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RECIPE

Loaf Tin Lasagne | 4-Day High-Protein Meal Prep

It doesn’t get much better than lasagna. A rich meaty filling loaded with pasta and stringy cheesy goodness. However, you can have too much of a good thing – lasagna every day for 6 days might be a bit much.

This loaf tin lasagna might be the answer. Four easy portions for four days’ worth of meal prep. The perfect high-protein meal prep for when you’re wanting the ultimate comfort food.

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How to prepare lasagna and freeze ahead

To save yourself some prep time mid-week, assemble the lasagna when you have time and then freeze it (without cooking it). Then when it comes to cooking, pop it straight in the oven from frozen, and cook for an additional 45 minutes.

Prep the meat sauce

Alternatively, if you’ve not got enough room in the freezer for a loaf tin of lasagna, you can make the meat sauce and freeze this. The night before you want to dive into your lasagna, take the sauce out of the freezer and allow it to defrost in the fridge. Then when you’re ready to eat, assemble and 35 minutes later you’ll be in lasagna heaven.

How long to cook lasagna

Lasagna normally takes between 30-45 minutes to cook, depending on whether you’ve used fresh or dried pasta sheets. I'd argue that the crispy bits round the edges are the best part, so I'm willing to increase the cooking time slightly to enjoy my lasagna at its best.

How to store lasagna

Once you’ve allowed the lasagna to cool, split it into portions and transfer into air-tight containers. Store in the fridge until it’s time to dive in or freeze until you’re ready to enjoy later.

How to reheat lasagna

In the oven

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Cut a slice and place it in the centre of a tray. If you’re looking to crisp up the cheesy top, put it in the oven as is, if it’s already brown enough, place a layer of foil on top. Cook for between 10-15 minutes, or until it’s hot all the way through.

In the microwave

Using the microwave is often the only option for reheating in the office. It won’t give you the same crispy edge, but it still beats a ham and cheese sarnie. Place a portion in a microwavable dish, splash it with a few drops of water, cover and heat for 2-3 minutes, or until it’s hot in the middle.

In the air fryer

If you’re an air fryer kinda person, you can also heat your lasagna up in there, and it’ll keep its crispiness. Set the air fryer to 180 degrees and pop your lasagna in for 4-5 minutes, or until it’s piping hot all the way through.

How to reheat frozen lasagna

To cook straight from frozen, preheat your oven to 180 degrees and bake for an additional 45 minutes. If it begins to brown on the top, put some tinfoil round the tin and continue cooking.

Variations and add ins

Mix it up, or keep it simple, the choice is yours. But remember, if you’re tracking your macros, make sure to edit the nutritionals if you make any changes.

Make it veggie/vegan

For meat-free Monday, swap out your turkey mince for meat-substitute mince. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, blend some mushrooms for a mince-substitute with that meaty texture.

And to make it vegan, make sure to swap out any cheese for a vegan alternative.

Different meat

Turkey mince might be the leanest option, but if you’re after a richer flavour, you can swap it for pork or beef mince. Or even a mixture of the two.

Add in extra veggies

Lasagna is a great dish to chuck in whatever is lurking at the back of the fridge. Celery, carrots, peppers – chop it up small and chuck it in.

Tips

  • Richer sauce – to make a richer, tastier sauce, add some stock cubes and red wine. Cook this for a bit longer, until the liquid has reduced, and then use this as your meaty base.
  • Sugar – once your meat sauce is cooked, give it a little taste. If it’s a bit on the sour side, add a teaspoon of sugar to sweeten it up.
  • Grate your own cheese, shop-bought grated cheese may not melt as well.
  • Fresh vs dried sheets – fresh lasagna sheets feel as though they soak up the sauce better, but dried sheets are cheaper. There's not much in it, but if you want to make the ultimate lasagna, I'd go with fresh sheets.

Equipment needed

  • Large pan
  • Loaf tin
  • Large spoon
  • Sharp knife

Loaf tin lasagna recipe

Other pasta dishes

If, like me, you have pasta more than once a week, tuck into these recipes to keep your pasta streak going.

Marry me chicken pasta

Good enough for a proposal, or at least that’s what TikTok has to say.

Macros: Calories: 460kcal, Protein: 36g, Carbs: 52g, Fat: 13g

Recipe here.

Creamy cajun chicken pasta

Creamy, rich and packed full of veggies. The perfect mid-week to keep you full and satisfied.

Macros: Calories: 516kcal, Protein: 38g, Carbs: 71g, Fat: 8g

Recipe here.

Creamy sausage pasta

When chicken and rice doesn’t quite cut the mustard, level up your meal prep and say hello to creamy sausage pasta.

Macros: Calories: 415kcal, Protein: 34g, Carbs: 48g, Fat: 5g

Recipe here.

Emily Wilcock
Emily Wilcock Content Executive
After completing an internship with Myprotein, Emily returned to university to finish her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management and Marketing. With experience in lifestyle writing, Emily aims to entertain and educate through her work. Her focuses include recipes, real and inspiring stories, and working with writers to help provide easy-to-digest evidence-based research. Her work on recipes has been previously featured in The Supplement magazine, with a particular focus on high-protein, nutritious meals, plus advice on how to properly fuel your body. Outside of work, Emily’s top priority is food. She’s a self-professed star baker and a connoisseur of all things baked. In her spare time, she’s either cooking up a storm, our looking out for the opportunity to try out Manchester’s newest restaurants. But as a huge fan of carbs, if it’s not pasta or pasta-adjacent, she’s not interested. If she’s not in the kitchen, she’s tucked up with a book for an early night, or you’ll find her in the gym working up a sweat. Afterall, all those carbs require quite the appetite.

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