Why Try a Frozen Lasagna?
Frozen lasagna is one of my go-to dinner ideas when I have no time or energy to even think about making dinner. Although making a lasagna from scratch certainly comes with bragging rights, it can be time consuming. There are lots of ingredients to purchase, there’s lots to clean up, and sometimes we just want to throw something in the oven real quick. Here we give you some alternatives to cooking all day – by highlighting some of our favorite frozen lasagnas!
It is a good replacement and easy to keep on hand. It freezes well and is super easy to prepare from frozen. It is definitely a huge time-saver too since lasagna from scratch can take up a pretty big chunk of time! Here we take a look at every type of lasagna imaginable, from your regular style, to dairy-free, vegan, and even gluten-free versions. We tried many different brands so you don’t have to. Here are the top ones!
1. Michael Angelo’s with Meat Sauce (Overall Best Taste Award)
We like this one for overall best taste and the simplest ingredients – no preservatives – just real ingredients. Cheesy with a nice bit of ricotta mixed in as well. This is the closest to homemade in our opinion and it’s most likely because they make these in small batches from scratch.
Check the site here for where to buy.
2. Stouffer’s Classic Meat Lasagna (Best Classic Style Award)
For some of us this orange box is the frozen lasagna of our youth and for that it’s almost a cult classic. It’s the quintessential frozen lasagna – very saucy with soft, slightly overcooked noodles, but somehow that is part of the nostalgia of it all. If you let it sit for a bit after coming out of the oven, it’s less runny which works well. There is definitely something quite comforting about this particular version, but I feel like maybe it’s because it reminds us of our childhood.
Check the site here for where to buy.
3. Rao’s Meat Lasagna (Best Quality)
Rao’s (a brand known for their tomato sauce) has also entered the frozen lasagna arena. Made with no added sugars, the sauce is the star in this version. The portions are small – but it’s obvious they are going for quality over quantity, by focusing on making it taste like a home-cooked meal. This has a slightly thicker noodle than most, but the other ingredients help to round it out.
Check the site here for where to buy.
4. Trader Joe’s Family Style Meat Lasagna (Most Cheesiest Award)
This version is tasty, pretty meaty, and it definitely wins for most gooey and cheesy due to its top layer of mozzarella. While the ricotta on the inside is a bit bland, the sauce more than makes up for it. While it’s able to feed a family of 4, keep in mind that it does take 70 minutes to bake.
Check the site here for where to buy.
5. Costco Italian Sausage and Beef Lasagna (Best Value Award)
This is by far the best value in terms of cost and serving size. The taste is consistent and is a crowd pleaser. The flavor is good since it has both Italian sausage and ground beef. This is sold in a 2 pack each with about 8 servings and can feed 16 people a decent-sized portion.
Check the site here for where to buy.
6. Marie Callender’s Three Meat and Cheese Lasagna (Best for Meat Lovers Award)
This one is definitely for the meat lovers out there. If there was an award for having the most different types of meat, this one would win. It has sausage, pepperoni, and beef which add a ton of flavor. One thing to note though: even though there are supposed to be four cheeses, we really only tasted the ricotta.
Check the site here for where to buy.
7. Trader Joe’s Spinach Lasagna – (Extra Veggies Award)
If you love spinach you will appreciate the fact that it is the first ingredient listed. This is also great for those who are trying to get more veggies into their day. This is by far our favorite for those who need a quick lunch at the office as you only need to have access to a microwave.
Check the site here for where to buy.
8. Udi’s Gluten-Free Italian Sausage Lasagna (Best Gluten-Free with Meat Award)
A great gluten-free version with meat. This Italian sausage version is on the small side, but we love that it is a meat version that is also gluten free. The sausage is in small pieces throughout this dish and add a nice flavor to the sauce. The noodles here are bit more chewy, but still pretty decent for being gluten-free.
Check the site here for where to buy.
9. Amy’s Gluten-Free Vegetable Lasagna (Best Gluten-Free & Vegetarian Award)
We love this as the front runner for a gluten-free and vegetarian version. The ricotta and the vegetables make this a light, yet hearty meal. So many vegetables in this one – Spinach, Zucchini, Broccoli, Carrots And Peas. It’s definitely a very flavorful alternative to a meat lasagna, and the noodles are so good that you can barely tell that they’re gluten-free. It’s also soy-free / tree nut-free / kosher.
Check the site here for where to buy.
10. Amy’s Vegan Gluten-Free Lasagna (Best Gluten-Free & Vegan Award)
For anyone who can’t have dairy, this one is perfect as it uses Daiya cheese (a vegan cheese brand). The rice flour noodles work well with the vegetable filled sauce – we noticed the zucchini, spinach and onions gave this a great flavor profile so we don’t even miss the milk-based cheese.
Check the site here for where to buy.
11. Lean Cuisine Lasagna with Meat Sauce (Best Low Calorie / Healthier Award)
It seems they keep the calories low with this version by using very little mozzarella cheese. While lasagna isn’t exactly the healthiest of meals, this is definitely a healthier option than most ones out there. At 310 calories, this is great for those watching what they eat. The beef, pork meat sits between just two noodles, for this tasty, yet calorie-conscious version. This also is easy to find, as most major grocery chains carry Lean Cuisine.
Check the site here for where to buy.
12. Cali’flour Frozen Lasagna with Meat Sauce (Best Low Carb / Keto-Friendly Award)
This is on our list as a great alternative to regular pasta noodles, which make it low-carb / keto-friendly / diabetic-friendly as well. The “noodles” are made from cauliflower, and the sauce has meat, mushroom and spinach to add a nice flavor profile. With only 11g of net carbs, this is also a great alternative for someone watching their carbs. They even have a vegetarian version!
Check the site here for where to buy.
13. Evol Butternut Squash Lasagna (Most Unique Award)
This frozen version wins for most unique. This is the only cream-based sauce on the list, and it contains butternut squash which gives it a slightly sweeter taste. It has plenty of ricotta, along with some spinach and carrots as well. The combination of butternut squash, carrots, spinach, red bell peppers and cream sauce make this one-of-a-kind in terms of frozen lasagnas.
Check the site here for where to buy.
This concludes our list of the best frozen lasagnas. Are there any that jump out at you to try first?
If you like this post check out our Black Truffle Ravioli recipe post.
