This simple Lasagna recipe is based on a classic lasagna recipe that I often cook in my slow cooker.
Lasagna is a classic comfort food. A big pan of layered lasagna, full of beef and cheesy goodness, baking in the oven on a cold winter’s night and set down in the middle of the dinner table as everyone gathers around to share the highlights of their day, reminds us of family, home, comfort, safety, and love.
Grandma might have spent hours lovingly layering up that lasagna, but with my simple lasagna recipe, you can have that familiar homey feeling, complete with all of the love and laughter of those earlier days without all of the time consuming work. This simple lasagna recipe is a one-pot meal. Because the meat is pre-cooked, all you really need to do is heat it up so that the cheese melts, the noodles are soft, and the flavors are blended. It is so easy that it can be cooked at a campsite or tailgate party or anywhere you care to travel.
Is it as pretty as Grandma’s perfectly layered lasagna? Maybe not. But it tastes just as good and will be a welcome dinner after a long day.
Simple Lasagna Recipe is a one-pot meal that is perfect for solar oven cooking. Layer all of the ingredients into a solar safe pot. Cover with a lid and place in to a hot solar oven.
My lasagna cooked for about 1.5 hours at a temperature of 300°F (149°C). The time it takes to cook varies depending on the weather, the type of oven, and how hot the oven gets. For more information, see How Long Does It Take to Cook in a Solar Oven?How Long Does It Take To Cook In a Solar Oven?
For a complete meal, serve with a green salad and Cheesy Garlic Bread 
Simple Lasagna Recipe
- 2 pounds ground beef, browned and drained
- 8 oz package lasagna noodles, "no cook" style
- 1 large (40 oz) jar of pasta sauce
- 4 oz Mozzarella cheese, shredded (or Italian 5 Cheese Blend)
- 2 cups Parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1 16 oz carton of Ricotta or Cottage cheese
- Pre-heat the solar oven while preparing the ingredients.
- Set aside some cheese for the topping.
- Brown and drain the ground beef. (This can be done in the solar oven if necessary.)
- Place the browned beef in a large bowl.
- Add the pasta sauce to the beef and stir to mix.
- Spread ¼ of the meat sauce in the bottom of a solar safe pot. Be sure to cover the bottom. (This recipe is enough for 2 granite ware pots.)
- Arrange ⅓ of the uncooked noodles over the sauce. Break the noodles up so that they fit well and also will be easier to serve.
- Combine the Mozzarella, Parmesan, and Ricotta cheeses together in a bowl.
- Spoon ⅓ of the cheese mixture over the noodles.
- Repeat the layers twice more.
- Top with the remaining meat mixture and the extra cheese.
- Cover and place in the hot solar oven.
- Let bake for 1½ - 2 hours to allow the noodles to soften, the cheese to melt, and to heat all the way through the casserole.
- When hot, remove from the solar oven and serve.
The time it takes to cook in a solar oven varies depending on the weather, the type of oven used, and how hot the oven temperature gets.
Hi Merry
I often refer back to your website for info and recipes – Thank you for everything you share. I just wondered what time of the day do you usually put food in your solar oven for dinner that evening? Do you do it early to make the most of the sunlight and then reheat food in a kitchen oven or have you found a ‘magic hour’ where food will still stay warm enough to serve for dinner. Also, are there recipes to avoid when you have to leave food in the cooker all day. I haven’t been using mine as often as I’d like as it is getting darker (or at least quite shady) within the hour or so after i am home from work, but putting food in my cooker in the morning will be there for 8-9hrs before I can take it out (and of course I can’t rotate it during day). Any tips you can offer? Thanks – Julie
Hello Julie, Thank you for reading my blog. I appreciate your support. You have some great questions.
Timing for dinner is really hard to judge, since everything depends on the sun on any particular day. And I have not really ever found a “magic” time. I try to put out my food as early as possible, and yes, it is often done quite a while before dinner. But, since most foods don’t burn, and in fact, meats just get more tender with long simmering, I often leave the food out as long as possible just to keep it simmering and warm. Otherwise, you are correct, dinner will need to be reheated by some method. Usually when I bring food in prior to dinner time, I use a “wonder oven” (aka thermal box, heat retention box, haybox, wonderbag, fireless cooker, etc) to keep the food warm. You can read about it here. https://www.sunshineonmyshoulder.com/wonder-oven/
Since I leave for work before daylight, and return close to dinner time, I rarely have time to solar cook during the week. One option, as you mention, is absentee cooking, and I’ll admit that I don’t do a lot of absentee cooking. As with all cooking, you must be concerned with food safety. So, if I want to put food out really early, before the sun is up, I will cook something that will not spoil before it starts cooking. For example, vegetables such as dried beans or baked potatoes. The beans will be doing their soaking while the sun is waking up and getting busy. I might even toss some Kielbasa into those beans. If I intend to be gone all day, but the sun is up and ready (or nearly ready) to begin heating up the oven, I will put out something like a whole chicken or a stew, that will begin cooking before it sits too long and has time to spoil. Then position the cooker facing directly south. The cooker will catch the beginning and end of the sun, giving 4-6, or more, good hours of sun. As the sun passes, the cooker and the food will cool down, but the food should be done.
I do not recommend long extended, absentee cooking for breads, cakes, cookies, pastries, etc. These foods have a short cooking time, and they will burn if left to cook too long due to the high sugar content. You can put these out and leave them unattended for several hours, just not all day.
You can read about food safety and absentee cooking here. https://www.sunshineonmyshoulder.com/solar-oven-food-safety/
Here is a recipe for Beans and Kielbasa https://www.sunshineonmyshoulder.com/pinto-beans-kielbasa/
Here is a recipe for Roasted Chicken https://www.sunshineonmyshoulder.com/roasted-chicken-in-the-gso/
I hope this has answered your questions. Thanks for stopping by. Happy Solar Cooking, Merry