Poor Man's Lasagna Recipe - Inspiration Made Simple (2024)

Posted by Kim Morgan | May 21, 2013 | recipes | 25 |

If you are a busy mom with busy kids like I am, then I know you are all about family meals that are simple to make, don’t cost a lot, and don’t take a lot of time, but still taste delicious. I have a great recipe for you and the best part is it only requires four ingredients! I learned this Poor Man’s Lasagna recipe from my ex-Mother-in-Law. It is inexpensive to make and delicious to eat and especially good for those that don’t like ricotta, like me.

Simple Family Dinner Recipe

POOR MAN’S LASAGNA INGREDIENTS:

Rotini
1/2 lb. ground beef
Spaghetti Sauce
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Cook 2 cups of rotini following the directions on the box.
While rotini is cooking, brown the ground beef.
Combine the cooked rotini, ground beef, and a jar of spaghetti sauce into a casserole dish.
Top with a layer of mozzarella.
Bake for 30 minutes.

I typically serve Poor Man’s Lasagna with a side salad and garlic bread and it is always a family favorite. Of course, you can easily add peppers, sausage, or other ingredients to give it a bit more kick, but I like it just how it is. Plus, it tastes pretty good the next day for lunch – and we know how easy leftovers for lunch is!

If you like pasta, you’ll want to check out these Primavera Lasagna Cups, , and Pasta with Kale Pesto.

Print Recipe

Poor Man's Lasagna

Simple 4 ingredient lasagna that is a crowd-pleaser!

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Keyword: lasagna

Servings: 6 people

Author: Inspiration Made Simple

Ingredients

Rotini
1/2 lb. ground beef
Spaghetti Sauce
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit
Cook 2 cups of rotini following the directions on the box.
While rotini is cooking, brown the ground beef.
Combine the cooked rotini, ground beef and a jar of spaghetti sauce into a casserole dish.
Top with a layer of mozzarella.
Bake for 30 minutes.

Notes

Serve with garlic bread and salad for a tummy-tempting Italian meal!

What is your favorite family-friendly dinner? I’m always looking for ideas that are quick and everyone will enjoy!

Rate:

About The Author

Kim Morgan

Kim is a Marketing Specialist with Inspiration Media Solutions by day and Blogger by night. She's a wife, mom of three beautiful children and two fur-babies, a Goldendoodle and a rescued Pibble. For even more Inspiration Made Simple, like her on Facebook and Instagram+.

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25 Comments

Kenzie Smith on May 22, 2013 at 12:05 am
Love this simple recipe! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Reply
Kelly on November 8, 2016 at 8:29 pm
Very good! I put mushrooms and some minced garlic cloves in mine. Only took about 40 mins between prepping/baking it! Definitely an easy and delicious and cheap meal to make after working all day and coming home to sick children!
Reply
- Kim Conner on November 8, 2016 at 8:48 pm
  Oooo! I like those additions. I don’t think I could get away with mushrooms, but I might have to give the garlic a try. I’m glad it helped make your evening a bit easier and hope your kids get better quick!
  Reply
Nina Gardner on November 13, 2016 at 3:07 pm
My family loved it and it was easy and cheap to make!! Thanks for the recipe!!
Reply
- Kim Conner on November 13, 2016 at 6:27 pm
  You are so welcome! I’m glad you guys enjoyed it.
  Reply
Johnathan koch on December 19, 2016 at 4:51 pm
I only have a can of sauce, how much do you usually use? How many ounces are in your cans? Don’t need a specific amount an estimate will do just fine if you know too!
Reply
- Kim Conner on December 19, 2016 at 8:44 pm
  I usually use a 24 oz jar. 🙂
  Reply
Mandy on January 12, 2017 at 12:44 pm
How many does this serve?
Reply
- Kim Conner on January 12, 2017 at 9:44 pm
  It feeds our family of 5.
  Reply
Patti on July 21, 2017 at 8:51 am
Has anybody tried to freeze this? At what point would I freeze it?
Reply
- Kim Conner on July 21, 2017 at 11:10 am
  I have not, but I would personally freeze it after the rotini has been cooked and combined with the sauce in a pan. Add the mozzarella cheese on top and then freeze. That way you can take it out of the freezer and pop it in the over and as it cooks, the cheese would melt.
  Reply
Joyce on August 9, 2017 at 6:19 pm
Battle royale with my mom on this …
Is 2 cups of rotini equivalent to a 16 oz box ?
Thanks . Argued about this for a whiiiiiiile !!!!
Reply
- Kim Conner on August 10, 2017 at 7:27 pm
  I’m not sure who’s bubble I am going to burst but… 2 cups of rotini is equivalent to 1/2 of a 16 oz box. 😉
  Reply
Michele on December 22, 2017 at 1:50 pm
What size pan did you use?
Reply
- Kim Conner on December 27, 2017 at 6:18 pm
  9×9 square glass dish
  Reply
Vanessa on February 27, 2018 at 2:43 pm
I’m now coming across this recipe and I want to try it out!! What size box of rotini did you use?
Reply
- Vanessa on February 27, 2018 at 2:45 pm
  Sorry! I’m seeing it in the instructions! Lol
  Apparently I don’t know how to read! :p
  Reply
  - Kim Conner on February 27, 2018 at 8:11 pm
    HA! I’m glad you found it. Hope you enjoy!
    Reply
Margie on February 28, 2018 at 12:14 pm
I’m making this for my family today and can’t wait to see how it turns out
Reply
- Kim Conner on March 1, 2018 at 9:38 am
  I hope you and your family enjoyed it!
  Reply
Jerry on July 5, 2018 at 8:36 pm
Thank you a billion times over!
I love this recipe, but even better? I made this for a friend who is super picky about what he eats (he is worse than a toddler when it comes to what he will eat and won’t lol) and he ate it and said he loved it, and asked for the recipe, so thank you 🙂
Reply
- Kim Conner on July 9, 2018 at 9:23 am
  That’s awesome! I’m glad you both enjoyed it.
  Reply
Heather on June 22, 2019 at 11:36 pm
I don’t have Rotini, can I use Penne pasta or will I need to adjust the cooking time?
Reply
- Kim Conner on June 24, 2019 at 10:52 am
  I think penne would work perfectly. I’ve used shells before and didn’t adjust the baking time and it turned out fine. 😉
  Reply
Linda on April 14, 2021 at 5:07 pm
Does anyone know the real Sicilian name for this dish?
Reply

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Poor Man's Lasagna Recipe - Inspiration Made Simple (34)

My name is Kim, founder of Inspiration Made Simple, and I'm really glad you have stopped by!

I'm a mom, wife, fitness and fashion enthusiast. I love sharing simple and affordable ideas that help make your busy life easier, including craft tutorials, affordable fashion, printables, recipes, party ideas, and fun family activities. Learn more about Kim...