Everyone's favourite pan of cheesy goodness
It's been a while since I made this version of lasagne. I forgot just how yummy it is, and how easy.
Warning: This one is for tomato lovers, since it is chock-full of them; however, you can always puree the canned tomatoes, or used crushed or passata if you prefer. This is especially handy for little ones who don't like chunky tomatoes. I am also always looking for ways to increase our veggie intake, so I like to add mushrooms and spinach, but those can easily be left out if your family is not fans.
I should also mention that the recipe as written is pretty cheesy, since 2 cups of ricotta and/or cottage cheese is quite a lot. Again, feel free to modify the quantity to suit your family's tastes.
I love that this is basically a two pan meal and that the noodles cook right in the sauce. I can't count the number of times in the past that I have managed to burn my fingers on noodles that were still way too hot to handle... I am not the most patient person when it comes to assembling lasagne!
Once you've got this in the oven, it's basically a "fix it and forget it" meal until it's time to pull it out. Love that, too. And I also love all the delicious leftovers. Some might argue that lasagne actually tastes better on Day 2. You can always freeze the leftovers, and haul them out on a night you don't feel like cooking. I foresee one of those nights coming soon... lol
It should be noted that this lasagne, at least on Day 1, is not very photogenic. Maybe if I was less impatient and let it sit longer than 10 minutes, it would be less apt to fall apart, but I've never been able to wait that long! By Day 2, more of the liquid has been absorbed by the noodles, and it holds together better. Regardless, it is delicious.
Uncomplicated Lasagne
The noodles are cooked right in the pan, so no pre-boiling is required. If you love tomatoes and cheese, this dish is for you!
Yield: 12 servings
1 lb ground beef (I like to use ½ lb ground beef and ½ lb ground pork or ½ lb Italian sausage)
½ cup finely diced onion
1 tsp garlic
1 – 8 oz pkg sliced mushrooms
2 – 28 oz cans diced tomatoes (you can use No Salt Added if you are sensitive to salt and/or use crushed tomatoes or passata if your family prefers no chunks)
1 – 7 ½ oz can tomato sauce (again, you can use No Salt Added here)
1 envelope spaghetti sauce mix like McCormick’s
2-3 cups fresh spinach or baby spinach, ripped or cut into smaller pieces
1 egg
2 cups ricotta or cottage cheese (I like to use a mixture of 1 cup ricotta and 1 cup cottage cheese – this is more budget friendly as well. You can also use just 1 cup here if you prefer less cheese).
½ cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
12 raw lasagne noodles (I love using Catelli Smart noodles which contain the same 8 g of fibre that their whole wheat noodles do, but no one can tell!)
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9x13 inch glass pan and set aside.
In the bottom of a Dutch oven or large pot, fry the ground beef until brown. Add the diced onion and mushrooms and cook until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms are tender.
Next, pour the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and spaghetti sauce mix into the pot. Mix well. On medium heat, bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In a separate frying pan, add a little water and cook the spinach until wilted. Let cool.
Meanwhile in a small bowl, mix together the egg, cottage cheese and Parmesan cheese. Add in the spinach and combine well.
To assemble, start by putting enough meat sauce in the bottom of the pan to just cover it. Top that with a layer of raw noodles. Next put about half of the meat sauce in the pan. Spread the cheese and spinach mixture on top of the meat sauce. Top with another layer of raw noodles. Follow that with the remaining meat sauce. Top with grated mozzarella cheese and press it into the casserole a bit.
Grease a large piece of tinfoil (big enough to cover your 9x13 inch pan) with cooking spray. Place the pan on a cookie sheet covered in tinfoil. I know it seems like a lot of tinfoil, but I hate cleaning up baked-on lasagne in the bottom of my oven, and this dish tends to boil over.
Bake at 350 F for at least 1 hour (I usually bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes), until the noodles are tender. While the lasagne is resting (about 10 minutes), you can prepare a salad and garlic bread.
Serving Suggestions
I'm not sure why, but I just can't serve lasagne without Caesar salad and usually a side of garlic bread as well. I do find this dish very filling, though, so tonight we skipped the bread.
Verdict
My son thought at first bite this was a bit salty, but once he had a few more bites, he didn't think so anymore. As I mentioned, you can easily substitute no salt added tomatoes and/or tomato sauce if sodium is a concern.
This dish had to be ground for Dad, but it's super moist with lots of sauce, so that works really well. Dad had a second helping (woo hoo!) and thought the flavour was superb.
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