Double-Batch Lasagna for a Group with Make-Ahead Freezer Pans

Our group didn’t arrive until the afternoon today, so we only prepared one dinner service. That extra time let us do some advance prep for tomorrow, and we were even able to tuck a couple of lasagna pans into the freezer for another group. Making a double batch is a great way to cover multiple meals with minimal last-minute work.

I tried a new lasagna recipe that turned out very well. I doubled the quantities to fill two medium deep hotel pans for tonight and packaged two additional pans for the freezer. Below is the recipe and my notes on assembly and serving.

Meat Sauce (for 2 medium deep hotel pans)

• 10 pounds ground beef
• 6 large onions, diced
• 1 bunch celery, diced
• 3 Tbsp minced garlic
• 3 Tbsp oregano
• 3 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• 2 large cans diced tomatoes
• 2 small cans tomato paste
• Optional: 2 cups ketchup (I added this for sweetness and body)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Brown the ground beef with the diced onions, celery, and minced garlic. Once the meat is cooked through, stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and the dried herbs. Let the sauce simmer for 30–45 minutes, stirring occasionally to blend flavors and reduce excess liquid. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning as needed. Because I was preparing a double batch, I simmered each batch in a separate pot so they reduced evenly and were easier to manage.

Cheese Filling

• 4 containers (750 ml each) cottage cheese
• 10 eggs, beaten
• 3 cups grated Parmesan cheese

Stir the beaten eggs into the cottage cheese, then mix in the grated Parmesan. This creates a rich, creamy middle layer that holds the lasagna together and adds flavor.

Assembling the Lasagna

Layer the lasagna in the following order, repeating until the pan is full and finishing with cheese on top:

1. Thin layer of meat sauce
2. Oven-ready lasagna noodles
3. Sauce
4. Noodles
5. Sauce
6. Cottage cheese mixture
7. Noodles
8. Sauce
9. Shredded mozzarella cheese

Cover each pan tightly with foil and bake for approximately one hour. The foil helps retain moisture while the layers heat through and the cheeses melt together. If you’re preparing some pans to freeze, allow them to cool slightly before wrapping and freezing.

Serving and Side Dishes

We served the lasagna with Caesar salad, garlic toast, and a fruit crisp for dessert. For the crisp, I used a tried-and-true strawberry rhubarb crisp recipe and made four pans to feed the group. The combination of a hearty lasagna, crisp salad, and a warm fruit dessert made for a satisfying family-style meal.

Notes and Tips

• Doubling the recipe and cooking in separate pots made it easier to control seasoning and prevent overcrowding the stockpot.
• Using oven-ready noodles speeds assembly and reduces prep time; be sure sauce is not too watery so the noodles soften properly as the lasagna bakes.
• Assembling extra pans for the freezer is an efficient way to have ready-made meals for future groups or busy nights.
• The proportions in this batch were almost perfect for our group; adjust quantities proportionally if you need more or fewer servings.

The kids really enjoyed the meal, and it’s always rewarding when a large, double-batch recipe comes together so well. Preparing extra pans ahead of time saved time later in the week and made feeding the group much easier.