No Bake Easy Chocolate Lasagna Dessert Recipe

Imagine the most perfect lasagna. The moist layers of pasta coupled with flavorful homemade sauce and gooey cheese that leaks out of the sides like hot lava. You take a bite. The Italian masterpiece bursts in your mouth with a cheesey, bright-herbed goodness. Now replace all those ingredients with chocolate and whipped cream, and you get this no bake chocolate lasagna recipe. The mountains of Cool Whip and lightly-fluffed cream cheese melt with chocolate pudding and crushed Oreos. Every bite has a suggestion of a different flavor. You hit a chocolate chip and a hint of cinnamon and vanilla and it’s like you’re favorite dinner just became your ultimate dessert fantasy.

The layers of chocolate lasagna are decadent and light without giving you a stomachache. It’s like chocolate mousse and a dirt sundae (LINK) had a dessert baby. A crunchy Oreo crust is just enough to round out the softness of the rest of the dish. The pudding helps to keep all the layers structured and adds chocolate in between the white layers of Cool Whip and cream cheese. You may think that this dessert is more points than it’s worth or that it’s too sugary or rich. If you use the right ingredients, you can enjoy this treat almost guilt free.

I typically detest desserts that taste like sugar; I’m looking at you cotton candy. I want the flavor of the chocolate or the mousse or the meringue or the cake; not just the granulated or powdered sugar. That’s why chocolate lasagna is one of my favorite treats. Each bite has a bunch of different textures but they all taste like chocolate or whipped cream and never extra sugary.

I also like to use Cool Whip Free or Sugar Free in this recipe for the fluffiness without the diabetes in tow along with low fat cream cheese and Sugar Free pudding. What I found surprising is that almost every Jell-O instant chocolate pudding was sugar free. Maybe they don’t sell the regular Jell-O instant pudding in sugar versions anymore or it just wasn’t available at the store, but I was shocked to see that every package was sugar free. I debated between the Hershey’s and the Jell-O because both are exceptionally delicious but went with the Jell-O due to the 1.4 oz package, which was better for the recipe.

There are some items I won’t compromise on though: Oreos and butter. I may use low fat, fat free, low sodium, less sugar, and any other combination of those words for most items, but when it comes to butter and Oreos, I use the real thing. Reduced Fat Oreos taste nothing like the real thing to me. They’re crumbs just aren’t the right consistency for crusts and they break apart and they just taste like dust. I’m ok substituting ingredients that taste almost the same in the “free” versions but if they really lack flavor, why bother?

And when butter is concerned, I Can’t Believe it’s Not Chemicals is not for me. It’s fish butter! If they took fish oil and put it in solid form that would be reduced fat or fake butter. Full fat butter is the way to go for cooking, especially when it comes to dessert. I’m pretty sure nobody is out there shoving sticks of butter down their gullet so a few extra tablespoons of regular, full milk fat butter isn’t going to kill anyone’s diet. Plus, it really helps the crust to have the extra fat to help bind it. Desserts like chocolate lasagna need a little bit of that fat to create the wonderful textures and tastes we crave. Give them a hand and skimp in other places but not when it comes to butter.

Ok, ranting aside, this recipe for chocolate lasagna is a great treat for summer due to its light and fluffy texture coupled with the Oreo crust. It’s a great recipe for beginning dessert-iers to get started with, like crock pot peanut fudge, and it’s extremely easy to make. It’s easy to double or quadruple for a graduation party and chocolate lasagna will never sit heavily in your stomach. For all those chocolate connoisseurs out there, this is the dish for you!

Chocolate Lasagna

2014-05-19 05:40:43

Serves 10

Layers of chocolate and whipped cream delight

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Prep Time

30 min

Cook Time

5 hr 30 min

Total Time

6 hr

Prep Time

30 min

Cook Time

5 hr 30 min

Total Time

6 hr

Ingredients

• 12 regular Oreo cookies
• 2 TB (Tablespoon) butter, melted
• 1 package of cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 TB cold milk
• 1 container of cool whip, divided
• 2 (1.4 oz) packages chocolate instant pudding
• 2 TS (Teaspoon) cinnamon
• 2 TS vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups cold milk
• ½ cup chocolate chips

