When you want a hearty dinner that’s packed with protein and comes with gut health benefits, our Farmer Cheese Lasagna is just the answer. This one-pan comfort food dish features creamy Lifeway Farmer Cheese and Lifeway Salted Kefir Butter for a filling, cozy meal that’s made to share. It’s rich, hearty, and filled with classic lasagna ingredients but elevated with a special touch only Lifeway can bring.
Layers of noodles, meat sauce, a cheese filling made with our creamy farmer cheese, gooey mozzarella, and enhanced with a richness from our probiotic salted kefir butter, this Farmer Cheese Lasagna is the dish to make when you’re looking to feed a crowd and want to make a special impression you can count on.
Serve it with some garlic bread, rolls, a fresh salad, or whatever else you prefer. Just be sure not to forget to grab some Lifeway Farmer Cheese and Lifeway Salted Kefir Butter at a store near you.
You can also find more delicious ways to use farmer cheese here, and discover more Lifeway recipes here. Enjoy!
The Benefits of Cultured Dairy for Better Health:
Research continues to show the importance of eating healthy foods, including cultured dairy such as kefir, for better gut health, a strong immune system, and to support the microbiome. Fermented foods like kefir hold important value in this line of research due to the link between the gut-brain axis and overall health.
Specifically, kefir has been shown to help diversify the microbiome, support the digestive system, reduce inflammation, support healthier blood sugar levels, and improve satiety since the bioavailable protein it contains triggers the release of GLP-1. Lifeway Kefir also contains a variety of nutrients that are vital for healthy bones and overall health including vitamins D3, K, and B 12 along with calcium and potassium. Along with our kefir, we also offer our creamy, cultured Lifeway Farmer Cheese, a high protein cheese made with live and active cultures to support a healthy microbiome that’s easy to spread and contains no added salt or sugar.
Prep Time: 1 hour 30 mins Servings: 8-12
Ingredients
Meat Sauce:
- 3 tbsp. Salted Kefir Butter
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 pound of ground beef
- 2 (24 oz) jars of marinara sauce
- 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
- dash each of salt and pepper, or to taste
Cheese Filling:
- 4 cups Farmer Cheese
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 tbsp. dried parsley
- dash each of salt and pepper, or to taste
For Assembly:
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees, Fahrenheit. Coat a 9 x 13 inch pan lightly with oil or nonstick spray and set aside.
- Melted the Lifeway Salted Kefir Butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the ground beef to the pot and let it cook, but as it cooks, break it into pieces with a wooden or metal spatula or spoon to brown properly. Add marinara, Italian seasoning, oregano, red pepper, salt, and black pepper. Simmer the mixture for 30 minutes.
- In a bowl, mix Lifeway Farmer Cheese, egg, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, and black pepper until fully combined (you can also process this in a food processor). Set aside.
- Take the pan from step 1 and spread 1 cup of meat sauce in the bottom of the pan. Place 4 lasagna noodles over sauce and spread 1/3 Cheese Filling on top. Add 1/3 of the mozzarella next, then spoon 1 cup of sauce after that. Repeat layers twice more, and end with remaining sauce, cheese filling, and mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake for 25 mins. Remove foil and bake another 25 mins. Let lasagna rest for 15 mins before serving.
