Cheesy Lasagna Pie (Printable)
Italian-American comfort pie with flaky crust, rich meat sauce, and stretchy melted cheese layers.
# What You'll Need:
→ Crust
01 - 1 sheet refrigerated 9-inch pie crust (homemade or store-bought)
→ Meat Sauce
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - 1 pound ground beef (Italian sausage or plant-based alternative may be substituted)
04 - 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 jar (24 ounces) marinara sauce
07 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
08 - Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
→ Cheese and Filling
09 - 1 ½ cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
10 - 1 large egg
11 - 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided use
12 - ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
13 - 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped (1 teaspoon dried basil may be substituted)
14 - ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
# Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Unroll the pie crust and gently press it into a 9-inch pie dish. Trim any overhanging dough and flute the edges decoratively. Prick the bottom lightly with a fork to prevent puffing. Set the lined dish aside.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, until evenly browned and no pink remains, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Drain excess fat from the pan if needed.
03 - Add the diced onion and minced garlic to the browned beef. Sauté until the onion is softened and translucent, about 3 minutes. Pour in the marinara sauce, dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and let the sauce simmer gently for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
04 - In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, egg, 1 cup of the mozzarella, Parmesan, chopped basil, and red pepper flakes. Stir until the mixture is smooth, creamy, and well blended.
05 - Spread half of the meat sauce evenly across the bottom of the prepared pie crust. Drop spoonfuls of the ricotta mixture over the sauce layer and gently spread it into an even layer. Top with the remaining meat sauce, then sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella evenly over the surface.
06 - Loosely tent the pie with aluminum foil and place it in the center of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, then carefully remove the foil and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes, or until the cheese is deeply golden and bubbling.
07 - Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. This resting period helps the layers set and ensures clean, gooey portions. Serve warm, garnished with additional fresh basil if desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It gives you all the comfort of lasagna without the fussy noodle boiling and layering stress that usually makes you question your life choices by layer three.
- The flaky crust on the bottom is a revelation you did not know you needed, soaking up just enough sauce to become tender without turning to mush.
02 -
- Skip the resting time and you will end up with a molten cheese avalanche on your plate instead of neat slices that actually show off those gorgeous layers.
- Blind baking the crust for just 5 minutes before assembling makes a huge difference if you hate a soggy bottom, which honestly should be everyone.
03 -
- The cheese pulls its best stretch when you use whole milk mozzarella rather than the low moisture part skim version that seems tempting but never melts quite as luxuriously.
- If your ricotta seems wet, drain it in a fine mesh strainer for ten minutes before mixing because excess moisture is the silent enemy of a clean slice.