I have been on a journey to find a hearty, delicious lasagna recipe for a LONG time. If you search for lasagna on NOH, you will find several recipes, none of which ever really lived up to my expectations. I wanted lots of chunks and I add lots of layers of noodles. I find lasagna that is just a watery meat sauce , ricotta cheese and noodles absolutely boring. My lasagna is a meal, packed with flavor, veggies and spices.
I first used the shredded carrots in here on a whim because I had some in the fridge from something else I was cooking. I wasn’t sure if I was about to ruin the lasagna or not, but we have a bolognese recipe that we love with carrots in it, so I figured I couldn’t really be doing something too horrible. It turned out that it added a nice element of sweetness to the lasagna and some extra heartiness. Kids probably won’t even know they’re in there.
I usually use cottage cheese in my lasagna instead of ricotta because the cottage cheese is actually easier for me to find here and it packs a lot of protein into the meal. You’re probably not even going to notice the difference once everything is baked.
If you’re prefer to use fresh mushrooms in this dish, just sauté about 2 cups of fresh sliced mushrooms with the first step of this recipe and then proceed as usual.
Before the last layer of meat sauce, you can also slip some sliced pepperoni in, on top of the noodles, to give a really interesting and different flavor to the meal. Sometimes I use two different kinds of pepperoni, other times I use none at all. It keeps the meal interesting.
I usually use two small, deep casserole dishes to make this lasagna and freeze one. We eat off the first one for a couple days and I also have lunch for myself. Mack used to love this lasagna butat the moment she won’t touch it. I don’t take it very personally, though, because anything that is cooked (besides plain pasta or nice) is low on the totem pole as a favorite food.
When you’re ready to eat the frozen lasagna, just take it out and let it thaw on your kitchen counter for most of a day (unless your kitchen is really warm). You can also move it to your fridge the night before you want to cook it and let it thaw for about 24 hours. It will take a bit longer if everything is cold and you can cook it partially frozen at about 350°F (180°C).
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- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 coves garlic
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 bell pepper chopped
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 28- ounce jar spaghetti sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 3/4 cup carrots shredded
- 1 7- ounce jar sliced mushrooms drained
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 1 15- ounce carton ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 8- ounce package lasagna noodles no cook noodles or pre-cooked
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese 8 ounces
- 1 3 1/2- ounce package sliced pepperoni optional
Ingredients
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- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Sauté garlic, onions and bell pepper in olive oil for a few minutes over medium heat. Add ground beef and brown, crumbling it as it cooks. Drain.
- Stir in spaghetti sauce, water, carrots and mushrooms. Set sauce aside.
- Combine egg, ricotta or cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley, oregano and pepper in a small bowl and stir well.
- Lightly grease casserole dish or baking pan.
- For one large 13- x 9-inch lasagna, spread 1/2 cup of meat sauce in the bottom of the pan. Layer 3 lasagna noodles on top to cover. Spread half the cheese mixture, sprinkle with grated mozzarella, a layer of noodles, 1/3 of the meat sauce, a layer of noodles, the rest of the cheese mixture, mozzarella, another 1/3 of the meat sauce, another layer of noodles, pepperoni (if desired), the rest of the meat sauce and top with mozzarella.
- For two smaller lasagnas, spread 1/4 cup of meat sauce in the bottom of one 13- x 9-inch pan or two smaller casserole dishes. Put lasagna noodles on top to cover. Spread 3 tablespoons cheese mixture to each casserole, sprinkle with grated mozzarella, a layer of noodles, 1/2 cup meat sauce to each casserole, a layer of noodles, 4 tablespoons cheese mixture each, mozzarella, 3/4 cup meat sauce each, a layer of noodles, the rest of the meat sauce, pepperoni (if desired), the rest of the meat sauce and top with mozzarella.
- Bake, covered for 20 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 5 minutes or until cheese is full melted and layers begin to bubble.
