Throughout many years, maybe since high school, I have always made a lasagna dish that I have received so many compliments. Most recently, several friends and family have asked for the recipe, so I have decided to include it in a new section of my blog – Joy in Food! I hope are able to try out this very simple recipe – ENJOY!
This is for a 9″x13″ size pan.
Cook 1 large box of lasagna noodles (whatever brand) as instructed on the box. Make sure you add a little olive oil or vegetable oil to prevent the noodles from sticking to each other. Cook 1.5 to 2 lbs. of ground beef and add your seasonings to preference of taste (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion salt). The amount of meat depends on how much meat you want in the lasagna. Once the meat has been cooked, drain the grease and add one large jar of spaghetti sauce. I use Prego (traditional). Add a small amount of water to it just to make it go a little further and thin it out a bit. Once the lasagna noodles and meat sauce are ready, you will start layering everything. I always put a very thin layer of sauce (no meat) on the bottom to prevent the noodles from sticking to the tray. Then begin layering the lasagna, starting with three noodles side by side. Then add the meat sauce…..then add a combination of mozzarella cheese, mild cheddar cheese, and Italian 6-cheese blend. I only buy 16 oz. of mozzarella; 8 oz. of mild cheddar; and 8 oz. of the Italian blend cheese. Obviously the lasagna will have mostly mozzarella, since that is the main Italian cheese, and that is the one you have the most of. Just sprinkle all three combinations generously, making sure mozzarella has the most. After the cheese, just start over again with the noodles, the sauce, and the cheese again. I usually come out with about five layers. The box has about 18-20 noodles, so it’s up to you how many layers you want to add, depending on how far your ingredients last. Sometimes I’ll even double up the noodles just so that they all get used. I’ll double up on the bottom since it’s the foundation holding everything together. Once you’ve completed the layers, then put it in the oven at 350° for about 10-15 minutes. It’s only to melt the cheese and condense everything together, since everything is already cooked.
FindJoy 