Anyways, I'd like to share with you an awesome lasagna recipe that I tried out last week. I had alot of cheeses in my fridge and I had a craving for cheese and pasta. I also wanted to make something worthwile so that hubs and I can have leftovers for lunches (which, I always try my best to do... it's healthier and waaaay cheaper than eating out!). So what did I make? LASAGNA. I've never really enjoyed making lasagna in the first place, because I hate that the top of my lasagnas always get crusty and somewhat burnt on the edges, and when I cut them up they turn into a soggy pile of mess and everything falls apart. For the life of me, I could never figure out why. But this recipe gave me the perfect lasagna. It's also great because it's so darn easy to make, and you can't possibly screw it up. They cut into perfect layered squares and oh, and I didn't get any burnt tops/edges! If you love lasagna or you want to make something to feed a small party of hungry people for dinner, this is awesome!
Sausage, Spinach and Ricotta Lasagna
Sauce:
8 oz light Italian sausage (I used Italian sweet basil sausages, because it was on sale.)
8 oz extra-lean ground beef
1 c chopped onions
2 t minced garlic
1 t dried oregano
1 t dried basil
1/4 t dried red pepper flakes (I didn't have any.)
1 jar (700 mL) pasta sauce (I just used whatever I had in the pantry.)
1 can (540mL) tomatoes with italian herbs, undrained, cut up (I used regular PC diced tomatos.)
1 T balsamic vinegar
1/2 t pepper (I never bother with measuring salt and pepper, or any seasonings.)
12 uncooked whole wheat lasagna noodles (I just used regular lasagna noodles.)
2 c light ricotta cheese (Couldn't find light, so I used the real ricotta cheese. That's ok, I've been working out alot these days!)
1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/3 c grated parmesan cheese (Hubs dislikes parmesan cheese so I didn't use any.)
1 egg
1/3 c chopped FRESH basil (I used dried basil... sue me).
1/2 t salt (I used kosher salt)
2 c packed shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (I just add whatever amount I wanted... and I also added cheddar cheese because I happen to have some in the fridge).
Directions:
1. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
2. To make the sauce: remove casing from the sausage and break into small pieces in a large lot pan with a tiny bit of olive oil (I used extra virgin) . Add ground beef, onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink. Stir in oregano, red pepper flakes and dried basil.
Cook 1 more minute. Add pasta sauce, tomatoes, vinegar and pepper. Bring to a boil, and then simmer until you're ready to use it (at least 20 minutes).
3. While the sauce is simmering, cook the lasagna noodles until they are just ready (about 8-9 minutes). Rinse noodles with cold water (or they'd stick into a huge slab!).
4. In a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta, spinach, basil, parmesan, egg and salt.
5. To assemble the lasagna: start with 1 cup of the meat sauce on the bottom of the 9x13 pan. Top with 4 lasagna noodles. Spread 1/3 of the remaining sauce over the noodles. Top with 4 more noodles. Add 1/3 of the sauce again, then add ALL of the ricotta spinach mixture. Top with 4 more noodles. Add the rest of the sauce and spread evenly.
6. Top it all off with the shredded mozzarella. In my case, I added a load of mozza and cheddar cheese. omg, cheese!!!
7. *This is important*: Spray some oil on a piece of foil and cover your lasagna. Bake at 375F for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes. Let stand for about 10-15 minutes before serving (or everything will become soggy).
8. Eat!
Mr.C and I really enjoyed this lasagna. We were also happy that we had awesome leftovers for lunches!
2 comments:
Yummy lasagna!
My hubs still remembers his ICQ number. I think he might have recently re-downloaded it for good times sake :D
43110! thanks for sharing the recipe! if mr. C doesn't like Parmesan, maybe you can try Asiago next time. it's sweeter and nuttier than the stinky parm =)
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