Ramen Lasagna Twist Dish (Printable)

Layers of curled noodles, tomato sauce, and melted cheese baked to golden perfection.

# What You'll Need:

→ Noodles

01 - 3 instant ramen noodle bricks, 3 oz each, seasoning packets discarded

→ Sauce

02 - 2 cups tomato pasta sauce
03 - 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs (optional)
04 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

→ Cheese

05 - 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, 7 oz
06 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1.8 oz
07 - 1 cup ricotta or cottage cheese, 9 oz

→ Garnish (optional)

08 - Fresh basil leaves
09 - Cracked black pepper

# Directions:

01 - Set the oven temperature to 375°F.
02 - Combine tomato pasta sauce with dried Italian herbs and garlic powder in a medium bowl.
03 - Mix ricotta or cottage cheese with half of the grated Parmesan in a separate bowl.
04 - Lightly grease an 8x8-inch baking dish with oil or butter.
05 - Spread one-quarter of the tomato sauce evenly on the bottom of the baking dish.
06 - Place one ramen brick on top of the sauce, breaking it to fit as needed.
07 - Spread one-third of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, then sprinkle with one-third of the shredded mozzarella.
08 - Repeat the layers of sauce, noodles, ricotta mixture, and mozzarella two more times, finishing with the remaining sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese on top.
09 - Pour 1/2 cup water around the edges of the dish to aid in cooking the noodles.
10 - Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
11 - Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes until the top is golden and bubbling.
12 - Allow the dish to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh basil and cracked black pepper as desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It costs almost nothing to make but tastes indulgent enough to serve to people you want to impress.
  • The ramen gets tender and soaks up sauce in a way that feels almost creamy, without any ramen-y flavor overpowering the dish.
  • You can have it on the table in 40 minutes, which means weeknight dinner or last-minute guests become totally manageable.
02 -
  • Don't cook the ramen noodles first—they sound wrong, but they'll soften perfectly from the sauce and steam in the oven, and pre-cooking them makes them turn into a weird mushy paste.
  • The water poured around the edges is the whole trick to keeping the noodles tender instead of crispy, so don't skip it or get tempted to skip the foil for the first 20 minutes.
03 -
  • Buy the cheapest ramen you can find—the fancy ones or flavored ones don't make a difference here, and you're literally throwing away the seasoning anyway.
  • Don't be stingy with the cheese layers; this dish lives and dies on that gooey, melty middle, so use full amounts and don't think you're saving money by cutting back.
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