Cream Cheese Lasagna with Sausage
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Oct 10, 2025 
Our Best Sausage Lasagna Recipe: You just can’t beat homemade lasagna layered with piles of noodles, Italian sausage, and cheese. This rich lasagna is a family tradition with a surprise ingredient no one can resist!
Cream Cheese Lasagna – A Cozy Family Favorite
Ahhhh, lasagna. I love the way that word rolls off the tongue. Nothing but warm, fuzzy feelings could possibly fill my heart upon hearing that there’s going to be our best lasagna for dinner. We’ve got several wonderful lasagna recipe on the site, from Greek Lasagna (Pastitsio) and Easy Spinach Lasagna, to decadent Chocolate Lasagna.
Homemade lasagna has been a family favorite on both sides of our family for years. But I’ll never forget the first time I made it with a life-altering ingredient.
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
Right after Lt. Dan and I got married, we went to Indiana to visit his family. To make myself useful (and endearing) to my new mother-in-law, I offered to help prepare dinner every chance I got. Dan’s mom, Sue, is an exceptional cook, and I only hoped I wouldn’t do something silly and embarrass myself.
One evening, homemade lasagna was on the menu. We prepared a thick, hearty meat sauce and let it gently simmer on the stovetop. We boiled the noodles and laid them on clean tea towels. Then, when it was time to assemble the lasagna, I looked in the fridge for the necessary cheeses but could not find ricotta.
Sue informed me that their family didn’t use ricotta cheese in homemade lasagna.
“Colliers use Cream Cheese.”
Cream cheese in sausage lasagna? I couldn’t imagine lasagna without ricotta. That is, until I tasted it. Fireworks. Clashing Cymbals. A Flavor Tidal Wave of Epic Proportion. All I could think was, “Thank God, I’m now a Collier.”
Ricotta vs. Cream Cheese Lasagna
Once you’ve added cream cheese to our best lasagna, there is no turning back to ricotta.
This homemade sausage lasagna recipe is essentially my mother-in-law’s recipe with three heaping layers of noodles, thick sausage-based meat sauce, and a 3 cheese blend. Sue taught me to mix mozzarella, parmesan, and silky cream cheese to create the perfect combination of salty goodness and creamy texture.
This is a magnificent Italian sausage lasagna recipe. Not to sound smug, but after tasting, you’ll be just as thankful as I am to have it. You may even want to change your last name to Collier. *wink*
Ingredients You Need
- Box of Lasagna Noodles – I’m using traditional lasagna noodles, but you can swap with the no-boil version if you like.
- Homemade Marinara or Store-Bought Tomato Sauce
- Italian Sausage – ground, mild or spicy sausage
- Softened Cream Cheese
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- Shredded Parmesan Cheese
- Italian Seasoning
How To Make Cream Cheese Lasagna
Tips for Success: For easier handling, spread the cream cheese on the lasagna noodles before layering them in the baking dish. I suggest laying them on a clean work surface and smearing them with cream cheese all at once. Then start the layering process.
Find the full Sausage Lasagna with Cream Cheese recipe with ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
More Lasagna Recipes
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, wrap it well with plastic wrap/aluminum foil and store it in your fridge. The following day, bake at 375 for 40 to 50 minutes. Only covered if you feel the cheese is starting to get too crisp.
Sure! Make sure to lay the sliced zucchini sheets on paper towels to absorb as much moisture as possible. You can also swap the pasta for gluten-free lasagna noodles.
Swap away! Of course, it will lose a bit of flavor because spicy Italian sausage is loaded with herbs and spices, but it will still taste wonderful.
A 12-ounce box will work, but if you buy a 16-ounce box, go ahead and boil all the noodles and pick out the best pieces. Some may break as they boil.
Yes, you can. I do prefer the texture of traditional lasagna noodles, but if you are in a hurry, layer no-boil noodles in this dish and add 1/3 cup water to the sauce, so there is plenty of moisture for the noodles to absorb.
If you use the herb blend “Italian Seasoning” found at most grocery stores, it usually has all the herbs you need. It’s a mix of oregano, basil, rosemary, and marjoram. Or make your own Italian Seasoning from your spice rack!
You could use a simple canned tomato sauce, but then the flavor of this dish would diminish greatly. Instead, use homemade marinara, or a good brand of jarred marinara or chunky Italian tomato sauce. Our homemade marinara recipe includes many ingredients like tomato sauce, garlic cloves, onion, fresh herbs, salt, and pepper to increase the flavor.
More Fabulous Pasta Recipes
- Homemade Egg Noodles – Dine & Dish
- Pistachio Pasta ~ Kiran Tarun
- Squash and Spinach Stuffed Shells ~ Mommie Cooks
Sausage Lasagna with Cream Cheese Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 box lasagna noodles
- 2 quarts homemade marinara or store-bought
- 2 pounds Italian sausage
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened
- 5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large sauce pan, brown the sausage over medium heat, breaking into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Once the meat is fully cooked, add the marinara and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Boil the noodles in a large pot of salty water, according to package instructions. Remove the noodles and lay them out on a clean dish towel.
- Spray an 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick spray. Smear 9-12 noodles with an equal portion of cream cheese. (The number of noodles used depends on the width of the pan.)
- Start assembling the lasagna: One large scoop of meat sauce on the bottom, 3-4 noodles across (cream cheese side up), 1/3 of the mozzarella and parmesan. Repeat. After the third layer of noodles with cream cheese, pour the rest of the sauce over the noodles before adding the last layer of the mozzarella and parmesan. Sprinkle the top with Italian Seasoning.
- Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes—until the cheese is toasty and the sides are bubbling. Wait at least 10 minutes before cutting. Lasagna (as well as many other favorite pasta dishes) is considered better the second day. If making this ahead, Cover well, refrigerate, and bake for 40-50 minutes to heat through!
Yum! We use cottage cheese instead of ricotta…can’t wait to try this!
OH YUM!! This sounds insanely good!
YUM! I’ve used sour cream in my spaghetti pie, but never cream cheese in an Italian pasta! I bet it’s wonderful…those Hoosier women can cook ;)
They sure can!
My favorite baked ziti recipe calls for sour cream in place of the ricotta. Cream cheese is the next logical step … yum!
Love your lasagna photos; nice job! Lasagna is my nemesis when it comes to photographing it.
I love this recipe! Totally pinning!
Cream cheese in lasagna?! Now THAT is one I’ve never heard of before! But I can see how it would be SO good!
pinning this for next week – i’m intrigued by the cream cheese! although none of your recipes have ever let me down, so i’m sure it’s going to be life-changing!
Oh wow this looks amazing! My husband is going to want me to make this ASAP.
I could eat lasagna every day and be a happy camper!
Me too, Paula. :)
If you refrigerate it overnight, at what temperature do you bake it at the next day since you’re cooking it longer than when it was just made & do you bake it
covered or uncovered at that point?
Hi Pat! Bake at 375 for 40-50 minutes. Only covered if you feeling the cheese is starting to get too crisp. Happy Cooking!
OMG..Cream Cheese that is totally brilliant!!!!
This looks amazing, Sommer! Perfect for these chilly fall days.
I love lasagna, but the funny thing is that I have never made it outside of my parents house. I must associate it with being with my family. This looks lovely!
I am a firefighter, and we make this at work all the time… it is amazingly good! They always make it with ‘firehouse bread’, which is garlic bread with ranch dressing on top, then tomato slices and cheese. :) Not great for your waistline but soo worth it!