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20 delicious twists on classic lasagna
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20 delicious twists on classic lasagna

How many different ways are there to make lasagna? The answer: a lot more than you might think. While pasta, tomato sauce, ricotta, and mozzarella are the standard ingredients, there are plenty of things you can add, take away, or change in order put a unique spin on this classic dish – and we’ve compiled 20 different recipes showcasing the numerous creative and tasty variations. Some are traditional lasagna recipes with surprise added ingredients, others are completely re-tooled spins on the dish, and a couple aren’t lasagna at all, but instead different lasagna-inspired dishes.

 
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Black Bean Lasagna

Black Bean Lasagna
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Have you ever had lasagna with beans? Don’t knock it until you try it, especially when it comes to this cheesy black bean lasagna recipe from Taste of Home. That cheese, by the way, isn’t just your typical combination. For this baby, we use a Mexican cheese mix instead of the mozzarella, which still pairs wonderfully with the ricotta.

 
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Butternut Squash and Sage Lasagna

Butternut Squash and Sage Lasagna
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Butternut squash season is now upon us, which means this is the perfect time to start thinking about relevant dishes. For our part, we recommend this butternut squash and sage lasagna recipe from Martha Stewart, which uses a cream-based sauce and no tomatoes whatsoever.

 
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Cannelloni Lasagna

Cannelloni Lasagna
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When making lasagna, chefs almost always opt for lasagna noodles. That seems logical, but this slideshow isn’t about logic. Instead, try swapping out the traditional pasta for cannelloni, the large, cylindrical pasta tubes that are similar to giant rigatoni or ziti. Now you can stuff your pasta instead of layering it! Customize it however you’d like, but we’d recommend this spinach and sausage version from Key Ingredient.

 
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Chocolate Lasagna

Chocolate Lasagna
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Here’s a huge twist: dessert lasagna! This chocolate lasagna from Spaceships & Laser Beams starts with an Oreo crust base, adds a layer of cream cheese and Cool Whip, followed by a layer of vanilla and chocolate pudding, and finally another layer of cool whip. You can even top it with another covering of chocolate, if you’d like!

 
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Ham and Mushroom Lasagna

Ham and Mushroom Lasagna
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Oh the places lasagna can go! This recipe from Midwest Living ditches the tomato sauce in favor of alfredo and adds ham and fresh cremini mushrooms to the mix - plus some thinly sliced and in-season zucchini. This meal is also quick, as you can go from prep to plate in only an hour!

 
6 of 20

Lasagna Bolognese

Lasagna Bolognese
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What separates lasagna Bolognese from traditional lasagna? Mostly it’s the addition of Bechamel, a sauce consisting of milk, butter, flour, nutmeg, and ground pepper. This version from Food Network also features a ragu made from porcini and white button mushrooms, ground chuck, carrots, celery, white wine, brandy, and, of course, tomatoes, herbs, and spices.

 
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Lasagna Pizza

Lasagna Pizza
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Not only does this pizza include all the flavors of lasagna, but this recipe from The Daily Meal will show you how to make a date-sized version for two using sausage (or beef, if you wish). Feel free to make it larger if you can spare the oven space, or lay it out in the aesthetically pleasing spiral design shown here - should you opt to be truly daring, that is.

 
8 of 20

Lasagna Primavera

Lasagna Primavera
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Lasagna primavera, like any pasta primavera, is made with fresh vegetables. However, sometimes timing makes eating fresh produce difficult, which is why we love this freeze-ahead version from Martha Stewart. It uses peas, spinach, and carrots, but the exact veggies are of course up to you!

 
9 of 20

Lasagna Roll-Ups

Lasagna Roll-Ups
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Turn your lasagna into a portion-controlled side dish or just a well-presented main course with this adorable lasagna roll-up recipe from Kraft. This is also a fun way to serve lasagna for your kids, and it’s so easy that they can even help with the prep!

