Buffalo Ranch Chicken Lasagna (oven-ready noodles)
This buffalo chicken lasagna has all the flavors of ranch dipped buffalo chicken wings, mixed in a cheesy lasagna bake and no time is wasted on cooking the noodles.
Made with easy shredded chicken, a homemade dairy-free ranch dressing mix, and buffalo sauce for the right amount of spice, this recipe is a fun twist on the classic lasagna we know and love.
Lasagna is a favorite around here. Whether you’re looking for a cottage cheese lasagna, a lazy lasagna or turkey lasagna soup, I’ve got you covered!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Buffalo ranch flavors wrapped into perfectly cooked no boil noodles.
- 25 grams of protein per serving!
- A weeknight favorite for adults and kids alike.
Cottage Cheese, for the win
Comfort food doesn’t have to be overly fattening or heavy and this lasagna proves that. A classic recipe uses ricotta cheese but instead we use a high-quality cottage cheese. Using cottage cheese gives the cheese layer a creaminess similar to ricotta but with the added bonus of nutrition.
Cottage cheese is a high protein, low fat and low-calorie food and is one of my favorite things to not only eat by itself but also add to everything. It makes creamy sauces for taco mac and cheese, cast iron queso, desserts and of course, lasagna layers!
Ingredients and Substitutions:
These are the main ingredients and substitutions for this buffalo chicken lasagna. See the recipe card below for the full ingredients list and instructions.
- Shredded Chicken: make your own, use rotisserie chicken or ground meats like beef, chicken and turkey.
- Lasagna Noodles: no boil noodles make this dish super convenient for weeknights! If using regular just be sure to boil them before layering.
- Ranch Seasoning: either use a homemade dairy-free ranch seasoning mix or store-bought packaged mix.
- Cottage Cheese: this is replacing the ricotta cheese of traditional lasagna and a higher protein option. You can also use ricotta.
Variations
- Add shredded zucchini to the meat sauce for more veggies.
- Use full-fat cottage cheese and mozzarella cheese, if preferred.
- I’m using Rao’s marinara and Sweet Baby Rays buffalo sauce, but any brand is fine.
- Use boil lasagna noodles and make lasagna roll ups.
- Top with hot sauce for added heat and kick.
- Sprinkle on some blue cheese.
Dietary Modifications
- For gluten-free, use gluten-free lasagna noodles.
- For dairy-free, use a dairy-free cottage cheese, parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese. Note, this will change the taste and texture of your lasagna.
- To lower the fat, use a low-fat buffalo sauce, marinara sauce and omit the olive oil.
- For egg-free: The egg binds the cheese for the lasagna so it doesn’t ooze out when you cut into it. If you want to omit the eggs you can, it won’t effect the taste.
How to make buffalo chicken lasagna (a visual step-by-step guide):
Step 1: preheat oven and saute veggies
Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onions, carrots and celery to the pan (image 1). Cook until nice and soft, approximately 3-5 minutes (image 2). Remove from the pan and add to a large mixing bowl.
Step 2: combine the filling
Add the shredded chicken, spicy buffalo sauce and marinara sauce to the bowl with the vegetables (image 3). Mix to fully combine (image 4).
Step 3: make ranch seasoning
In a smaller bowl or mason jar (to store) combine the homemade ranch seasoning ingredients and mix well to combine (image 5).
Step 4: make the cream filling
For the filling, combine the cottage cheese, eggs, parmesan cheese, 2.5 Tbsp. dried ranch seasoning and fresh cracked pepper in a mixing bowl (image 6). Mix to fully combine (image 7).
Step 5: prep casserole dish and layer lasagana
Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with non stick cooking spray. Add a dollop of sauce from the chicken buffalo mixture to the bottom of the dish to lightly coat the bottom. Top with 4 noodles (image 8), the noodles are the width of the baking sheet (short side) not the length. Top the layer of noodles evenly with ½ cup mozzarella cheese, 56g (image 9).
Top the cheese with half of the chicken mixture (image 10). Use a spoon or spatula to evenly spread the mixture over the noodles. Top the buffalo chicken mixture with half the cottage cheese filling and spread to coat the top (image 11).
Repeat with 4 noodles (image 12), ½ cup cheese (image 13), remaining chicken mixture (image 14), remaining cottage cheese filling (image 15).
Finally, top with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese (image 16).
Step 6: bake
Place the baking dish on a baking sheet to catch any overflow. Cover the dish with foil, try to avoid touching the cheese on top so that it doesn’t stick to the foil. Bake for 50 minutes.
