1) a family gathering with kids and adults who are pleased by cheese and pasta and not much else
2) a group of friends over for dinner with prep ahead leaving time to visit while baking
3) arrival of a newborn with busy parents who could benefit from a mobile meal that keeps well
4) a Sunday meal with hopes of leftovers to help you cruise through Monday and Tuesday
5) a hungry husband who requests lasagna two weekends in a row (really?)
6) your craving for lasagna (if #5 happens then #6 likely won’t happen)
I have made a lot of different versions of lasagna and my personal favorite is a vegetarian lasagna (promises to post later) but the below recipe will likely please others. A few years ago I started with my Mother in Law’s recipe (cute husband’s request) and did some tweaking from there. My husband requested that I not change the way his mom finished off her lasagna...cheddar cheese slices. Mmmmm! Ok, request granted.
* Admitting that this one may not deserve “simple plate” status I have broken the recipe into three steps to make the process a bit more clear and perhaps “simple”.
medium onion, diced
4+ cloves of garlic, minced
15 oz can diced tomatoes
6 oz can tomato paste
1 tablespoon oregano
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
16 oz fresh spinach
1 lb package lasagna noodles
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
½ cup parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
16 oz mozzarella cheese
6 slices medium to sharp cheddar cheese
Step 1 Making Tomato Sauce:
Brown ground meat with two cloves of garlic. After ground meat is cooked, add onion and cook for about 10 minutes. Drain excess grease and add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, oregano, ½ tsp salt and simmer for 30-45 minutes.
Step 2 Details In between:
While tomato sauce is simmering, heat a shallow skillet on medium and add ½ tablespoon of olive oil. In batches, add a large handful of spinach and more olive oil until wilted. Next, add 2 cloves of minced garlic. Once the garlic is fragrant remove from heat and set aside. Cook pasta and lay out on dish towels to drain. Combine cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, parmesan, 1 egg beaten and ½ teaspoon salt. Add spinach to the cheese mixture and set aside.
Step 3 Building Lasagna:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and build lasagna in a casserole dish. Layer a couple spoonfuls of sauce, pasta, ricotta spinach mixture, mozzarella, meat sauce and repeat. End the top layer with pasta and cheddar cheese slices. Bake immediately or refrigerate until ready to bake for 30-40 minutes.
