- Meatballs:
- 4 slices day-old bread
- 1 cup warm water
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 pounds ground beef
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 (12 ounce) package lasagna noodles
- Sauce:
- 1 (24 ounce) jar prepared spaghetti sauce (such as Prego®)
- 1 (12 ounce) can tomato paste
- 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
- Cheese Mixture:
- 1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
- 1 (12 ounce) container cottage cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, or as needed
- Soak bread slices in warm water in a bowl for 5 minutes; squeeze bread dry and transfer to a large bowl.
- Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion and garlic in hot butter until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add onion and garlic to bread. Stir 1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning into bread and onions until thoroughly combined. Crumble ground beef into mixture; mix until thoroughly combined. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Form ground beef mixture into 1-inch meatballs. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Pan-fry meatballs until browned, working in batches if necessary, about 10 minutes, turning often. Set meatballs aside.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Combine prepared spaghetti sauce, tomato paste, and Cheddar cheese soup in a bowl. Combine ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, 2 cups mozzarella cheese, and parsley in a separate bowl.
- Spread 1 cup of sauce mixture into the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Layer 1/3 the lasagna noodles over the sauce, overlapping if necessary. Arrange meat balls over noodles. Place 1/3 the lasagna noodles over meat balls, and spread with cheese mixture in an even layer. Top cheese layer with remaining 1/3 the lasagna noodles and spread remaining sauce over top layer of noodles. Sprinkle top with 1 cup mozzarella cheese.
- Bake lasagna in the preheated oven until casserole is bubbling and the topping is melted, about 1 hour.