I’ve broken down the ingredients into three parts: the meat sauce, the cheese mixture, and the remaining ingredients.

(If you are looking for another great lasagna alternative, try my “Dutch Oven Lasagna Soup – A Fun Take On Traditional Lasagna.” It’s all the flavors of a usual lasagna but as a comforting soup instead.)

The Meat Sauce

• Ground Beef – We get our beef in bulk from a butcher, so I am not sure about the fat content percentage in our ground beef. Aim for a mixture of around 85/15, but any type should work fine for this recipe.
• Minced Onion – You can use either fresh or dried onions. For this recipe, I like to use dried minced onions.
• Seasonings: Salt, Pepper, Basil, Parsley, and Italian Seasoning – You can use fresh or dried basil and parsley. I usually stick to dried spices though.
• Pasta Sauce – You can use your own homemade pasta sauce like we do or you can also use store-bought. I’ve made the lasagna both ways and they work just fine. We just prefer the flavors of homemade when we have it on hand.

The Cheese Mixture

• Cottage Cheese and Ricotta Cheese – These ingredients help to add creaminess and cheesiness to the dish. However, it seems like there are two sides to the fence when it comes to ricotta cheese. Either people love it or hate it. We like it, so we use a mixture of both cottage cheese and ricotta cheese. If you are on the other side of the fence, feel free to use all cottage cheese. Or vice versa. We have made the lasagnas both ways and they are delicious regardless.
• Shredded Parmesan – Why not add even more cheesy goodness? The parmesan adds a different flavor profile to the cottage and ricotta cheeses.
• Eggs – If possible, use room temperature eggs for the recipe.
• Seasonings: Parsley and Salt

Other Ingredients

• Oven-Ready Lasagna Noodles – You can use regular lasagna noodles and cook them al dente according to the package, but the oven-ready noodles just help you skip that step. However, if you plan on eating the lasagna right after assembling instead of freezing, I suggest using regular cooked noodles. The shorter cooking time doesn’t always get the noodles fully cooked through. Otherwise, the oven-ready ones are a great shortcut.
  
  You will need 12 whole noodles broken in half in order to fit the mini loaf pans. This will leave you with 24 halves (two halves for each pan). Please note that this recipe starts the lasagna layers with the meat sauce. If you prefer to start your lasagna layers with a noodle instead, then you will need 18 noodles (or 36 halves).
  
• Mozzarella – I recommend starting with 6 cups of shredded mozzarella, but we typically end up using more around 7 to 8 cups. What can I say, we like our cheese!

Instructions For Personal Sized Freezer Lasagnas

Start by browning the ground beef in a 4.5-quart stock pot or larger. You want a fairly large cooking vessel since you will be adding your pasta sauce to it as well. (Here is the link for the Dutch Oven I use and love – Product Link: Lodge 4.5 Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven with Lid)

If you are using freshly minced raw onion, add it now and cook it along with the beef. When the beef is done, strain out the excess grease. If you are using dried minced onion, add it now. Stir and cook for about a minute.

Next, pour in the pasta sauce and the meat sauce seasonings (i.e., salt, pepper, basil, parsley, and Italian seasoning) into the same Dutch oven. Stir well and heat on low until the sauce starts to bubble. Turn off the heat, cover, and set aside for the time being.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cottage cheese, ricotta, parmesan cheese, eggs, parsley, and salt. Remember, if you don’t like ricotta, you can swap it out for equal amounts of cottage cheese. Stir until everything is well incorporated. Set aside.

If you haven’t already done so, go ahead and snap your lasagna noodles in half. You will need a total of 24 half-noodles in order to fill the personal sized freezer lasagna pans up with two layers of deliciousness. This recipe starts with a bottom layer of meat sauce. If you prefer starting with a noodle, then you will need 36 total half-noodles.

Prepare The “Filling Station” And Fill

Now that you have your ingredients ready, it’s time to prepare your “filling station”. Remove any lids and divider papers that come with your mini loaf pans. I like to set out the pans in two rows of six – or just do whatever works for your kitchen setup!

It’s time to add our layers. Start by placing about 1/4 cup of meat sauce in the bottom of each pan. Next, lay one half-piece of lasagna noodle on top of that. If the noodle doesn’t quite fit, just give it a little trim.

Next, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella. Finally, plop down about 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture. Spread it evenly out with a spatula.

Repeat those layers a second time so you have two layers of each ingredient. You should have about a third of the meat sauce left, which is what we want. Use the rest of the meat sauce to top off each pan. It should measure around 1/4 to 1/3 cups each. Use up whatever you have left in your Dutch oven.

Finally, as the perfect topping to the mini lasagnas, sprinkle the rest of the shredded mozzarella cheese on each one. The more cheese the better in our opinion!

Bake Now Or Freeze For Later

To cook the lasagnas immediately, preheat oven to 350º Fahrenheit. Place the mini lasagnas on a baking sheet and bake for around 25 to 30 minutes. (Again, I recommend using regular cooked lasagna noodles if baking immediately because the noodles might not be fully cooked if baking them that short of time.)

If you are going to be freezing the personal sized freezer lasagnas, wrap each one tightly in a layer of plastic wrap. Then, place each one in a freezer-safe quart-sized ziplock bag. Get as much of the air out as possible. Air is the enemy here and what causes the lasagnas to get freezer burnt. Label the ziplock bag with the instructions for baking and freeze.

When you are ready for baking, remove the ziplock bag and plastic wrap. Place the frozen lasagnas on a baking sheet in an oven that has been preheated to 350º Fahrenheit. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until the cheese is nice and bubbly. Enjoy!

Until next time, thanks for stopping by!
– Chelsea

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