American Lasagna

I’m not really sure why this is called “American” Lasagna versus “Italian” Lasagna.  All I know is that it is very good and pretty easy to assemble.  I think you can impress your friends by making homemade lasagna and not have to put TOO much effort into it!  This also freezes really well – I made it when I was pregnant and froze it so we could eat it after the baby came.  Just line the pan with foil before you start filling it, cook the lasagna, and remove and freeze.  When you are ready to eat, heat until bubbling.  This is from the All Recipes Cookbook.

Ingredients:

-1.5 lbs ground beef

-1 onion, chopped

-2 cloves garlic, minced (or a little garlic powder instead)

-1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil (or 1 tsp dried)

-1 tsp dried oregano

-2 Tbsp brown sugar

-1.5 tsp salt

-1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes

-2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste

-12 dried lasagna noodles

-2 eggs, beaten

-2 cups ricotta cheese

-1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

-2 Tbsp dried parsley

-1 tsp salt

-1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded

-2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

1.  In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef, onion and garlic; drain fat.  Mix in basil, oregano, brown sugar, 1.5 tsp salt, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste.  Simmer for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. (This makes a great spaghetti sauce on it’s own too!)

2.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.  Add lasagna noodles and cook for 5-8 minutes or until al dente; drain.  Lay noodles flat on towels and blot dry.**See note at bottom.**

3.  In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, parsley and 1 tsp salt.

4.  Layer 4 lasagna noodles in a 9x13 baking  dish.  Cover noodles with half ricotta mixture, half of the mozzarella cheese, and one third of the sauce.  Repeat.  Top with remaining noodles and sauce.  Sprinkle remaining cheeses and parmesan cheese over the top.

(This is my “station” to put everything together.  Line it all up and it’s much easier.)

5.  Bake in the preheated over 30 minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

**While the sauce is cooking, you can do the two other steps of cooking the noodles and mixing the cheeses together.  That way all of your parts will be done at the same time, leaving you only a 30-45 minute prep for this dish plus a 30 minute cook time.  Home baked lasagna in an hour?  Yes please!!  I added a freshly made baguette too.  :)