Remove the foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted and browned and the sauce is nice and bubbly at the edges (image 17). Broil if needed to brown the cheese for a few minutes.
Expert Tip
Make your chicken ahead of time to make this recipe even quicker to prep on a weeknight.
Recipe FAQ’s
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and cover the lasagna with aluminum foil. Place the oven-safe baking dish in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until the lasagna is hot all the way through and the sauce is bubbling at the edges.
FROM THAWED: Prepare the lasagna and do not bake. Wrap the unbaked lasagna tightly in plastic wrap in an oven-safe baking dish and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw completely overnight in the refrigerator, then bake for approximately 1 hour and 10-15 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit until fully heated through.
FROM FROZEN: Assemble, freeze and bake directly from frozen at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour and 20-30 minutes until heated through, hot and bubbly.
You can also prepare the lasagna through step 6, cover in foil and place in the refrigerator for the following day. Reheat the same way as above as it’ll be far colder than if you prepared straight to baking.
For a complete meal, serve with a side green salad and garlic bread.
Check out some of our other easy meals!
If you make this recipe, please leave a rating and/or comment! Tag me on Instagram @ohsnapmacros, I love hearing from you!
Buffalo Chicken Lasagna
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Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 1 cup carrots shredded or finely chopped, 140g
- 3/4 cup celery chopped, 87g
- 1 lb. shredded chicken breast cooked
- 16 oz. buffalo sauce
- 1 cup marinara sauce 9 oz.
- 16 oz. low-fat small curd cottage cheese Good Culture for best flavor
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese shredded, 56g
- 2.5 Tbsp. Dry ranch seasoning homemade below
- fresh cracked pepper or pinch of black pepper
- 8 oven-ready lasagna noodles Barilla
- 2 cups low-moisture mozzarella cheese shredded, 224g
Ranch Seasoning
- 3 Tbsp. dried parsley
- 1 Tbsp. dried dill
- 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp. onion powder
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. fresh cracked pepper
- 1 Tbsp. dried chives optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, onions, carrots and celery to the pan and cook until nice and soft, approximately 3-5 minutes.
- Remove from the pan and add to a large mixing bowl. Combine the sauteed vegetables with the shredded chicken, buffalo sauce and marinara sauce. Mix to combine.
- In a small mixing bowl or mason jar (to store) combine the homemade ranch seaosning ingredients and mix well to combine.
- For the filling, combine the cottage cheese, eggs, parmesan cheese, 2.5 Tbsp. dried ranch seasoning and fresh cracked pepper. Mix to fully combine.
- Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with non stick cooking spray. Add a dollop of sauce from the chicken buffalo mixture to the bottom of the dish to lightly coat the bottom. Top with 4 noodles, the noodles are the width of the baking sheet (short side) not the length.
- Top the noodles evenly with ½ cup mozzarella cheese (56g), followed by half the buffalo chicken mixture. Use a spoon or spatula to evenly spread the mixture over the noodles. Top the buffalo chicken mixture with half the cottage cheese filling and spread to coat the top. Repeat with 4 noodles, ½ cup cheese, remaining chicken mixture, remaining cottage cheese filling and 1 cup cheese on top.
- Place the baking dish on a baking sheet to catch any overflow. Cover the dish with foil, try to avoid touching the cheese on top so that it doesn’t stick to the foil. Bake for 50 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden brown and the sauce is nice and bubbly at the edges. Broil if needed to brown the cheese for a few minutes.
- Remove from the oven, top with freshly chopped parsley and cut into 12 equal servings and enjoy.
Notes
- Nutritional information is an estimate and will vary with substitutions.
- Use store-bought ranch seasoning in place of homemade to save on time.
- If using regular lasagna noodles, be sure to boil before layering the lasagna.
- Substitute the shredded chicken with ground chicken, beef or pork or use a store-bought rotisserie chicken.
- Be sure to chop your vegetables nice and small so they cook down and are not hard when you remove the lasagna.
Wow!! Just made this for meal prep this week and it is DELICIOUS! Highly recommend. It will be in my weekly rotation for sure!
Yay!! I’m so glad. It’s such a unique twist on lasagna.
Have you ever made this ahead of time, put in the fridge and baked for later in the week?
Love a good buffalo chicken lasagna and yours looks incredibly delicious! Definitely going to try it!
How can I find the serving size?
It’s 1/12 of the 9 x 13 dish.