I love lasagna. But to be honest I don’t enjoy layering the ingredients to make lasagna. And I recently realized I have never seen lasagna noodles at an Aldi, where I buy most of our groceries.

Macaroni noodles are much easier to find, much easier to use and much more friendly to eat. Just use your spoon to scoop. No cutting through flat noodles required.

So I recently realized: why not just make lasagna with macaroni? Instead of layering all of the ingredients, prepare them and mix them all together in the same big dish.

Here’s the recipe I created, a hybrid of lasagna and macaroni and cheese. It’s easy enough to make on a weeknight when you have a little time and also indulgent enough to bake for a special occasion. Enjoy!

Lasagna Mac & Cheese

What You Need

2 cups macaroni

16-ounce package ricotta cheese (or cottage if you prefer)

2 eggs

1 pound ground beef (seasoned how you like…We prefer garlic powder and oregano to taste.)

2 cups cheese (your choice…We used cheddar.)

pasta sauce (your own or ours in this recipe)

What You Do

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Brown ground beef and mix with garlic powder and oregano (or your preferred seasonings) to taste.

3. Cook macaroni until slightly tender when cut with a spoon.

4. Mix 2 eggs with package of ricotta cheese in a small mixing bowl.

5. Mix your tomato sauce, or grab the store-bought variety.

6. In a large pot or mixing bowl, combine noodles, beef, tomato sauce and cheese mixture.

7. Pour mixture into lightly greased 9×13 pan.

8. Cover entire mixture with 2 cups of shredded cheese.

9. Bake for 30 minutes until cheese on top browns a bit. You can cover the dish for part or all of the baking, but your cheese won’t brown the same that way.

10. Serve.

#FoodieScore Pro Tip: You can even add your own breadsticks if you feel adventurous. Use the crust portion of our pizza recipe. Instead of rolling out the crust, divide the ready-made dough into 8 balls, then use your palms to mold them into breadsticks. You can coat them in garlic powder and butter or olive oil for more flavor. Bake at 450 for 8 minutes!