Easy 5-Ingredient Mug Lasagna: Best Dorm Room Dinner
A quick and easy microwave mug lasagna made with just five simple ingredients. Perfect for dorm rooms or busy weeknights, this recipe delivers layers of pasta, rich tomato sauce, and melted cheese in under 10 minutes without any oven or stovetop.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Ingredients
Scale
- 4–5 dried lasagna noodles, broken into 1-inch pieces
- ½ cup (120 ml) marinara sauce
- ¼ cup (60 g) ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
- ¼ cup (30 g) shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of Italian seasoning (optional)
Instructions
- Break 4-5 dried lasagna noodles into small pieces, about 1-inch squares.
- Spoon about 2 tablespoons of marinara sauce into the bottom of a microwave-safe mug (12-16 oz capacity).
- Add a layer of broken noodles (about 6-8 pieces) to cover the sauce.
- Add a small dollop of ricotta or cottage cheese (about 1 tablespoon) and a sprinkle of mozzarella (about 1 tablespoon).
- Repeat layers: sauce, noodles, ricotta, mozzarella until you reach the top of the mug, finishing with a final layer of sauce and a generous sprinkle of mozzarella on top. You should get about 3-4 layers total.
- Sprinkle a pinch of salt and Italian seasoning over the top.
- Place the mug on a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high for 4-5 minutes, or until noodles are tender and cheese is bubbly and slightly golden. Start checking at 3 minutes.
- Let the mug lasagna rest in the microwave for 2 minutes after cooking.
- Carefully remove the mug (it will be hot!) and serve immediately.
Notes
For a browner top, after microwaving, pop the mug under a broiler for 1-2 minutes. Don’t overfill the mug—leave at least ½ inch of space at the top. Adjust cooking time based on microwave wattage: 700-800 watts: 5-6 minutes; 1000-1200 watts: 3-4 minutes. Let the lasagna rest for 2 minutes after cooking to allow noodles to absorb excess liquid.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mug lasagna
- Calories: 500
- Sugar: 10
- Sodium: 800
- Fat: 20
- Saturated Fat: 10
- Carbohydrates: 55
- Fiber: 5
- Protein: 22
Keywords: mug lasagna, microwave lasagna, dorm room dinner, easy dinner, 5-ingredient recipe, quick pasta, single serving