Easy, Homemade Lasagna Recipe

A couple of weeks ago, it was a million degrees outside and even thinking about baking a lasagna seemed crazy. Well, some times a craving beats out logical thinking. And honestly, lasagna is pretty darn easy to make. Yes, it is also hot to make, but it is easy. The other bonus, it usually makes enough for several meals. This means you will actually be standing over the stove less in the weeks to come. This recipe made 20 pieces (about 10 – 12 servings).

See, perfectly logical….

Homemade Lasagna Recipe

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 large garlic clove (chopped)
• 1 6 oz can tomato paste
• 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 24 oz crushed tomatoes
• 1 -2 cups of water
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp basil
• salt to taste

Sauce Instructions:

• Place olive oil and garlic in a medium saucepan
• Over medium heat, heat pan until garlic JUST starts to brown
• Add tomato paste, stirring constantly until the paste becomes aromatic (about 3 minutes)
• Add sauce and stir well
• Add tomatoes and stir well
• Add water (amount decided by how thick you want your sauce. I use 1.5 cups) and stir well
• Add seasonings, adjusting for taste
• Let simmer on medium until you are ready to make your lasagna (at least 15 min)

Lasagna Ingredients:

• 6 cups of pasta sauce or the full batch of the above recipe of sauce
• 16 no-boil lasagna noodles (I use Barilla)
• 2 eggs (lightly beaten)
• 16 oz Ricotta (I use part-skim)
• 3.5 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup shredded Reggiano (may sub parmesan)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large garlic clove (chopped)
• 1 small vidalia onion (diced)
• 1 lb ground beef, pork, sausage, turkey or chicken (I used ground pork)
• 1/2 tsp Salt (or to taste)
• 1 tsp Oregano

Lasagna Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Spray a 13x9x3 pan with non-stick cooking spray (I use a disposable pan for easy clean-up)
• In a large saute pan, add olive oil and garlic. Heat until garlic begins to sizzle
• Add onion to the pan and saute until it becomes translucent.
• Add the ground meat and seasoning to the pan. Cook until well browned (about 8 minutes).
• In a bowl, mix together ricotta, egg, reggiano, and 1.5 cups mozzarella. This is your ricotta mixture.
• Spread 1 cup of sauce over the bottom of the 13x9x3 pan
• Layer 4 lasagna noodles, slightly overlapping, over the sauce. Top with 1/3 the ricotta mixture (try to “plop” it evenly over the noodles, it will be next to impossible to spread). Top with 1/2 the cooked meat. Pour 1 cup of sauce over the top
• Layer 4 noodles over that layer, 1/3 ricotta mixture and 1.5 cups of sauce
• Layer 4 noodles over that layer, remaining ricotta mixture, remaining meat and 1 cup sauce
• Top with 4 more noodles, remaining sauce and remaining mozzarella
• Cover loosely cover the pan with foil
• Bake for 50 – 60 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling
• Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese starts to brown
• Remove pan from oven and allow to sit for 20 minutes. This lets your layers settle and prevents a “messier” lasagna
• Freeze leftovers in individual portions for easy dinners on the go!