Pizza Lasagna Layers: Cheese and Sauce Between Baked Pizza Rounds

Welcome to Poor Girl’s trip back home to New York. Today I’m making Pizza Lasagna. I started by making pizza dough. You can buy pizza dough at the store either in or near the deli section or in the dairy section with the pop canisters of baked goods.

Preparing the Pizza Dough

If you want to make the pizza dough yourself, there are plenty of recipes online. Pick your favorite and go with that one. I like the easy pizza dough recipes. I use good olive oil and usually add a bit of extra salt. I also use regular active yeast, not the fast-rise kind. I get it in a bag, not envelopes, and store it in the freezer.

I like the yeasty flavor, so I always use more than the instructions tell you to, usually at least a tablespoon of it. It makes the rise go faster and stands up better to warmer water. It’s also a good source of vitamin B, so I don’t mind having extra in my dough.

Baking the Pizza Rounds

For myself, I use the air fryer. You can easily use the oven, of course. I roll out the dough thinly to about the size of the air fryer basket. I make some plain and add spices and salt to others. What you add depends on what you have around.

If you have some fresh herbs left over or you want something to do with old spices before you have to get rid of them, this is a great way to use all that stuff up. I used salt, garlic, onion, fresh dill, Italian herbs, and red pepper flakes in various combinations. These are essentially being blind baked, so I also prick them with a fork. If you don’t, you might end up with pita pockets, which is fine if you’re looking to fill them.

Once you have the pizza rounds (or squares) the size and shape you want and with the toppings you want to use up from your pantry or fridge, cook them at around 450F for about 5 to 10 minutes. If you’re cooking them in the air fryer, turn them over halfway through. They should be brown on both sides and feel crisp to the touch.

Let them cool down on racks. If you’re not using them right away, just put them in the freezer in a good freezer bag. You can do lots with these: make sandwiches, put a salad on them, warm them up and put butter or olive oil on them for a snack, or have a make-your-own pizza night with the kids. It’s a great thing to have on hand.

Making the Lasagna Filling

For dinner itself, take out 6 pizza rounds to serve 4 people. You can use plain ones for the bottom layers, and an Italian herb-topped one for the top. Or, you can use plain ones for all and add sauce and cheese to the top. Be creative.

To make the lasagna filling, you’ll need:

• A 16 oz container of ricotta cheese
• One egg
• Half a cup of mozzarella cheese (I prefer full fat and freshly grated)
• One quarter of a cup of parmesan cheese (freshly grated tastes better here as well, but a fine grate mixes better)
• Salt and Italian herbs to taste

Mix all of the ingredients together. Put a quarter of the mixture on each of 2 rounds, top with tomato sauce (you can use whatever you have on hand or a good quality jar sauce), more grated mozzarella cheese, and, if you’d like, pepperoni or meatballs.

Place another pizza round on each of the lasagnas you’re making and top with another quarter of the mixture of each of these rounds. Put another layer of sauce and cheese. If you’re planning to use a plain round for the top and you have room in your air fryer (or you plan to use the oven), top with the final round and add any mixture of sauce, cheese, meat you prefer. Otherwise, leave the top layer off and add it after the lasagna is cooked. Cook at 350F until the cheese is hot and melted, about 30 to 45 minutes.

Bonus Dessert Pizza

If you have leftover uncooked pizza dough, you can use it to make dessert while you’re eating. Form it into a bowl about the size of your air fryer basket. If you’re using the oven, put it in a small round cake pan, making sure it fits the pan snugly.

Fill it with your preferred dessert filling. I used cheesecake filling. You can make it or just get the premade cheesecake filling from the dairy section. If you don’t have that, you can make a pie filling center or open a can of pie filling and fill the center of the pizza.

Bake at 350F for long enough for your filling to set. Take out and serve warm, preferably with ice cream, of course.

Enjoy!

Buddy Love

Pizza Lasagna

A creative lasagna made by layering a ricotta cheese mixture, tomato sauce, and optional meats between blind-baked pizza dough rounds.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• Pizza dough Store-bought or homemade, enough to make 6 rounds
• Salt, garlic, onion, fresh dill, Italian herbs and red pepper flakes Optional, in various combinations for seasoning the dough
• 16 oz Ricotta cheese
• 1 Egg
• 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese Full fat and freshly grated preferred
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese Freshly grated or fine grate
• to taste Salt
• to taste Italian herbs
• Tomato sauce Jarred or homemade
• Mozzarella cheese Grated, for layering
• Pepperoni or meatballs Optional

Method

 

1. Roll pizza dough thinly to the desired size, such as your air fryer basket. Season with spices and salt if desired.
2. Prick the dough rounds with a fork.
3. Cook at 450F for 5 to 10 minutes until both sides are brown and crisp, turning halfway if air frying. Cool on racks.
4. Mix ricotta, egg, half a cup of mozzarella, parmesan, salt, and Italian herbs.
5. Use 6 baked rounds for 2 lasagnas. Spread a quarter of the ricotta mixture on each of the 2 bottom rounds. Add tomato sauce, extra grated mozzarella, and optional pepperoni or meatballs.
6. Add a round to each lasagna. Top each with another quarter of the ricotta mixture, then sauce and cheese.
7. Add the final rounds. Top with sauce, cheese, and meat before baking, or leave plain and add toppings afterward.
8. Cook at 350F for 30 to 45 minutes until the cheese is hot and melted.

Notes

If you have leftover uncooked pizza dough, you can use it to make a dessert pizza. Form the dough into a bowl shape, fill it with cheesecake or pie filling, and bake at 350F until the filling is set.