Dice the onion and sauté it in about 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat for 2–3 minutes. Add the hamburger, season with salt and pepper, and cook until browned. Drain excess grease if needed. If using garlic, cook it briefly in the center of the pan before mixing it into the hamburger mixture.

Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and spaghetti sauce mix to the hamburger mixture. Stir well and bring to a low simmer for about 1 minute.

Bring a large stock pot of water to a boil and cook the lasagna noodles about 1 minute less than the package directions. While the noodles cook, lightly grease your baking dish and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Drain most of the hot water from the noodles and add some cold water back into the pot to cool them slightly so they are easier to handle.

Layer 6 lasagna noodles into the bottom of the baking dish, slightly overlapping them as needed to cover the pan.

Spread about half of the hamburger mixture over the noodles as evenly as possible.

Dot about half of the cottage cheese over the hamburger layer and gently spread it around. Small gaps are completely fine.

Sprinkle about half of the mozzarella cheese over the cottage cheese layer.

Repeat the layers in the same order: noodles, hamburger mixture, cottage cheese, and mozzarella cheese.

Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 25–30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. If desired, remove the foil during the last 5–10 minutes to lightly brown the cheese on top.

Let the lasagna rest for about 20 minutes before serving so the layers can settle and hold together better.