Mix it

• Grind the Oreos in a food processor or crush them in a plastic bag with a rolling pin until they have turned into fine crumbs
• In a large bowl, add the Oreo crumbs and melted butter and stir with a fork until fully combined
• Add the large bowl mixture to a 9x9 pan and press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan forming a crust
• Refrigerate the pan with the crust inside while you create the next layer
• In another large bowl, add the cream cheese and mix with a mixer until it’s light and fluffy
• Add the milk and sugar to the fluffy cream cheese and mix until fully incorporated
• Stir in half the Cool Whip to this mixture and mix until all ingredients are fully combined
• Remove the 9x9 pan from the fridge and add the cream cheese/milk/sugar/Cool Whip mixture on top of the crust
• In another large bowl, add the chocolate instant pudding, cinnamon, vanilla, and milk and whisk until pudding thickens (The pudding will become more like a paste with the added dry cinnamon. This is perfect as it will hold up the integrity of the lasagna as a building block. Don’t worry, this paste will not taste gritty like sand; it will only be thick.)
• Spread this mixture over the other 2 layers in the 9x9 pan (To help with spreading, take small spoonfuls of the pudding paste and plop them onto the cream cheese/milk/sugar/Cool Whip layer. Then take a spatula or fork and spread the paste evenly. It’s ok if this pudding paste layer becomes mixed with the layer below it. It won’t look pretty but it’ll taste great!)
• Place the 9x9 pan in the freezer for 10-15 minutes
• Remove the 9x9 pan from the freezer and top with the other half of the Cool Whip and sprinkle chocolate chips on top
• Place the 9x9 pan into the freezer for 1-2 hours or refrigerate for at least 4-5 hours
• Remove the pan from the fridge or freezer, cut into 10 even portions and enjoy as a dangerously light and fluffy treat!

By Mandy Ellis

So Good Blog http://www.sogoodblog.com/

Recipe Category: Dessert

Recipe Cuisine: American

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 (80 g)
Calories: 240
Calories from Fat: 128
Total Fat: 14 g
Saturated Fat: 8 g
Cholesterol: 18 mg
Sodium: 236 mg
Total Carbs: 28 g
Dietary Fiber: 1 g
Sugars: 20 g
Protein: 3 g

Mix it:

Grind the Oreos in a food processor or crush them in a plastic bag with a rolling pin until they have turned into fine crumbs

In a large bowl, add the Oreo crumbs and melted butter and stir with a fork until fully combined

Add the large bowl mixture to a 9×9 pan and press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan forming a crust

Refrigerate the pan with the crust inside while you create the next layer
In another large bowl, add the cream cheese and mix with a mixer until it’s light and fluffy

Add the milk and sugar to the fluffy cream cheese and mix until fully incorporated

Stir in half the Cool Whip to this mixture and mix until all ingredients are fully combined

Remove the 9×9 pan from the fridge and add the cream cheese/milk/sugar/Cool Whip mixture on top of the crust

In another large bowl, add the chocolate instant pudding, cinnamon, vanilla, and milk and whisk until pudding thickens (The pudding will become more like a paste with the added dry cinnamon. This is perfect as it will hold up the integrity of the lasagna as a building block. Don’t worry, this paste will not taste gritty like sand; it will only be thick.)

Spread this mixture over the other 2 layers in the 9×9 pan (To help with spreading, take small spoonfuls of the pudding paste and plop them onto the cream cheese/milk/sugar/Cool Whip layer. Then take a spatula or fork and spread the paste evenly. It’s ok if this pudding paste layer becomes mixed with the layer below it. It won’t look pretty but it’ll taste great!)

Place the 9×9 pan in the freezer for 10-15 minutes
Remove the 9×9 pan from the freezer and top with the other half of the Cool Whip and sprinkle chocolate chips on top

Place the 9×9 pan into the freezer for 1-2 hours or refrigerate for at least 4-5 hours

Remove the pan from the fridge or freezer, cut into 10 even portions and enjoy as a dangerously light and fluffy treat!

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Mandy Ellis

I am in deep-fried love with food and travel. With Italian roots, I have a weakness for bread, marinara, and mozzarella. I’ll try anything once and am constantly searching for intriguing places to visit. When I'm not savoring the last bite or organizing my next trip, I'm indulging my inner bookworm and writing about my adventures. If you turn on college football and give me a local craft beer, you’ll see the happiest Hokie on the West coast.