Lasagna Casserole

Name: Lasagna Casserole
Yield: 1 large casserole (11x16 pan)
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 16 oz uncooked pasta, shape is your choice. I use elbow mac, rotini, or penne. If you can find mini lasagna noodles go for it, bow tie works good too; 2 cups or so Mozzarella cheese for topping; 2 lbs ground meat, personally we like 1/2 beef and 1/2 venison. You could use pork, turkey, sausage, whatever; 1-2 tbsp olive oil, if your meat lacks fat; 1/2 large onion, diced; 3-4 cloves minced garlic; to taste Salt and pepper; 1 tbsp dried basil, oregano, and parsley; 44 oz jar of pasta sauce, and a little water to rinse out the jar; 6 oz can of tomato paste (optional for more intense tomato flavor); 1 tbsp cooking sherry; 1-2 tbsp red wine vinegar (cuts the sweetness); Pinch sugar to bring flavors together; 24 oz cottage cheese or ricotta (full fat tastes best); 2 eggs; 2 tbsp parsley; 1/2 tsp pepper (use slightly more if coarse ground); 1/2 cup grated parmesan; 8 oz shredded Mozzarella cheese

Desiree Lynn Mullins @girlngoldie

So this is loosely based on a lasagna recipe from food.com, and I've revised it to make it more convenient and my kids always eat this without arguing about it

Desiree Lynn Mullins @girlngoldie

So this is loosely based on a lasagna recipe from food.com, and I've revised it to make it more convenient and my kids always eat this without arguing about it

Saved

Ingredients

1 large casserole (11x16 pan)

16 ozuncooked pasta, shape is your choice. I use elbow mac, rotini, or penne. If you can find mini lasagna noodles go for it, bow tie works good too
2 cupsor so Mozzarella cheese for topping
Sauce
2 lbsground meat, personally we like 1/2 beef and 1/2 venison. You could use pork, turkey, sausage, whatever
1-2 tbspolive oil, if your meat lacks fat
1/2large onion, diced
3-4 clovesminced garlic
to tasteSalt and pepper
1 tbspdried basil, oregano, and parsley
44 ozjar of pasta sauce, and a little water to rinse out the jar
6 ozcan of tomato paste (optional for more intense tomato flavor)
1 tbspcooking sherry
1-2 tbspred wine vinegar (cuts the sweetness)
Pinchsugar to bring flavors together
Cheese filling layer
24 ozcottage cheese or ricotta (full fat tastes best)
2eggs
2 tbspparsley
1/2 tsppepper (use slightly more if coarse ground)
1/2 cupgrated parmesan
8 ozshredded Mozzarella cheese

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Steps

1

Bring large pot of water to boil, salt water and cook noodles to al dente. Drain and set aside.
2

Brown meat, and as meat is getting close to done add in onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook until onions are getting translucent, and add herbs (oregano, parsley, and basil). Then add pasta sauce and tomato paste if using. Stir well together, add the vinegar and sherry. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, add the sugar, then let simmer together for an hour. Watch bottom of pan that it doesn't scorch.
3

Heat oven to 375. Put your cheese and two eggs into a bowl, beat together until smooth (important for if you use cottage cheese instead of ricotta, helps smooth out out. Cottage cheese also spreads easier during assembly). Stir in pepper, parsley, and parmesan. Finally mix in Mozzarella cheese.
4

Once all your components are assembled, spray a 11x16 casserole pan with cooking spray. You will assemble starting with 1/3 of the noodles, 1/3 of the sauce, and 1/2 of cheese mixture. Repeat the layers, and end with last third of noodles topped with sauce. Finally spread 2 cups of Mozzarella cheese over top of the casserole.
5

Cover with foil, bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes, if you want the cheese on top browned and slightly more crispy put under the broiler for a hot minute. Allow to cool for 10 minutes to set up before dishing up. Feed to hungry children and husband!