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eat well on a budget with easy recipes from Jessica Fisher

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Easy Lasagne with Fresh Basil and Chives

Jessica Fisher · October 2, 2018 · 38 Comments

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This Easy Lasagne comes together easily and is very freezer-friendly. You’ll please all the crowd when you set this casserole on the table!

pan of lasagne with salad and rolls

For several years I subscribed to an organic produce co-op. At first it was really hard to make use of all the weird stuff they put in the box, but over time it gave me all kinds of motivation to be creative in the kitchen. And abundant reasons to make my kids eat their vegetables.

We gave it up when the drought got really bad, but I’m reconsidering it now that things are looking up for California. I have fond memories of digging into each week’s box and unearthing some new treasure.

Some of those treasure the first season were bundles of garlic chives and fresh basil. Such a luxury to have fresh herbs! I know, they should be easy to grow. But, with six kids and a busy home, my thumbs have turned all brown. So, I’m happy to let someone else do the growing. and watering. and weeding. And I’ll just reap the fruits of their labor!

How Do You Make Easy Lasagne?

One successful creation from my produce box season of life was this easy lasagne flavored with fresh garlic chives and basil. It is a huge hit with the lasagne lovers at my house. And it was so easy to make!

The best thing is that I can make three or four casseroles at one time. We eat one for dinner and then I stash the other three in the freezer. It doesn’t take that much longer to make more, but we reap the benefits over the next month or two by having a stash to draw from. Freezing lasagne is just one way my freezer is my BFF. 

pan of easy cheesy lasagne

How to make this good and cheap:

Here are some of the strategies you can use to make this recipe more economical:

  • Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. When you see a good price on tomato sauce, beans, or your favorite meats, buy a few extra to stash for later. You know you’ll use them. It’s a great way to cut your grocery bill without clipping a single coupon. 
  • Cook your own beans. It’s a lot cheaper to cook dry beans than to buy canned. Recently I’ve started using my electric pressure cooker for beans and it just may be a game changer.

How I make this recipe easy:

This recipe really couldn’t be easier than it is, but having the right kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs.

Here are the tools that I use for this recipe:

  • 9×13 Pyrex pan – I love the ones that come with plastic lids. It makes freezer cooking so much easier!
  • Ergo Chef chef’s knife – I’ve had these for years and they work great.
  • nonstick skillet – When you find a chef’s pan you love, buy two! I did.
  • box grater for cheese or a food processor – If you’re making a lot of lasagne for freezing, the food processor is a must!
  • Small Kitchenaid saucepan – I got a set of these pans for free in 2004. We still use them!
  • Wire whisk – be sure to get one with a sealed barrel so dishwater doesn’t drip into your food. Yuck.

spatula scooping piece of lasagne from pan

After you’ve made the recipe, I’d love for you to come back and give it a starred rating in the comments below. Thanks so much for your feedback!

A close up of a slice of lasagna
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5 from 6 votes

Easy Lasagne with Fresh Basil and Chives

This delicious make ahead beef lasagne is flavored with fresh basil and garlic chives. It comes together easily and is freezer-friendly.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time40 mins
Total Time55 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: italian dinner, lasagna
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 300kcal
Author: Jessica Fisher

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 clove garlic chopped
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil (chopped)
  • 3 tbsp chives (chopped)
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 12 oz mozzarella cheese (shredded) (3 cups)
  • 8 lasagna noodles uncooked

Instructions

  • Grease a 9×13-inch pan. Preheat the oven to 400°.
  • In a large skillet, cook the ground beef, salt, and garlic over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, basil, 2 tablespoons garlic chives, and water. Set aside.
  • In a small sauce pot, heat the chicken broth. Add the cream cheese and whisk to blend until smooth.
  • In the prepared pan, spread one half of the meat mixture. Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella cheese over the meat. Lay half of the uncooked noodles over the cheese.
  • Pour the cream cheese mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella cheese over the cream cheese mixture. Lay the remaining uncooked noodles over the cheese.
  • Spoon the remaining meat sauce over the noodles. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Sprinkle the remaining 1 Tablespoon chives over the cheese.
  • Bake the lasagne for 40 minutes. Allow to set for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Note: the lasagne can be frozen prior to making. Chill it before freezing for best results.
Thaw the lasagne completely in the refrigerator before preceding with the baking instructions.