 
10 of 20

Mini Lasagna Cups

Mini Lasagna Cups
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Don’t have a lasagna dish? Don’t sweat it! If you have a muffin tin, you can make numerous mini lasagnas using only eight ingredients and 40 minutes of your time. Heck, you don’t even need lasagna noodles for this one, as the recipe from Damn Delicious calls for wonton wrappers instead.

 
11 of 20

Pastitsio

Pastitsio
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Also known as “Greek lasagna,” pastitsio is similar to the Italian version, except the pasta used is ziti, the cheese used is kasseri or kefalotyri, the sauce is a béchamel, and cinnamon is added. Okay, maybe it’s not so similar. Intrigued? Test out this recipe from Recipe Girl to try it yourself.

 
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Pesto Lasagna

Pesto Lasagna
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Have a penchant for pesto? For your consideration, we present this pesto lasagna from BBC Good Food. Grab your favorite pesto recipe (or use the link within the link) and combine it with mascarpone, peas, spinach, basil, mint, parmesan, and pine nuts layered with sheets of pasta.

 
13 of 20

Pumpkin Lasagna

Pumpkin Lasagna
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Pumpkin season is right around the corner, so be sure to add this pumpkin lasagna recipe from Food & Wine to your arsenal now. In reality, you could actually make this dish at any time, as it calls for canned pumpkin puree... but it’ll really hit the spot between September and November, when the weather cools off a bit.

 
14 of 20

Ricotta-Free Lasagna

Ricotta-Free Lasagna
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Did you know some folks refuse to put ricotta in their lasagna? Most people think that’s odd, but for those looking to use less dairy (or they just don’t care for ricotta), this Food.com recipe for easy, ricotta-free lasagna is perfect. Nine ingredients, nine servings; it doesn’t get much easier than that.

 
15 of 20

Salmon Lasagna

Salmon Lasagna
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Although seafood lasagna is a thing (more on that momentarily), salmon rarely gets invited to the party. Buona Pappa decided to do something about it and created this smoked salmon lasagna recipe. Instead of tomato or alfredo, this one calls for a béchamel sauce that you can make at home using only milk, flour, butter, salt, and nutmeg.

 
16 of 20

Seafood Lasagna Alfredo

Seafood Lasagna Alfredo
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Italy has a whole lot of coastline, making seafood lasagna a perfect pairing. You’ll want to rock a cream sauce with this version from Taste of Home, which contains shrimp, crab, and mushrooms.

 
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Skillet Lasagna

Skillet Lasagna
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Lots of lasagna recipes already require you to brown ground beef in a skillet, so why not just make the whole meal in one pan? According to The Recipe Critic, it’s as simple as cooking the meat (beef and sausage, in this case); combining with onion, garlic, and seasonings; adding sauce and broken lasagna noodles; and finishing with three types of cheese (ricotta, parmesan, and mozzarella). You can even make a single-serving version!

 
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Slow-Cooker Lasagna

Slow-Cooker Lasagna
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Look like your typical lasagna? It should, as the only “twist” in this recipe from Tastes Better From Scratch is that it’s made in your slow cooker! You’ll still need to brown and simmer the meat for 15-20 minutes in a skillet (unless you go vegetarian), but all the work after that will be completed by our favorite kitchen appliance. So kick back and relax while dinner is being made - you deserve it. 

 
19 of 20

Soft Cheese & Zucchini Lasagna

Soft Cheese & Zucchini Lasagna
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The tag-team of zucchini, cream cheese, and creme fraiche in this recipe from Fine Dining Lovers is unbelievable, especially with the addition of numerous herbs (parsley, chives, dill, basil, mint) and garlic. Plus, it only takes 40 minutes to make!

 
20 of 20

Vegan Lasagna

Vegan Lasagna
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The trickiest part of making lasagna vegan-friendly is all the cheese, but with such a large variety of vegan cheeses available today, this challenge is no longer daunting. Once you’ve secured your plant-based ricotta, you’re ready for this recipe from Vegan Huggs that also includes spinach and mushrooms.

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