Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Lasagna recipe

Tonight I made lasagna for a couple across our street who just had a baby. When I took the casserole over, I only got to speak to the husband. I was really hoping to get to see the wife, but I'm sure I'll meet her one of these days!

Here is the recipe I used, which I got from my sister-in-law, Rebecca:

Four-Cheese Lasagna
Lasagna takes time to assemble. To avoid last-minute preparation, make this casserole early in the day or the night before and refrigerate. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 cans (4 oz each) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon fennel seed
1 carton (16 oz) cottage cheese
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
1-1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
2 eggs, beaten
1 package (12 oz) lasagna noodles, cooked and drained

In a skillet, cook beef, onion and garlic until beef is browned and onion is tender; drain. In a blender, cover and process the tomatoes until smooth. Stir into beef mixture along with mushrooms, tomato paste and seasonings; simmer for 15 minutes. In a bowl, combine cottage cheese, Parmesan, cheddar, ½ cup of mozzarella and eggs. Spread 2 cups meat sauce in the bottom of an ungreased 13-in x 9-in x 2-in baking dish. Arrange half the noodles over sauce. Spread cheese mixture over noodles. Top with remaining noodles and meat sauce. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake 15 minutes longer or until cheese melts. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting. Yield: 12 servings

I've made it several times for us, and several times when we had company. It turns out so good every time! I don't put the tomatoes in the blender. I like the consistency of the crushed tomatoes just fine. Tonight I left out the mushrooms, since that is a food that many people dislike.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

this is a great lasagna! John loves it. Alas, I can no longer eat it...must avoid dairy...

cherylharrell (Mrs Harrell) said...

This sounds yummy. I oughta try making it. I like to try new recipes... :)