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 28.2g | Protein: 21.6g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5.8g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 508mg | Potassium: 197mg | Fiber: 2.2g | Sugar: 3.8g | Calcium: 550mg | Iron: 1.4mg

salad, pan of lasagne, garlic knots

Filed Under: Beef, Pasta, Recipe Tagged With: casserole

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sherry Perry says

    September 5, 2011 at

    Yummo, can’t wait to try! Never heard of garlic chives. Will have to shop around for that.

    Reply
  2. sarah k. @ the pajama chef says

    September 5, 2011 at

    this looks great! i’ve never made lasagna with cream cheese but have heard it’s tasty so i’ll definitely save this recipe. 🙂

    Reply
  3. Tammy L says

    September 16, 2011 at

    My mom grows garlic chives and gave us lots when we lived in Ohio. I agree, yummy!!! 🙂 Your lasagna looks so delicious.

    Reply
  4. kelly thomas says

    March 1, 2012 at

    Just made this recipe for the first time and it was delicious. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      March 1, 2012 at

      So glad you liked it!

      Reply
  5. Emily says

    October 31, 2012 at

    Are the lasagna noodles the “no boil” kind or the regular noodles?

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      October 31, 2012 at

      @Emily, I have always used regular and it works out just fine.

      Reply
  6. Debbi Loi says

    January 24, 2013 at

    This is the best lasagna ever!

    Reply
  7. Kathleen says

    February 28, 2013 at

    This looks so great, can’t wait to try! Our farmers market has garlic scapes in the spring, but I’ve never seen garlic chives. Any suggestions on how to sub for them if I can’t find them?

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      February 28, 2013 at

      Regular chives should be fine.

      Reply
      • Kathleen says

        March 4, 2013 at

        Thanks!

        Reply
  8. ray says

    July 8, 2013 at

    I love your Lasagna recipe. I have never used cream cheese before only ricotta and cottage cheese. I love the flavor and creaminess that the cream cheese gives. I have been trying it with Eggplant instead of noodles lately (because we have more eggplant that I know what to do with from my garden). My family loves it (escpecially my mother in law). Thank you for great recipes.

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      July 8, 2013 at

      Thanks for your kind words! Bon appetit! If my family would eat the eggplant, I would totally give that a try. How did you prepare it?

      Reply
    • Amber says

      March 26, 2019 at

      I would love to know how you prepared it also since I can’t eat noodles. Eggplant would be a great substitute. Can you give details on how you prepared with eggplant?

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher says

        March 26, 2019 at

        I’ve made some lasagnas with sliced zucchini, squash, and eggplant. These were in addition to the noodles, but I know you can make them without. Also, I recently saw that you can get egg cauliflower crepes to use as a noodle substitute as well.

        Reply
  9. Natalie says

    March 2, 2015 at

    This sounds really delicious! My husband doesn’t like the ricotta and cottage cheese versions of lasagna, so this will be great to try. 🙂 Since this is covered for chilling in the refrigerator, do you keep it covered to bake? Is it covered for just a portion of the bake time? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Jessica Fisher says

      March 2, 2015 at

      No, I usually uncover to bake, but if you prefer to uncover for half, that’s fine too.

      Reply
  10. Julie Davis says

    March 16, 2015 at

    Do the uncooked noodles work fine whether baking or freezing first?

    Reply
    • Jessica Fisher says

      March 16, 2015 at

      I’ve never had trouble with them. As long as there is abundant sauce, you’re good.

      Reply
  11. Nia says

    March 20, 2015 at

    I’m not sure how I’ve gone this long without trying your lasagne recipe, considering I love your other recipes I’ve tried. This is one delicious dish and the best lasagne I’ve ever made. I used up a bunch of parsley we got in the veggie box and was so glad to have a dish that received the parsley so well. We also used regular green onions, ’cause I didn’t have any chives. Didn’t have the fresh basil either, but it was just fine with the dried basil I had on hand. You sure cooked up a winner when you put this recipe together. So good.

