Lasagna

Picture Courtesy of Pioneer Woman

I have to admit that I still don't have a go to lasagna recipe. I really enjoy trying new recipes and haven't made one that justifies never trying another recipe. That being said, I really loved this lasagna recipe from Pioneer Woman (which I tweaked a little to suit our family's tastes.)

I loved the sauce/noodle/meat ratio. So many lasagnas I've tried don't have enough sauce and result in rubbery noodles or not enough flavor. I had some leftover fresh mozzarella from some pizza I made and used this in place of the shredded mozzarella! Amazing! I also loved the mixture of ground beef and Italian sausage. The original recipe called for Hot breakfast sausage but I had some leftover Italian sausage in my freezer which worked great. I also switched out the whole tomatoes for petite diced tomatoes. I'm not a huge cooked tomato fan and either are my kids so this was a perfect switch for us.

If you're really on the ball this lasagna can be made 2 days ahead of time and refrigerated. This is a lasagna recipe I know I'll be making again.

Lasagna

adapted from the Pioneer Woman

Ingredients
1-½ pound Ground Beef
1 pound Italian sausage peeled from wrapper (the original recipe called for Hot Breakfast sausage but I had some sausage that needed using up and it was delicious)
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
2 cans (14.5 Ounce) petite diced tomatoes
2 cans (6 Ounce) Tomato Paste
2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley
2 Tablespoons Dried Basil
1 teaspoon Salt
3 cups Lowfat Cottage Cheese
2 whole Beaten Eggs
½ cups freshly grated (not Shredded) Parmesan Cheese
2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley
1 teaspoon Salt
1 pound Sliced Mozzarella Cheese (or if you really want some amazing lasagna use fresh and just slice it yourself)
1 package (10 Ounce) Lasagna Noodles
(add 1/2 Teaspoon Salt And 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil To Pasta Water)
Preparation Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet or saucepan, combine ground beef, sausage, and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat until browned. Drain half the fat; less if you’re feeling naughty.(I drained all the fat. It was still delicious and my hips will be thanking me tomorrow!) Add tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons parsley, basil and salt. After adding the tomatoes, the sauce mixture should simmer for 45 minutes while you are working on the other steps.
In a medium bowl, mix cottage cheese, beaten eggs, grated Parmesan, 2 more tablespoons parsley, and 1 more teaspoon salt. Stir together well. Set aside. Cook lasagna until “al dente” (not overly cooked).
To assemble:Arrange 4 cooked lasagna noodles in the bottom of a baking pan, overlapping if necessary. Spoon half the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles. Spread evenly. Cover cottage cheese with a layer of mozzarella cheese. Spoon a little less than half the meat/sauce mixture over the top.
Repeat, ending with meat/sauce mixture. Sprinkle top generously with extra Parmesan.
Either freeze, refrigerate for up to two days, or bake immediately: 350-degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until top is hot and bubbly.

Posted by: Sallie