Lady and Sons Lasagna

By Pattywak

I’m gonna get you started with Lady and Sons Lasagna. Y'all this recipe has been in my restaurant for years, and I have to admit that it's one of my favorites. The thing I love most about lasagna is that there's no real right or wrong way to do it. Folks have lasagna recipes passed down in their families for generations because it's a dish that you can really make your own. When we were choosin' recipes to lighten up, I just knew I had to start with this one.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound extra-lean ground beef
• 1 (10-ounce) package cremini or white mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 small green bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can no-salt-added petite diced tomatoes
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 bay leaves (optional)
• 3/4 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon Paula Deen’s House Seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon Paula Deen’s Seasoned Salt
• 9 lasagna noodles
• 1 1/2 cups no-salt-added low-fat cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white
• 1 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese (preferably Swiss or Comte)
• 1 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
• 3 tablespoons reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel), cut into small bits

Details

Servings 12

Preparation

Step 1

To make the sauce, spray a Dutch oven with nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until the meat browns, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms, onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until any pan juices evaporate and the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, water, parsley, herb seasoning, House Seasoning and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the flavors are blended and the sauce thickens slightly, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves, if using.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.

Meanwhile, cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse the noodles and lay them flat on wax paper or parchment paper. Cover the noodles with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out. Combine the cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, and egg white in a medium bowl until blended. Toss together the mozzarella, Gruyere, and cheddar cheese in a large bowl.

Spread one-fourth of the sauce over the bottom of the baking pan. Top with 3 of the lasagna noodles. Spread half of the cottage cheese mixture, one-third of the mozzarella mixture, half of the cream cheese, and one-fourth of the sauce over the noodles. Repeat the layering once with 3 more noodles, the remaining cottage cheese mixture, the remaining cream cheese, one-third of the mozzarella mixture and one-fourth more of the sauce. Top with the remaining 3 noodles, the remaining sauce and the remaining mozzarella mixture.

Cover loosely with a tent of foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese melts and the lasagna is heated through and bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes longer.

Test Kitchen Tip: To prevent the lasagna from sticking to the foil, spray the foil with nonstick spray before using it to cover the dish.