    Reply
    • Jessica Fisher says

      March 28, 2015 at

      So glad you liked it!

      Reply
  12. Nia says

    March 20, 2015 at

    Oh and we like our sauce a little sweet, but instead of sugar we used liquid Stevia, 14 drops this time, but next time I think I’ll keep it at 10 like I do for our homemade pasta sauce.

    Reply
  13. Anne O'Malley says

    September 19, 2017 at

    I just assembled the lasagna and I can’t wait to taste it. It smells amazing and the meat sauce was delicious! A quick question about the chicken broth and cream cheese mixture…I heated the mixture and it was very runny. I wasn’t sure if this is supposed to be a runny mixture or if I should have used regular cream cheese instead of light? Thanks so much for all of your delicious recipes!

    Reply
    • Jessica Fisher says

      September 19, 2017 at

      It should be fine. It is a really thin liquid but thickens up when baked. Hope you love dinner tonight!

      Reply
  14. Jasmine says

    January 22, 2018 at

    Ok, so this is my first time ever really paying attention to a blog. Recently I’ve decided to get my groceries and meals in order so that my LO is eating and I have something for lunch lol. THIS RECIPE IS BOMB!!!! This meal plan was my first to try and this is by far a family favorite! When I make my trip to the store again this will definitely be something I stock up on so that I have it handy.

    Reply
    • Jessica Fisher says

      January 22, 2018 at

      Yay! I’m so glad you liked it. Tell all your friends. 😉

      Reply
  15. Carmen says

    May 14, 2018 at

    5 stars
    I have to admit I was leery of this recipe but it was sooooo good. I had the no boil noodles in the pantry and I used jarred sauce cause I did not have canned tomatoes. I love lasagna and this is my favorite recipe so far.

    Reply
    • Jessica Fisher says

      May 14, 2018 at

      I’m so glad you liked it! What made you leery? Just curious.

      Reply
  16. Lee says

    October 3, 2018 at

    This is my favorite lasagna recipe! It’s so yummy. It’s what I bring people when they need an extra meal, and yes, I nearly always make 4 at a time. Two in pans that would be easy to transport and throw away when finished. 🙂

    Reply
    • Jessica Fisher says

      November 10, 2018 at

      I’m so glad to hear it! When you have a minute will you pop back to the post and click the number of stars in the comment box? That will give it a starred review. Thank you for your feedback!

      Reply
  17. Liri says

    January 30, 2019 at

    5 stars
    Made this a froze it. It was amazing! My husband said it’s the best lasagna he’s ever tasted. Thanks Jessica.

    Reply
  18. Sierra says

    April 30, 2019 at

    5 stars
    I’ve made this recipe several times now and the entire family loves it. Tastiest and simplest lasagna recipe ever! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Jessica Fisher says

      April 30, 2019 at

      Yay! So glad to hear it!

      Reply
  19. Jen says

    January 28, 2020 at

    5 stars
    This was very different to other lasagna recipes I’ve made, and I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. I was afraid it would be like the soggy attempts at “lasagne” I had experienced living in England, and that it might be bland for my taste. Well, it was delicious! The ingredients are simple, but the taste is rich and flavorful. I love that I didn’t rely on unhealthy store-bought sauce as I normally would, and though I like ricotta cheese, I think the cream cheese works even better. It was tastier and much easier to assemble. I feel like a bit of a rock star any time I use fresh herbs, and they make it pretty to look at also. I couldn’t find garlic chives, so used regular onion chives…I will look forward to trying the garlic sometime, though!

    My boys were big fans, and I feel rather proud of myself for producing something so tasty from simple ingredients! Thanks.

    Reply
    • Jessica Fisher says

      January 28, 2020 at

      Yay! So glad you enjoyed it. One of my faves as well.

      Reply

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