Lynn’s Lasagna and Herb Bread:
All measures are approximate, and ovolacto vegetarians can skip the meat and use more veggies.
1 lb. ground meat. I use beef or 2/3 beef, 1/3 pork sausage, but you could also use ground poultry. Some people put Italian sausage in here, too.
1 large onion, diced
1/2 to 1 large green bell pepper, diced
6 large fresh mushrooms, sliced, or one 4.5-6 ounce jar of them. Fresh is better.
3 cloves minced garlic, or the equivalent in garlic powder
Saute all this stuff in your skillet, breaking up the meat as it cooks. The onions and garlic should be well cooked, but not blackened. Most people probably will want to start with one garlic clove. If you’re not going to use the meat, cook the veggies in a little olive oil. While you’re doing that, boil
1 16 oz. box of lasagna noodles
keeping a close watch on them. Don’t let them get very done. Remember, they’ll cook some more in the oven, and they’re hard to handle when they’re overdone. So check the package to see how long to cook them.
1 16 oz. container of ricotta
1 16 oz. bag of “pizza cheese” (contains mozzarella, provolone, parmesan and romano cheeses, already grated) (yes, this IS cheating, but it’s for a good cause!) A couple of tablespoons of chives or parsley
Mix this stuff together with your third hand. Some people like to put an egg into the mix. I don’t. My daughter likes to eat this mix by itself on crackers, as a snack.
1 or 2 30 oz. jars of spaghetti sauce. I prefer Ragu Old World Marinara. You can use whatever suits your fancy, but you don’t really need a chunky sauce because there’ll be enough veggies already.
I THINK that my lasagna pan is about 9X13, not sure…anyway, put down a thin layer of sauce, arrange noodles to fit over that, then sprinkle with the meat/veggie mix, then drop spoonfuls of the cheese mix over that. Don’t worry about spreading out the cheese mix, it will melt and spread out on its own. Then put on more sauce, and continue layering the stuff until you run out. It’s best to end with sauce/noodle/sauce, in my opinion, but that’s just me. If you don’t come out even, it’ll probably get eaten anyway. I put it in a 350 degree F oven until it’s done, and I start checking it about half an hour after I put it in there. You can also cook it in a microwave, if you’ve put the lasagna in a microwave proof pan. Make SURE to cover it properly if you use the microwave, though. It’s done when the cheese is all melted and gooey.
Serve with garlic or herb bread.
Herb bread:
Good quality bread, preferably in a French or Italian loaf
Mrs. Dash’s Garlic and Herb seasoning
Parsley
Butter, margarine, or olive oil
Parmesan cheese (optional)
Melt the butter or margarine, unless you’re using the oil. Cut the bread into 1/2 thick slices and spread the fat over it. Sprinkle with the seasoning, and the cheese, if you’re using that. Warm it up in the microwave or oven. You can also fry the bread in a skillet, if you prefer.
I don’t care for spinach.
My mother taught me this recipe, which she got from my Grandma Bodoni. I have adjusted it to suit my family…for example, adding the mushrooms and bell pepper. My husband ONLY likes Ragu brand spaghetti sauce, so I use that.
Cottage cheese is an abomination in lasagna.