Aunt Karen's Lasagna
By debbreck
Aunt Karen made this every Christmas Eve when we were growing up. Robert and I looked forward to eating this almost all year long.
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Ingredients
- Variations:
- 3/4 lb ground beef
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 7 1/2 oz. can tomatoes, cut up
- 8 oz. can tomato sauce
- 8 oz. can tomato paste
- 2 tsp. basil crushed
- 1 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
- 1 tsp fennel seed, crushed (optional)
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 5 oz. lasagna noodles
- 1 beaten egg
- 1/2 cup grated Paremsan or Romano cheese
- 2 cups Ricotta cheese, or cottage cheese drained
- 1 tbps. dried parsley flakes
- 8 oz. package Mozzarella cheese, sliced
- Add 3/4 lb. Italian Sausage - can be mild or hot
- Add additional sauce and cheese
- Add a few sprinkles of red pepper flakes
Details
Servings 8
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
For meat sauce, in a large saucepan, cook meat, onion, and garlic until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain fat. Stir in undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, basil, oregano, fennel, salt and pepper. Bring to boiling, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain. (Can substitute no-cook noodles instead.)
For filling, combine egg, ricotta or cottage cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan or Romano cheese and the parsley flakes.
Layer half of the cooked noodles in a rectangular baking dish. Spread half of the filling. Top with half of the meat sauce and half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese on top.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until heated through. Let stand 10 minutes.
To make ahead: Prepare as above, except after the assembling, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours. Can also be frozen for one month ahead. Remove plastic wrap and cover with foil. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake about 20 minutes more or until heated through.
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