The Best Lasagna

A good lasagna is one of my favorite comfort foods...and this is a GREAT recipe.

Last weekend, we went apple picking with some friends.  Once we had eaten two dozen apples between us and had picked 75 pounds for ourselves, we all headed back to our house for dinner.  This recipe is pretty easy to put together, can be made ahead of time, and doesn't fall apart when you cut into it.  How many homemade lasagnas actually stay together beautifully?  Not many!

Ingredients
Lasagna noodles
2.75-3 pounds ground beef
1.5 cups minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
Olive oil
1.5 jars of your favorite pasta sauce
20 oz Ricotta Cheese
3 ounces Cream Cheese, softened
1 egg
2 Tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
Thinly sliced mushrooms (8 oz)
Spinach
Parmesan cheese, shredded
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Heavy cream
Salt
Dried basil

Directions

Boil lasagna noodles according to the directions on the box.

Brown ground beef, strain, and set aside.  Saute minced onions and garlic in olive oil until onions are translucent.  Add ground beef to onions and garlic, and sprinkle with dried basil and salt.  Add pasta sauce and stir to combine.

In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, cream cheese, and egg, stirring until combined.  Add chopped, fresh basil and a sprinkle of salt, then set aside.

Now it's time to build your lasagna!  Start with a thin layer of the meat on the bottom of a large Pyrex dish.

1. Lay 3 lasagna noodles on top of the meat.
2. Spread 1/2 of the ricotta/cream cheese mixture on top of the noodles.
3. Spread (just less than half) of the meat mixture on top of the cheese.
4. Evenly distribute half of the thinly sliced mushrooms on top of the meat.
5. Place a single layer of spinach on top of your mushrooms
6. Sprinkle Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.
7. Repeat steps 1-6 one more time.
8. Lay 3 more lasagna noodles on top of the cheeses.
9. Evenly spread remaining meat mixture on top of the noodles.
10. Sprinkle more Parmesan and mozzarella cheese on top.
11. Drizzle about 1/4 cup of heavy cream on top and down the sides of the lasagna.

If your lasagna is overflowing (or close to it), it's a good idea to put some weight on top of the dish and refrigerate it for a little while to compact it a little.

Bake at 375 degrees for 50-60 minutes.  Cover the lasagna with a foil "tent" for the first 30 minutes, then remove foil and continue cooking.  Your lasagna will be done when it's bubbling and the cheese begins to brown around the edges.

Let the lasagna sit for 10-15 minutes before cutting into it.  This will help keep the pieces from falling apart when you cut it to serve.

Enjoy!

Baked "Fried" Eggplant Chips

Last weekend Ann and I spent all afternoon cooking.  We were planning on taking all the pups on a little trip, but since it was pouring outside, we decided to have a stay-cation.  It ended up working well, because poor husband had an endless number of papers to grade to finish up the semester.

We decided to make a meaty lasagna and salad for dinner...mmmmm.  I'd bought an eggplant the day before in case we decided to go vegetarian with the lasagna.  Since we doubled up on the meat instead (ground beef and sausage) we decided some Baked "Fried" Eggplant would be yummy addition to dinner too.

Ingredients
Eggplant
2 Eggs
1/4 cup Balsamic Dressing
1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese

Directions

Mix 2 eggs and 1/4 cup balsamic dressing in a small bowl.  Mix 1 cup breadcrumbs and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese in another small bowl.

Cut eggplant into 2-bite size pieces.

Dip eggplant piece into egg mixture, then into breadcrumbs, coating completely.  Place each on a greased baking sheet.

Bake at 425 for 6-8 minutes per side.

Serve with marinara sauce for dipping, and enjoy!  It's best to eat these when hot, so eat immediately.

Healthy Spaghetti Sauce - lots of veggies!

I love making large dishes on the weekends that Travis and I can enjoy throughout the week.  It's such a nice feeling to be able to enjoy healthy, homemade food all week long, without having to spend lots of time in front of the stove every night after work.  One of my favorite things to cook with hubby is spaghetti.  Since we've been married, we've perfected our favorite sauce - and it's packed full of veggies!

I think the thing that makes this sauce stand out are the carrots.  It's a great way to get a subtle sweetness in your sauce without adding sugar or overwhelming the entire dish.

Ingredients
1 large onion (diced)
1 cup minced carrots
10 ounces mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 ounces spinach
1.5 pounds ground turkey
1.5 - 2 jars of your favorite pasta sauce (+/-)
Olive Oil
Oregano
Basil
Salt


Directions

Brown the ground turkey in a very large frying pan.  Once cooked, drain grease and return to pan.  Then, prep the veggies!

Mince (finely chop) carrots until you have about 1 cup of tiny carrots pieces.
Dice and saute onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Mince 3 large cloves of garlic.
Saute mushrooms in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Add all of the above to the ground turkey as they are prepared.

Pour in 1-1/2 jars of your favorite sauce, and heat on medium/low for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add oregano, basil, and salt - the amount you'll  need will depend on your taste and the sauce you choose.  We added 1/2 tablespoon of each to ours.

After simmering for 30 minutes, add spinach.  It works best to add 3 ounces first, mix with pasta and allow to start to wilt, then add the rest.  Continue to simmer until pasta has wilted.  You may want to add a little more pasta sauce as you add the spinach, depending on how thick the sauce is.

Serve over your favorite shape of pasta (we picked thin spaghetti tonight) and top with grated cheese!

Give it a try and tell me what you thought!